Fear of Popping a Balloon: Exposed
I know, I know. It seems silly to be afraid of a balloon popping; but, truth be told, it was one of my greatest fears. I know it may be trivial to some, but sometimes small things like these are earth shattering to others.
One of the reasons why I want to talk about it today is because I actually met someone this week that has the same fear I once had! (I thought I was the only one!)
Living with Fear and Getting Over It
I could never be around balloons because they always filled me with anxiety.
I think my fear stemmed from when I was young and was forced to play that terrible game of ‘balloon pop’. Many of the birthday parties I went to had the game where money would be stuffed inside the balloon and the only way to get it was to pop it. While it seemed innocent, I was actually traumatized by cousins who would take the balloon, put a fork to it, and pop it in my face. Left… POP. Right… POP. Under you… POP. “Hey Loren!… POP!” Popping was going on everywhere! And after many birthdays, I suddenly found myself with a fear.
Fast forward to being an adult and cringing when balloons came into the frame; it actually wasn’t so ‘cute’ anymore. And, since it’s somewhat rare, it makes you seem a little… different. I will never forget that one meeting at work (with about one hundred people in attendance) that ended with a balloon drop; I ran away from that meeting into another room. While I let people know why I was acting funky and they seemed to understand, I knew deep down inside that there was something more to it than just balloons.
A few months ago, for my birthday, I asked my husband to buy me balloons. And he did.
Being afraid of a balloon didn’t mean just trying to get over the loud sound, but it meant getting over an anxiety that was housed inside of me for so many years. And this fear just so happened to be masked with an elastic rubber that comes in a multitude of colours.
A balloon popping is something sudden and usually surprising. And that was the problem, I was not one to want to be surprised, because I needed to know everything. I needed to be in control. I didn’t know how to react to a sudden or surprising thing. The way I reacted when someone teased me by putting a fork to a balloon in my adult life was not normal. I freaked out, cried and screamed. And you know what? I let them get away with it. I let myself get weak, back down, and never challenged them by saying “Go on, do it.” I was then teased. Constantly. I let that get added to my list of insecurities and it was my own fault.
So, for my birthday last year, I said enough was enough. I was tired of running away. I was tired of anxiety. So I took a ballon and, after a bit of hesitation, popped it! I then cried. But, funny enough, I immediately started to laugh.
I then turned into a little bit of a crazy lady and grabbed all of the balloons around the house and popped them all. It was so therapeutic and I felt years of anxiety melt away! Not only that, but I grew confident. Having a fear and just going for it head-on is intimidating, but it honestly is how you get over things sometimes. And I proved to myself that it wasn’t just with a balloon that I could take this experience and apply it to; there were so many other parts of my life that could use this newfound ‘bravery’. I tackled a champagne bottle the following week- ha! But then I also confronted someone via conversation. I didn’t let the ‘what-if”s’ get in the way of me moving forward. And that was a big learning for me, especially since it came from such a small thing.
Meeting Someone with the Same Fear
So this week, I had the pleasure of meeting myself. It was actually someone else, but I saw a lot of the ‘old me’ in the ‘present her’. While I know our lives aren’t the same and we have different things that attest to who we are today, the anxiety was there. So I sat with her and told her my story. She was very much inspired, which I could tell, and was very humbled by. We had a video shoot that day which included balloons and, by the end of the day, I saw her being able to look at balloons in a different way. She didn’t exactly pop a ballon -and I wouldn’t have expected her to- but I saw that she was being very brave and built up the courage to take baby steps forward instead of running back to what she always deemed as ‘safe’. She was laughing the whole day and I was so happy to know that sharing just a bit of my own experience with her gave her some sort of ‘hope’. Even if it’s very minimal, it still brought a smile to my face knowing that I helped someone.
Again, again!
I can proudly say that I can pop a balloon with no problem these days. I proved that I could become more confident and that I do have it in me to be my strongest self. All it takes is just some self-listening to what it is that you really want in your life, taking the plunge, and trusting yourself.
We went to the park today and I thought I would commemorate that day and my conversation with the girl I had this week by popping a balloon!
Unfortunately my hand slipped and popped the balloon too quick for me to even plan it. Haha
The surprise and suddenness didn’t freak me out though; I actually enjoyed it and laughed it off!
I encourage you to just think about a little fear you may have and why you may have it. And, if you find yourself building up the courage to say “enough is enough,” then do something that will help you get over your little fear. You may be afraid now, but in a couple of months, you could laugh it off and help someone else. You never know :).
Have a wonderful week everyone! 🙂
Loren.
jejje
i have the same fear, i’m 20 and been afraid all my life. I don’t umderstand how you dared to pop a balloon, i would never dare. Is it the only cure? to pop balloons?
Loren
Hi jejje! Thank you so much for reading the post and sharing with me that you share the same fear. I have to say, from my own experience, avoiding the situation only made it worse. It was the willingness to get over the fear and not let it control me anymore that I decided to control it. It may seem impossible now, but one day it may be possible! I started small and slow: maybe be in the same room with them, then handle them, and then maybe take a balloon and blow a baby balloon! See how that feels. If you feel comfortable with them then, try making a tiny hole at the tied part and slowly let the air out, see how that makes you feel. Eventually maybe you can have one across the room and throw a stick or something at it to make it pop from afar. Lastly, when you feel comfortable maybe you’ll be ready to just take it in your hand and pop a small to medium one! Think about what the worst case may be, because once you do it, that’s it, it’s over! And you would have conquered your fear. When I finally decided to do it I was just ready for my fear to be over and I just went in there and popped it! Like I said in my post, I cried… but then I laughed! Very relieving. Just take it slow and take baby steps- the only way to get through it is to slowly do it. I know one day you can do it! I would love to know how it goes – best of luck to you! x 🙂
Jessica F
I had this fear, too, stemming from the same reason. I also hate firecrackers and fireworks. I plug my fingers in my ears, move them around a bit AND hum during them, and I’m 34! It physically hurts and also terrifies me because I jump at sudden, loud noises.
I lost my balloon fear by working on a children’s show that (to my horror) had a balloon drop. We’d have to help blow up the balloons, transport the drop from the place we’d filk it to the hanging position, and then they fell onto the audience. There was popping all along the way! I HAD to get over it or else be miserable for a solid 3 months. Exposure and just DOING IT really is the only way to get over a fear. At the end, I could pop a balloon by hand. I also have to make sure to pop a balloon every few years to make sure I don’t regress. It’s scary but worth it to just pop the thing and get it over with!
Loren
Hi, Jessica! OMG, by hand?! You are a #bada*s! Thanks for sharing LOVE the “ain’t-nothing-to-it-but-to-do-it attitude!” Sometimes, the universe just puts things in front of us and it’s a challenge for us to overcome things– just as you did! I am so happy to hear that you were able to get over it and have maintenance! Taking a page out of your book! Cheers! :).
Md
I had the same fear, when i was 6 we were at a fair and someone walked up and popped my balloon and for a long time after that i couldn’t even go anywhare balloons might be, then when i was about 16 i was staying at a friends house & walked into their guest room & their was my greatest fear, balloons, my friend relized what was happening & apologized I told them it was okay and I wanted try to stay in the room with them & try to get over my fear of them. My friend who got over the same problem I had suggested if I felt comfortable to grab one of the really soft ones and try to just kick it around the room, after about 2 hours of playing with the balloons, she said if I felt comfortable to try it and sit on it but not hard enough that would pop. We sat on the balloon for about an hour until we had dinner. Her brother came home from a sealife party with balloons & freaked when he saw that i was there because he knew how I felt about them, my friend told him what we have been doing & he said if we needed extra balloons we could take his. About 2 hours later I had to walk into the room to grab my phone and I decided to sit on one of the balloons again while I was getting my phone out of my bag, i was sitting on it for about 5 minutes when it just popped, my friend and her brother came in to see if I was okay I told them yes and the next thing I know I was grabbing another balloon and sitting on it. By the end of the night we were all sitting on their porch popping the rest of the balloons. To this day I’m still a little scared of balloons but I can deal with them, for some reason I still can’t bring myself to pop mylar balloons especially animal shapes, my friend said she can’t either because it’s like they’re looking at you.
Loren
Oh wow, thank you so much for sharing with me your experience! I am so happy to hear that you were able to work on it and come a long way in the end! My, how brave of you! Sometimes, some support and patience of others who understand is what it takes! Goes to show, we have the power to overcome anything we work on and put our minds to :). Kudos!! As for mylar balloons, I never really pop them, just take the air out of them… they don’t make loud POP noises so, for me, it’s OK!
Ryan Dayhoff
I came across this article when I googled “Popping anxiety” after coming home early from a chinatown party in LA because the chinese party poppers gave me crazy anxiety. Im 24 and am as frustrated as ever that Im still terrified of balloons, fireworks, gunshots, etc.
Every time I go near anything will the ability of sudden popping/explosion, I grow angry, afraid, cover my ears, and speed walk as far as I can away from the area. People just grow confused why something like a balloon takes over me and it just makes me angry to explain it, feeling like somethings truly wrong with me. .
Its gotten so bad to where I sometimes cover my ears during movies when a gun is pointed just because Im afraid of it going off. Granted, still loud but its coming out of my television!!!!! Its really concerning me, especially at age 24.
Your article really helps know there are people who not only have experienced the same things, but have had moments of empowerment by defeating the fear. Id really loved to talk about it with you over email if you would be ok with it. I know this article is from a couple years ago but it would really mean alot to even just have you reach out.
Glad youve conquered this fear.
Ryan
Loren
Hi, Ryan. Thank you so much for taking your time to read the article and write such a thoughtful note, sharing your experience with me! I agree, it can be pretty nerve-wrecking. The key is to overcome the fear little by little. It takes some work and time, but if you’re committed to getting over it, I think it can be possible. Don’t be frustrated, just accept that there is this fear and take small steps to conquer it! There is nothing wrong with you :). You can definitely reach out to me via email — use the contact me tab at the top of the page! I’m no doctor, but happy to share some more tips to any questions you have on how I, personally, conquered this fear <3.
Anna Wilson
Thank you so much for your Balloon article. So glad to read the different accounts of the same problem I have experienced since childhood-and I am 72 years old.. Just now discovering it is not just me! What a relief. I had to leave work once because my wonderful workmates surprised me with a birthday cake and a ton of balloon which they had placed in my work cubicle. I could barely smile and thank them for their kindness. I fake sick and went home. At home, I finally called back to a friend at work to please remove the balloons before work the next day! Embarrassing-YES! If I am in control of popping the balloon, or making any other popping noise, I can bear it. But the unexpected still gets me. Viewing an antique train engine up close recently , the engineer suddenly blasted the train whistle which made me run away from it rudely rushing through a crowd. And it seemed almost out of my control to stop running. Now I hate trains! Never get close to another one. At least I am not as weird or alone as I thought!
Loren
Hi Anna! Oh my, I would totally still be startled if a train’s whistle went off when I least expected it! Thank you for sharing your story as so many of us can relate! We are so much more alike than we know, which is why I shared this story on the world wide web! The more we work on the things that make us uncomfortable, I find, the more we can start to become comfortable with it. Baby steps. But steps nevertheless :). Cheers! xx
Karim
I stumbled on your story when my wife told me my fear of balloons popping is a learnt fear so I googled it.
I’m 43 and with two babies there are always balloons in the house. I freak out whenever I think a balloon is about to pop. It’s horrible!
Thank you for your story. Hopefully I can find some courage to pop them myself and get past this madness 🙂
Loren
Hi Karim! I’m so happy that you found value in me sharing my own story! I feel like the fear can start as something startling and then, as we assign other things to it as time goes on, it gets worse and worse. Just as the ball of yarn has been formed, it can unravel. Take it day by day, acknowledge the feelings you get. Really listen to what your mind and body are telling you. Write about it in a journal and trust the process. A lot will reveal itself back to you as you write and read what you wrote. You got this. I am excited for you to be celebrating with your kids in the future! Kudos for starting your search and learning more about it! xx
AC
Hey there, I ran across this searching for help. I have this same problem, and it is quite crippling and has played a major role in my ability to relate with people at times. My anxiety and overall fear takes over and I become fundamentally unable to relate with my family. I had to let my wife know as she was able to tell something was wrong. I, for many years, have felt like I was the only one like this. I actually despise birthdays and any other event types where I have no outlet. I would like to understand what people think like that don’t have this fear. I’m overly anxious to have to go through exposure therapy, even though my wife is willing to help me. The commitment to starts makes me weak. Thank you for the post, it’s 2021, 7 years since you wrote this, and it has encouraged me to know someone else had this fear and conquered it. I’d like to try to do the same, but makes me want to vomit thinking about it. Regardless, I appreciate your words, they have been helpful!
Loren
Hello AC! It warms my heart knowing that even after so many years, this post is still helpful. It’s something that can seem so odd to those who don’t understand, but to those crippled by it, there is a whole lot there. I commend you for working on it! It isn’t easy, but it’s also not impossible! The key was to start little by little and to trust the process. It can weirdly enough bring up other things, but journal about it. Let all those feelings out. It’s all part of the healing process and is very important! Even you starting on your journey to overcome this is a beautiful process! Wishing you the best — you got this! xx
John Stuart
I felt so happy reading your article and how much fun you have with balloons now. I’m hoping I can get to where you are in the near future because I loves balloons when I have control (cos I still hate them popping and cannot do that) but in other peoples grasp gives me crazy anxiety. I’m slowly working on it with my counsellor so hopefully soon ill be good is there any tips considering I’m a child of a family at home that maybe they could do to help me or I could tell them to do for me?
Loren
Hi! It’s great that you are working on it – much kudos! If you speak openly with your family and ask them to be patient with you, I think that is a great way to start. Sometimes, people don’t fully understand until you talk to them (and let them know you are working with someone on this!). Take it step by step; your gut will lead you to ask what you think is the next step. And if it involves asking for help from family, then great. People love to help. Just remember to ask them to kindly remain respectful that you are going through a process. I am proud of you! xx
John
I came across your article and read all the reply’s. I’m 71 and have been afraid of balloons for almost three fourths of a century. I have had it and will start counseling this week. I’m scared but will go through it. Thanks for the encouragement.
John
I read your testimony and those that responded. I’m 71 and could have written many of those. In reading all of these I have come to the point this late in life to deal with it. I met with a counselor last week and start therapy this week. I will start slow and hopefully I can resolve this fear that started when I was a few months old. I would love to hear from others. Wish me luck!
Loren
Hi, John! I am so happy that my own experience, and those of others on here, have served as some encouragement for you to continue working through this fear! You are definitely not alone. Congratulations on finding help and having this desire within you to overcome this fear! You are definitely brave and I have no doubt that you will achieve what you are seeking! Take it easy, remain open and do let us know your enlightened learnings! Best of luck! :).
John B
I have had six counseling sessions. I have been able to blow up small, five inch balloons and pop them. My counselor indicated when we meet will do some work around bullies. We will then blow up some balloons and pop them. This is where I am in counseling. If interest I can post more later. Would like some feedback.
Loren
Hi John! Wow, that is awesome! Congratulations on the progress! You should be so proud of yourself. It is not easy, but you are doing it! Thank you for sharing an update and so glad to hear that counseling sessions have been fruitful. I’m giving you a virtual high five! We would love to hear more about your progress — I am sure it will help others who come onto the site seeking more experiences related to their own path. Thank you for contributing! Keep up the amazing work! So happy for you :).
John
Hi Loren: It has been awhile since I contacted you. I am now six months in therapy. I can now blow up small and some large (9”) and pop them. I am having some challenges in the counselor office. I have a session tomorrow and the therapist will have several blown up. One hurdle is we went to a store and got six helium balloons. Passed the test.
I have a pic if you would like. Will check in later. Next month is my bday so will see if I get some. Take care of yourself
John B.