Hi guys! I wasn’t able to post this morning because I had quite the early start at work and I just couldn’t make myself wake up at 4 a.m. to blog. I’m coming at you a little later today. I missed ya!
Breakfast + Work
My morning began with cereal for breakfast in the form of Kashi Go Lean Crisp!
This was my first time trying the cinnamon crumble flavor and I thought it was great. The cereal was nice and crunchy and actually held me over for much longer than I anticipated until it was time for my morning snack.
After I quickly polished off my cereal, I headed out the door to work. I worked through the morning and managed to sneak in my own workout right before it was time to teach my TRX class.
My workout for the day included a cardio hodgepodge that looked like this:
- 15 min. elliptical
- 10 min. incline walking
- 20 min. adaptive motion trainer
- 5 min. row
After my workout, I toweled off so I could teach my class before I finally had a chance to grab a quick shower in the locker rooms before lunch.
And that catches us up! I’m currently blogging on a brief lunch break and wanted to touch on today’s 10 Day You Challenge topic!
It’s time to chat about our fears. Here we gooooo!
Eight Fears
1. Enclosed Spaces
Claustrophobia is something I really struggle with and it’s also something that frustrates me a lot. While I logically know some of the tight spaces I find myself in are totally safe, I cannot suppress the panicky feeling that comes over me when I find myself in small, enclosed spaces. It can actually be really embarrassing (like the time I couldn’t participate in a cave exploration activity on a trip to the Outaouais Region of Canada last year) and I really wish it wasn’t such an issue for me.
2. Needles
I am terrible with needles. I get all sweaty and lightheaded at the thought of a shot. This is also the main reason I don’t have my ears pierced. (And yes, I’ve been told by many people that getting your ears pierced isn’t that bad, but I am a giant baby.)
3. Something Happening to My Family
I’m not sure why, but occasionally I’ll get a really weird feeling and start to worry a lot about my family’s safety. Most of my worries center around car accidents (again, not sure why?), but a big, big fear of mine is something happening to the people I love most in the world. I want them to stay safe and healthy foreverrrrr.
4. Sadie’s Lack of Immortality
Every part of me wants to believe that Sadie is going to live forever. When Ryan and I talk about retirement one day, Sadie is included in our plans. Occasionally I’ll step outside of my denial bubble and realize that Sadie won’t live forever and it tears me up inside. I cannot even think about the day she won’t be around to invade my personal space and force her love on me because it makes me want to cry and hold her forever and ever.
5. Childbirth
Ryan and I really want to have children one day and I hope I am able to give birth, but the whole thing terrifies me. When bloggers share birth stories, I try my best to read them because I’m excited for the birth of their babies, but another part of me is completely horrified since I can hardly read half of a blog post about childbirth before I feel queasy and have to scroll to the bottom just to make sure everyone is okay. The whole idea of giving birth to a baby seriously overwhelms me. Major high fives to all the mamas out there!
6. Someone Breaking Into Our House
Remember when I thought someone was breaking into our house!? Sheer panic. When I was little and my parents would ask me about my biggest fear, I’d always say that my biggest fear was “bad guys.” I’m just plain scared of someone breaking into our house and harming us.
7. Raising A Child
Raising a child is such an incredibly huge responsibility. I feel both excited and intimidated by the thought of being a mom. It’s not something I “fear” exactly, but it’s something that scares me a little bit because you can’t exactly practice or prepare ahead of time. I just hope Ryan and I are able to create a home environment that is loving, safe and supportive. I always tell Ryan that if he is half as good of a dad to our kids as he is to Sadie, I think we will do alright. Ha!
8. Cockroaches
I think Florida is the cockroach capital of the world. Florida cockroaches are not only gross, but they’re freaking huge and they can fly. Horrifying.
Question of the Day
- What are some of your biggest fears?
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Cockroaches scare the daylight a out of me too! So do spider crickets!
Ok no joke I seriously share almost every fear you have!! Did we just become bestfriends?!
During a tornado drill at work I had a panik attack in the stairwell and had to be rushed to one of the floors so i could start breathing normally.. I didnt realize I was that closterphobic!
I am known to passout when having blood drawn..
I have always had irrational anxiety about something happening to my mom. It was really bad as a child but still comes in waves as a 24 yr old.
And my husband is so over my concern about someone breaking in. I have made him do a house search in the middle of the might many times.. Im such a treat 😉
OMG I feel the same way about cockroaches! My husband and I moved from the Northeast to Southeast Texas a few years ago and I had never encountered the ginormous bugs, let alone flying ones! We now live in Seattle so we’re safe! LOL!
Definitely share your fear of worrying about my family… I think it’s because we are so lucky to have such great families! 😉 I also worry about a burglar, but I have an alarm system on my house and that helps. Gotta try that cereal. Love Kashi!
I love that you went from something as deep as “raising a child” to “cockroaches”. I laugh because I understand and appreciate both, wholeheartedly!
BTW – 1 am Blinker (my version of pet invading personal space) and I woke up to something crashing in the house. Husband sleeps through EVERY loud noise, and I’m convinced I will have to save us all from any evil middle-of-the-night act of terror. It ended up being a small piece of molding that fell down in the kitchen. But I definitely thought it was a prowler of some sort! And, since I couldn’t get my husband to wake up, Blinker and I decided we’d take cover under the covers and hope the boogie man wouldn’t notice us hiding.
So there ya go … I echo much of your fear list! Now, may I add … losing a tooth! I truly hope my teeth never fall out, get chipped, need to be pulled for any reason! 4 years of braces, and I’m taking care of these babies!
Losing my family but more specifically my mom. Not that I don’t love everyone else just as much 🙂 Also having the plane I’m in crash, not being able to have children someday and ending up alone.
Wow…downer….to make up for it I’ll contribute to yesterday’s love list: family, froyo, girlfriends, my religion, exercise, driving with the window rolled down, lying in a hammock, chocolate, good sleep.
Definitely hear you on the claustrophobia thing. My sister got me this hood thing to wear in winter that covers most of your face, and it freaks me out for some weird reason. I don’t like things wrapped around my head.
#4 just about made me cry. I can’t even image the day my sweet puppy dog is no longer here, it’s just too sad to think about! Our dog is literally like our child!
With all the blog posts and people I know having children, I am SO glad I am not the only one who fears childbirth. It seems so commonplace and yet terrifying! I’ve often felt alone in this fear and your blog post makes me feel less isolated, so thank you! 🙂
Also cockroaches, yuck!
It’s definitely scary!! You are not alone. 🙂
I think raising a child and giving birth are two fears I had before but they both come natural and are so rewarding! It sounds like you come from an amazing family so you will be great!
I also fear my dog Cooper not living forever. Dogs truly are a member of the family 🙂
I am also super claustrophobic – not sure where it comes from!
Props to you for even being able to post a pic of a cockroach on your blog, I hate them so, so much!
Ahhh! I am SO terrified of anyone in my family getting in a car accident, especially my husband or my sister. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with that massive fear. I’m also terrified of tornadoes (I live in the upper Midwest, so it’s semi-rational).
Child birth and losing a loved one are huge fears of mine. I also have a fear of dying by drowning in a car which seems a little out there. Being hurt or injured is a fear too.
I’m with you on #4. I can’t imagine life without my puppy
thank you for your post! i’m actaully going to have a baby (5 weeks along) and i’m so scared.. not that i dont think i can do it but its such a HUGE responsibility… another fear i have are my dogs (two 6 year old labs) they are my whole life and have been since the day got them but i’m scared that with a baby coming they wont get enough attention and they will either act out or be sad…. thats like my biggest fear bc i love them so much and i would never want them to feel unwanted… sigh
It’s definitely a huge deal!! Congratulations to you, Kelly!
Childbirth is a huge fear of mine! I am actually not afraid of cockroaches, but am terrified of snakes!
I also love Kashi cereal. I’ve been eating the granola with almond milk, with yogurt or straight from the box.
Spiders, something happening to my family, and not being able to accomplish what I want to in my career.
Spiders, cockroaches, and silver fish bugs are all top fears for me!
Snakes–I saw a snake in nature once and I think I could’ve won a marathon at the pace I ran away from it.
Suddenly Disappearing–this is irrational but I’m constantly afraid I’m just going to disappear…..
This goes along with your needles fear but I’m afraid that I’m going to get air in my veins every time I give blood.
Building Collapse–I have a lot of apocalyptic nightmares and so my life is full of thoughts about the building I’m in collapsing under/on me.
I have some super irrational fears. Bur really….snakes. My coworker likes to torture me with photos of snakes.
caring for another human being scares me too! My sister has a one year old and my other sister is pregnant, it really overwhelms me with all this preg/ baby talk! We hope to have a family one day too, but i am scared!
I didn’t know there was a cinnamon crumble flavor of Kashi Go Lean! It sounds right up my alley – need to find it stat!
I think we have pretty much all the same fears. Are you sure we’re not the same person? 😉 Oh, but I have a child and I’ve gone through childbirth and it still scares the crap out of me. Haha! I felt/feel(?) the same way about childbirth, but the thing is, you just do it. Yep, it’s really challenging and one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, but wow, it’s one of the most rewarding, amazing, and miraculous things that has ever happened to me. Even thinking about giving birth to another child down the road freak me out, and I’ve done it before … but it’s all pretty awesome too. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that it can be a little scary, yes, but the body is SO incredible and it can do more than you could ever imagine. So, hopefully that’s a little encouraging for you… 😉 And then raising a child…yeah, that’s pretty intimidating and overwhelming too, huh? For me too. But, I’ve learned that you do the best you can do, stand firm to what you believe is right, and love with all you have, and it’ll make you an amazing parent.
Sorry for the novel! Guess I could just relate to this post a lot! 😉 Have a great day, Julie!
Loved this comment! Thanks for sharing!!!
I have some of the same fears you have!
1) Enclosed spaces
2) Frogs
3) Blood coming out of my body (in the form of deep cuts/incisions)
4) Change (I’m working on overcoming this fear. Change = growth and I’m ready to grow)
5) Quitting my job and doing what I love even though it won’t pay as much (and I’ll have to cut back drastically on my spending)
6) Public speaking (I’m getting my yoga certification, and will overcome this fear in a few weeks for my final cert)
7) House centipedes (those monsters move so damn fast!)
8) Belly Button’s (my cat) lack of immortality 😉
Nothing and I mean NOTHING terrifies me more than those house centipedes! They’re like lightning!
Even though its not the most uplifting topic thinking about our fears, I really enjoyed your post!
It nearly put me to tears when you talked about Sadie. I can just feel the love you have and express for her.
I feel the same way about my family dog and though many people say “its just a dog”, they are a part of our family.
I’m so glad I came across your blog. I don’t usually follow and keep up with many blogs but you have been such a positive influence in my life! Thanks for sharing your life with us 🙂
This comment means a lot to me. Thank you, Justine!!
As a Floridian (currently displaced to Washington, DC), I have to say, I always called them palmetto bugs, not cockroaches. It helped me to think of them that way, because that way they are a lot more like beetles!! We have cockroaches up here, and while not as big as a palmetto bug is, I find them MUCH MORE disgusting– mainly because they live in your apartment/house and are notoriously hard to kill. At least in Florida they were easy to manage… we had a bug man come every month to spray the perimeter of our house and they’d all die if they came too close! 🙂
I’m afraid of bees. I will seriously run away if I see one and I hate when people swat at them because I just know they are going to come sting me.
GREAT Julie, we’re moving to FL soon and now I’m totally freaking about the cockroaches haha! They fly?!?!? Are you kidding me!
Our sweet fur baby is turning 8 this year, I cry when I think about the fact that she is not going to be around forever too. She is now considered “senior” at the vet 🙁 I just can’t stand that thought…. And now I’m sitting at my desk wanting to rush home and snuggle her.
Give her a big hug from me, too!! 🙂 And I hope you love Florida!!
We share ALL the same fears (well except for a pet’s immortality- I don’t have one).I’m okay in enclosed spaces, it’s when there’s a lot of people in the enclosed space with me (or creating the enclosed space) that makes me super nervous! As for child birth and child rearing, I just leave that for “future me” to deal with. ; )
It seems like many of us have the same fear of losing our loved ones. My dad passed away 5 years ago and my fear of losing loved ones has gotten much worse; the biggest right now is my husband. I just keep reminding myself that he’s healthy and that he is a safe driver! I’m pretty sure my dog and cat are immortal and that nothing will ever happen to them; not healthy, but thinking about losing them makes my heart hurt so bad! I do have an irrational fear of getting electic shocks. I do this weird hesitation thing at every door; I can’t just grab the handle and open it like anyone else would.
I feel you on a lot of these fears. I just plain don’t like needles. I always have to close my eyes at the doctor when I see them going in. Yuck!
I’m totally scared of someone breaking into my house – like – BAD!! Other fears would include, heights and spiders!
I am right there with you with small spaces. It is a BIG fear of mine that is for sure!
I feel ya with the bad guys! We thought we were having a break in a couple of days ago (it was just the wind). I was up for three hours watching funny youtube videos before I could fall back asleep!
If it makes you feel any better, I’m a nurse in anesthesia school, so I give needles all day long… However, if you come at me with one, I’m on the floor passed out!
And I just moved to Florida a few months ago, and cannot get over the cockroaches! Gross.
I absolutely hate roaches! When we moved to our first apartment, I was seriously disappointed (and annoyed and all other kind of bad feelings) when I realized we had a bug problem. When the pest control guy came he told me that what he had were palmetto bugs…I was so relieved that I called my husband and said “honey, we don’t have roaches, we have palmetto bugs!”
He just laughed and laughed. I had no idea they were basically the same thing. whomp whomp.
My puppy (“puppy”…he’s 14 and 2 months, so puppy may not be the most accurate word these days 😛 ) is definitely on his last legs. I don’t live at home so I don’t see him that often anymore, but when he has bad days my mom will e-mail me and tell me he’s taken a turn for the worse, and UGH. I usually have to go take a serious sob break whenever that happens. I’m going home tomorrow for the week, and after that trip I don’t expect that I’ll be home again before Thanksgiving, which means this coming week will probably be the last time I see my bestest fwend (that’s what I call him, because I am a child. Haha). Definitely not fun to think about, but at least I should be able to have one last time with him, which I’m glad for. And who knows? He’s had lots of close calls over the past year, so maybe he’ll hang on to November. But it is still sad to think about him dying someday. He’s been my buddy since elementary school!
I’m terrified of needles as well, yet have piercings and tattoos. Try to give me a shot though? Heck to the NO!
I’m absolutely terrified of any of my family members getting ill/injured. It has kept me awake more nights than I care to remember. I’m also scared of settling. I’m 23, but I have this fear of waking up someday down the road only to realize I’m 45 and have yet to achieve any of my life’s goals. So you could say that my fears keep me on my knees and on “the grind!”
Definitely something happening to my family…especially my little niece, she’s like my own!!! Not meeting the man of my dreams..does that count as a fear?!
I hope you find him soon! 🙂
I also am VERY afraid of something happening to my family, especially my little girl. It’s so hard to shake those feelings sometimes.
Cockroaches….no thank you!
Child birth…not really that bad. When you are in the moment, you really don’t even have time to worry about how it will happen because you are so excited to meet your baby. You will do fine when the time comes and you two will make beautiful babies. 🙂
Growing up in Florida, I once found a SCORPION in my house!!!! As much as I dislike cockroaches, this one took the cake. Luckily, my fearless friend was there to help! And random, but I didn’t mind the salamanders.
I’m scared of needles too! I also can’t stand cockroaches, crickets, and spiders!
Woah these fears are almost identical to some of my top ones.
I’m claustrophobic as well, to the point that people crowding around me makes me want to hyperventilate sometimes!
And childbirth…I totally agree. Even the thought of having a whole other person LIVING INSIDE ME FOR 9 MONTHS just kind of creeps me out haha but I’m sure I’ll get over it once I actually get pregnant.
Surprisingly I’m not afraid of roaches or needles.
I am however deathly afraid of heights, snakes and anything that else slithers. I’m loving the warmer weather, but oh man the earth worms *shudder*
I love this little mini series you have going on! It’s so fun & I always find out more “new” stuff about you, even though I’ve been reading since you started this blog! <3 I understand your fear of childbirth but I promise you, it's nothing like you see/read about it. I have a 1 year old & we got pregnant a little sooner than we thought, therefore I was extremely nervous! I typically love reading birth stories too & it got me prepared & so excited for that moment! You will be a great mother Julie…! It's the most rewarding thing… 🙂 Now to answer your question… Snakes. I can't stand them. I even freak out when they're on TV or in books 😉
I felt the same way about childbirth! I actually had to walk out of more than one of our childbirth classes because I was hyperventilating. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out. But a supportive husband who didn’t mock my fears and fantastic nurses helped make the experience a memory (actually two, since I did it again 2 years later) I treasure.
My biggest fear is always something happening to someone in my family or to one of my close friends. Sometimes I let my mind get away from me and I start thinking crazy things. I have to constantly tell myself not to worry and not to think like that. Other than that my other fear is frogs! I freakin’ hate frogs. And not being able to have children or miscarrying is another fear of mine!
Thank you for being so completely honest about your fears. Honesty on The internet is rare. As a new mom I’m scared I won’t be in the moment enough. Today I committed myself to living for he now with my daughter!
Oooh – I don’t think I’ve seen the Cinnamon Crumble before. I’ll have to be on the lookout!
Wow. This could have been a list that I had made! I have a HUGE fear of something happening to my loved ones. I get that most people have these thoughts, but I sometimes immediately tear up at even the thought of it. I get kind of panicky when I know my husband, brother, parents, or grandparents have to fly or drive (even though we all fly/drive a ton…my husband flies out weekly for work). I just keep having this weird fear or feeling of getting ‘bad news’ and it is just this horrifying fear. Even with my friends! I just worry so much about everyone’s well-being and I don’t ever want them to experience any pain. I mean, it’s normal to want that, but it’s still just a terrible thought and I wish it never even entered my mind.
I also cry at the thought of something happening to my puppies (who aren’t puppies, they are 12 year old brothers!) or them getting sick. It’s inevitable, but I literally can’t accept it. It was heartbreaking when my 18 year old dog died and I still cry thinking about him.
Also, bugs. Any kind of bugs make me crazy.
Lord, I have issues!!!
Definitely relate to the fear of raising a child and, along with that, losing family- the two fears build on one another too, unfortunately. Since I am pregnant now, I’ve realized I have one more person in my life that I will worry about losing! Ah! Oddly enough, I’m not scared of the labor part (it’s literally coming any day now). I’m doing a home birth with a midwife, which would terrify some people more, but I’ve seen a number of my friends have multiple kids (some in hospital and some out) and got to watch my sisters at home delivery beginning to end. Watching “the business of being born” was a big help too. It’s totally one sided and biased towards home births (so if you ever watch it, take it with a grain of salt), but what it made me realize is that our bodies really are programmed to do what they do. Women have been doing this since the beginning of time (with medical doctors only aiding in the last 100 years or so). Our bodies are remarkable and barring high risk pregnancies and some complications, it really is remarkable what a woman’s body will do, even without much knowledge or assistance from us (hear us roar! Lol). The more I learned about natural birth, the less freaked out I was about the whole thing. Of course, I am not saying it’s the only way or the best way, and I am VERY thankful hospitals exist in case anything unforeseen does happen during my labor! But the knowledge of the biology and the history of birth definitely made a difference. Something you learn about when you’re actually there, though. I never gave it a second thought before actually being pregnant, ha ha.
OMG ROACHES. They make me cry. I’d take 100 shots before touching one. Even now my skin is crawling just thinking about it!