I have arachnophobia. What can I do?
I know I have arachnophobia and I know that there is no rational reason why I am afraid of these harmless critters. I’ve read Charlotte’s Web and I enjoyed it, even though the main character was a spider. Yet, I still feel a sense of panic when I see the eight-legged black and sometimes hairy creature resting on a wall. I even grow fearful if I see a picture of a spider (in biology books, I usually turn those pages very fast or put another book over the picture of the spider). My heart starts to beat fast, especially if the spider’s legs are thick or long. When I have to kill one of these pests, I may even start to sweat in anticipation of having my hand near the spider.
Just yesterday, when I was about to go to sleep, I saw a spider near my bed. It was a small one, so I was not as scared. And since I was going to sleep pretty late, no one else in my house was awake. So, I knew I had to kill it by myself. However, when I drew close to the spider with a folded napkin, I could feel myself grow nervous. In the end, I placed the napkin behind a book and slammed the napkin/book on the spider in a very swift motion. I had to crinkle the napkin together without looking to confirm if I had indeed killed the spider and throw it into the garbage. However, in the process of slamming the book, I managed to cut my hand.
I wish I was not so afraid of spiders. My parents and sister have both reasoned with me that there is no point in being afraid of such small creatures, yet I still grow nervous. My dad commented that if I was placed in a shack full of spiders, I would get over my fear in a day or two. I’m not so sure about that; just imagining such a situation makes me cringe. But, I would like to reduce my fear. It seems that growing older has only increased my alertness to spiders and heightened my fear. Does anyone have any suggestions about getting rid of the fear? I just tried to Google arachnophobia, but I was turned off by the pictures of spiders on the screen that popped up.