Have you ever developed a "late in life" phobia?

I never used to be afraid of heights or “wild” rides at parks. Over the last 10 years, those have both crept up on me.

I don’t need any schooling to tell me I don’t want to touch strangers. I wondered how LMTs did that. Some gross fat smelly person with back hair, yup, I’m all over that.
Edit, sorry, a little juvenile. No, I haven’t developed any new ones as I’ve gotten older. Hopefully I’m a little smarter and a little more careful with some maturity.

@Adirondackwannabe Oh Lord, you have no idea how many truck drivers walked into “well-known massage establishment”, without having had a shower, and wanted me to give a full rub down and spend extra time on their nasty stinking assfunky feet. <shudder>

Interesting one. I was thinking this weekend as I was walking through a bad neighborhood in LA that once upon a time, it either wouldn’t have registered as a bad neighborhood, or I would have felt really ballsy and interesting for venturing there.

I used to have no concept of my mortality, but I am now much more nervous about putting my life on the line than I was 20 years ago. Let’s just say I won’t be freestyle rock climbing up a waterfall while 7 months pregnant again anytime soon.

I’m no longer willing to eat sprayed fruits and vegetables.

When I was about 16 years old I developed a fear of travelling on the bus which I had to do everyday to get to work at the time. It started when I was travelling home one day feeling incredibly sick and we got stuck in traffic on the motorway. I honestly thought I was going to be really sick and the fact that I couldn’t get off the bus filled me with terror. It took me about two hours to get home (usually it took 20 minutes) and the relief I felt when I got off the bus was incredibly. For about a year after that waiting for and then travelling on the bus was an ordeal for me (it was in that time that I learnt to drive!) but I am over that now and public transport is no longer an issue.

I’m not sure this qualifies as a phobia, but since I returned to school 3 years ago, I find that I suffer from a somewhat mild form of test anxiety, something I never had before when I was in school. Is it because I’ve put so much pressure on myself to do well? Is it from returning to school so relatively late? I’m not sure…

I’ve always had my phobia of spiders…

I’m not sure if this qualifies as later in life, but when I was 18, I discovered that I had a phobia of balloons. Getting close to them causes panic, sweat and hyperventilation. Even the sound of a helium tank filling a balloon up sets it off. It’s an embarrassment, ridiculous, and such a shame.

Like @tedibear I never was overly afraid of heights and used to crawl all over my roofs of my houses. Now a 6’ step ladder is a challenge. Thankfully I still love roller coasters!!

Can’t say that I have [ for the moment ]

Hopefully I won’t develop any.

Stop giving massages ^^

Like @cruiser, I’m just not as interested in climbing up on any roofs and I once worked with a roofing company.

Next, fear or just smart, I spent four years on a motorcycle and don’t have an ounce of interest to ever get back on one. Four years riding with four close calls, one for every year.

Yes. As a teen then I spent a lot of weekends with my friends just hanging out in shopping malls all day, the bigger then the better. Once my 30’s came along then I avoided going to malls all together. I’d rather shop online then brave hordes of people and the dangers of parking lots.

Even a trip to Wal Mart superstore for groceries once a month is exasperating. I don’t like to go alone, I won’t drive there and try to keep focus on just a few feet in front of me instead of looking all around.