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any advice?

onotananna0314UOUobVW4onotananna0314UOUobVW4 Posts: 4
in Problem solving
hi guys, i just want to hear some pieces of advice on how to get over from your fear of worms. you see, i am so passionate and eager in making my way into planting, however this fear has limited my abilities to give more time and effort in gardening. although this might sound a little petty, but I can't even look at worms because they terrify me big time. i tried overcoming my fear in various different ways but i ended up failing. does anyone here feel me on this, or is it just me? any advice?

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited November 2021
    My daughter used to have a real phobia of spiders ... she'd go white as a sheet, feel faint and have a panic attack ... but she loves gardening where she meets lots of spiders ... the love of gardening just overcame the fear of the spiders and now she's a full-time professional gardener.

    Try to understand worms ... read about them and how vital they are and how they help improve our gardens ... teach yourself that they're our friends ... slowly and bit by bit you'll get used to them.

    Good luck  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    It's also worth getting someone else ( without the phobia ) involved in helping you.
    A small tub held by your supporter containing soil and a small worm in there.  Annoying tho it may be for the worm, the other person can fiddle about in the soil, hold it, etc. whilst you look on.  You will gradually see that the worm isn't causing any worry or discomfort.  Your next step is to get close enough to poke your finger in the container and then gradually actually touch the worm.  After a few times doing that, you could attempt to touch the worm and then finally pick it up.
    That is of course a very quick paraphrase of how to approach your dilemma but unless you get to "know" what you are afraid of, it's difficult to tackle.  Having used this gradual method with people who were terrified of Spiders and Snakes, it certainly seemed to help. 
    It needs to be a gradual process and you have to be happy with each "step" you take before moving on to the next one.  As @Dovefromabove says,  knowledge and understanding about the worms and how important they are will hopefully help you. 
    Finally, if you are keen on gardening and want a healthy system for your plants, worms are your friends and your garden needs them.
    I do hope you manage to conquer your fear and be able to enjoy your garden :)  
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