Hi guys and welcome back to my blog! This week is so exciting as it is almost Halloween, one of my personal favourite holidays, of course we all know that nothing beats Christmas. Just kidding youâre entitled to your own opinions. Anyway as the years scariest day approaches at a rapid pace Iâd like to use this weeks choice based challenge to talk about Halloween or more specifically fears in general. Now I was originally going to use this week for catch up and dial down the excitement for this post but whereâs the fun in that! To really dive into my topic for today Iâm simply going to talk about some fears and what fear really is.Â
![](https://www.blog44.ca/ciaraw/files/2019/11/Halloween_1572733698-1024x682.jpg)
Pexels / Pixabay
  Everyone has them, something that haunts them in their everyday lives. I have friends who are scared of heights, flying, spiders, fireworks, and even bees. I myself have a rather odd but really quite sensible fear of the ocean. While every persons fears may vary there is a huge difference between a fear and a phobia. Phobias are also known as irrational fears and usually have an effect on people causing them to be inexplicably scared of a particular thing or situation. A fear is much different as it feels so much more real. When your adrenaline starts pumping due to fear induced emotions your very likely to do one of three things. Run, hide, or freeze. The sense of fear comes when your brain recognizes the impending danger something can oppose and has very little reaction time whereas a phobia is the set belief of something trying to harm you. When we are young our parents or guardians may cause a phobia to arise especially if for example they highlighted their irrational fear of spiders. This is simply one of the main causes of a phobia in a young child. Having examples set for them early on can cause a chain reaction and result in the passing down of a phobia. Fears are once again, vastly different. You cant inherit a fear from your family members it comes on its own. Most fears are born out of a bad situation or life threatening event. Deciphering the difference between the two can be very easy if you put another person in a situation that would typically cause a rush of fear induced adrenaline.
![](https://www.blog44.ca/ciaraw/files/2019/11/Scared_1572733929-1024x682.jpg)
Wokandapix / Pixabay
  Talking on a more personal note, Iâm scared to death by the ocean. Funny enough this is a fear not a phobia. Not being able to see whatâs below me or having something touch my foot while Iâm swimming is horrifying. I have had panic attacks whilst in the ocean, minor of course but still relevant. Itâs story time, buckle up and enjoy! So this summer my family took a trip to Maui. We went to the island in the peak of summer and nearing turtle season. It was gorgeous and I loved almost every minute of it. On our second day there my dad tried to take me and my brother and sister snorkelling in shallow waters with a sandbar so that we could see clearly and stand up comfortably. The minute I set foot in the water I cracked. My siblings and dad started laughing as I leaped out of the water in panic when a small school of fish swam right by my face. It was terrifying, I swear I started hyperventilating. After that great experience I refused to go snorkelling for the rest of the trip. While my entire fear is based off of not being able to see whatâs beneath me I realized that seeing everything isnât much better. A few days went by, we hiked a volcano, ate to much ice cream, and went to some of the best beaches in the world (without snorkelling of course). Soon enough it was time for a road trip across the island. We stopped along at some cool beaches including a beautiful black rock beach known for the coral reef that spreads across the shoreline. Surprise, this was a snorkelling stop. I refused to go into the water because of the huge rocks and coral habitats filled with fish, turtles, and all kinds of sea life. Somehow I was convinced to give it another go and i made it out roughly 50 meters from shore when the waves kicked in. There was so much coral and fish below me and I couldnât stand because I couldnât see the bottom. This is where that dump of adrenaline kicked it and I began to panic. Being in the ocean far away from shore, I couldnât hide, or swim very far at a rush. I ended up freezing which was not ideal as the water became very murky with all of the wave action. I eventually made it to shore after a lot of effort and its safe to say I will not be snorkelling for a long time.
![](https://www.blog44.ca/ciaraw/files/2019/11/Reef_1572734051-1024x682.jpg)
PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay
  Anyway happy Halloween everyone and don’t let your fears, or phobias get to you!Â
Ciara âď¸đť