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[Yoink]

Also I'm almost certain I've developed agoraphobia.

At least it's not Agraphobia; the paralyzing fear of Indians.


"Hello sir, I am calling from Microsoft about your Windows computer"

*Panic attack*

I thought that one was fear of sexual assault?
I remember googling agoraphobia some time ago and seeing a big ol' "not to be confused with" note.

[Hanslanda]

I guess I should clarify, big open spaces started giving me mild to severe panic attacks, especially driving over long bridges and thinking about vast distances like found in space. Thinking about and comprehending the 8 light minute distance to the Sun fucks me right up.

And I don't hate japs.

[scriver]

Don't worry Hans. Everyone knows the Imperial Sun Bears are the allies of Nazi Pandas

[Yoink]

Pretty sure agoraphobia is more of a social phobia.
I think the "wide open spaces" definition of it generally refers to spaces with people in them.

My old shrink specifically described it to me as a "fear of inescapable social situations" with potential for embarrassment or something along those lines.

[Hanslanda]

Well I'm literally afraid of large spaces.

[Rolan7]

I feel like it's related to the fear of falling?  The night sky in an open field would make me uneasy if I focused on it, like I was going to fall upwards.  Same feeling as being near a steep ledge.  The worst was climbing firetowers though, nngh...  Being at the top of one, feeling it swaying, just felt so *unanchored*.

I used to climb them fairly often with my family, but when I tried again recently I didn't manage it.  I probably could have, but I had nothing to prove and I was extremely uncomfortable halfway up.  The occasional wooden "step" being missing really didn't inspire confidence either.

But yeah, I've got the same feeling by looking up at the sky in a clearing.  Where all I can really see is emptiness and distant stars, no anchoring objects.  I used to dream about floating in vast voids, too...  Sorta falling, sorta just being overwhelmed by an abstract feeling of *scale*, like huge numbers or long times.  Was kinda nauseating.

Definitely beautiful, but alien and overwhelming to one's ego.  The sort of fear common in Lovecraft stories, I suppose.

Edit:  I wonder if I can find a panorama I took from a bare rocky outcrop that was surrounded on 3 sides by drop.  (Not that I want to scare anyone).  They say not to look down, but I couldn't bare to look *up* - I had to keep the stone beneath me in view.  The sight of the ground far below wasn't bad.  But if I looked up, and didn't have my fingers on cold steady rock, it was like I was adrift in the sky.

[Lord Shonus]

I have occasional times when I realize that there is nothing between me and the universe except a thin sheath of gas, and start to royally freak out.


At the same time, I have occasional bouts of "jesus christ the wals are closing in, need space need space".

[Dunamisdeos]

THERE'S A GIANT FUCKING MOTH IN MY OFFICE AND INSTEAD OF DOING SOMETHING I AM GLARING AT IT AND TYPING

[JoshuaFH]

I have occasional times when I realize that there is nothing between me and the universe except a thin sheath of gas, and start to royally freak out.


At the same time, I have occasional bouts of "jesus christ the wals are closing in, need space need space".

I mean, it's more than a thin sheath of gas. It's quite a lot of gas. And some magnetism. It's kinda like saying that the only thing stopping you from falling into Earth's magma core is a thin layer of soil.

THERE'S A GIANT FUCKING MOTH IN MY OFFICE AND INSTEAD OF DOING SOMETHING I AM GLARING AT IT AND TYPING

That moth is a royal guest and you should feel honored in his presence.

[bloop_bleep]

Just now walked through a big open, completely flat field to board an airplane and felt slightly uneasy. I think it might be because the lack of many discernible features caused me to lose perspective of distance.

[Lord Shonus]

I have occasional times when I realize that there is nothing between me and the universe except a thin sheath of gas, and start to royally freak out.


At the same time, I have occasional bouts of "jesus christ the wals are closing in, need space need space".

I mean, it's more than a thin sheath of gas. It's quite a lot of gas. And some magnetism. It's kinda like saying that the only thing stopping you from falling into Earth's magma core is a thin layer of soil.

By the standards of infinity, which is the standards that provoke this issue, it's pretty thin.

[JoshuaFH]

I have occasional times when I realize that there is nothing between me and the universe except a thin sheath of gas, and start to royally freak out.


At the same time, I have occasional bouts of "jesus christ the wals are closing in, need space need space".

I mean, it's more than a thin sheath of gas. It's quite a lot of gas. And some magnetism. It's kinda like saying that the only thing stopping you from falling into Earth's magma core is a thin layer of soil.

By the standards of infinity, which is the standards that provoke this issue, it's pretty thin.

The only thing that separates you from the nearest black hole that can absorb your body and erase you from existence down to the molecular level is a thin layer of vacuum only a scant 27,000 light years thick.

[Hanslanda]

I have occasional times when I realize that there is nothing between me and the universe except a thin sheath of gas, and start to royally freak out.


At the same time, I have occasional bouts of "jesus christ the wals are closing in, need space need space".

Sorta this. Like, I feel fear of falling out or up quite a lot, like vertigo. But I am also terrified of heights. I guess I'm afraid of unplanned excessive acceleration due to gravitic or physical forces outside my control. Gravitophobic

[KittyTac]

The only thing that separates you from the nearest black hole that can absorb your body and erase you from existence down to the atomic level is a thin layer of vacuum only a scant 27,000 light years thick.

I think a black hole can rip your molecules into individual atoms.

[JoshuaFH]

The only thing that separates you from the nearest black hole that can absorb your body and erase you from existence down to the atomic level is a thin layer of vacuum only a scant 27,000 light years thick.

I think a black hole can rip your molecules into individual atoms.

IIRC the atoms get crushed further, the gravity overcoming the strong nuclear force between the atomic components and they all get mushed into neutronium. Atleast, that's what neutron stars are made of, we can't observe what a black hole is made of, but I'd imagine it's something similar.

/bracingmyselftogetcorrected