I'm kind of worried my phobia will one day get in the way of my social life

[KinkySanta]

This might sound weird, but I'm actually kind of afraid of beans especially refried beans. When my Mom makes beans I generally have to stay upstairs because the smell makes me gag. They look really gross too. My sister always jokes that she's going to touch me with beans on her hands and it genuinely freaks me out.

So far I've avoided having my friends know about this because I have avoided any invites to places that would serve beans, because I get a little weirded out by people eating them near me. I'm fine with all other foods, but my god I can't deal with beans. I'm worried my friends will one day find out about my phobia. Even worse, I'm worried I'll be on a date and my date will order beans and I'll be just sitting there freaking out in my head.

I'm worried this one day will cause me problems. I need to get over my bean phobia. Please don't suggest to eat beans to get over it. I need other ways

[Cosmic Boys]

i can't go outside without having a panic attack, so stop stresssing

[pinkeuphoria]

Tell them that you're afraid of them? I have weird fears and everyone respects those fears by not exposing me to them (since I told them)

[Deâ„“phina]

I suggest getting counselling.

[dhjxjcjjxj]

It's not like beans go running around in the streets.

Go to a doctor.

 

[xharuharux]

dissect the bean 

 

be one with the bean 

 

be the bean (look at the beans perspective)

 

long live the bean

[solbin's girl]

[Girin~]

i can't go outside without having a panic attack, so stop stresssing

that sounds really hard :( but please don't put down someone's phobia. It will make them even more stressed about it, and anxiety fuels them. A lot of people have so called "strange" phobias for example I simply can't go to sleep without without putting on lipbalm first, my mind thinks some horrible things will happen if I don't. To KinkySanta if you're looking for some tips, what helped me with OCD is to print off a picture of your fear and put it somewhere in the house you go often, slowly exposing yourself to the stimulus will bring down your panicked reactions to it hope you both feel better

[sakurahanabira]

are you just afraid of how beans look by themselves? If someone were to serve you something with beans as a non-visible ingredient, would you be able to tell that there's beans/bean fillings inside? Example: 

 

 

(sakuramochi with Japanese red bean paste inside--Japanese red beans have no smell, by the way)

 

 

(black bean brownie) 

 

you'll be quite surprised at how many foods, especially desserts, that have beans as a hidden ingredient without you even knowing it. Would you be okay with eating foods with beans as a hidden ingredient as long as you're not aware that the food contains beans? If that's possible for you, you can start from there and then slowly work your way up to being able to stomach beans alone or as a visible ingredient. 

[Arietta]

go see a psychologist and get therapy 

[Gloupipoo]

Tell them that you're afraid of them? I have weird fears and everyone respects those fears by not exposing me to them (since I told them)

 

mte I have a phobia of balloons and people are much less of a cunt when they know

[Serendipity]

have you considered exposure therapy?

[myreflections]

hm.... i think people will understand if you tell them you can't stand seeing beans

i have a thing for eggplants and their smell in several dishes but i can look at it. i can't eat it though. one time my grandma tried tricking me because she thought i was just being fussy about it and i almost puked. the taste just didn't go away

if you think your phobia went too far, ask for some counselling on the matter. even if they wouldn't cure it completely, a counselor should be able to help you find some way of managing the fear when you see them

[Hosh]

i don't have any advice unfortunately, but just wanted to comment and say that i've also got a phobia that i've struggled with my whole life (mine is vomiting) and i'm sending you good vibes! if you ever need to vent you can send me a pm!

 

also, you could tell people you are extremely allergic to beans if you're uncomfortable with disclosing your fear. that way they won't eat any around you.

[MintGreen]

How often do you encounter beans though? I don't think I've seen beans in months. But I do know how it feels to worry over something and make things other people feel are trivial become huge. It sounds like you should either get counselling or talk about it with your family/friends, I can't really think of anything else since you don't want to try eating it and try to get used to it little by little.

[Anti-fan]

You're funny.