The McCracken Power Plant Smokestacks blow smoke throught the air from the other side of the Horseshoe. Credit: Daniel Bush | Lantern Photographer
Celebrated May 3 each year, National Textiles Day might be just another random or unknown holiday for many college students.
But for Charlie Norwell, a first-year in animal sciences, it’s the day his irrational fear of microfiber cloth comes into the limelight.
Norwell said his former job involved waxing and washing cars, which required daily use of the cloth — something he began to dread as it irritated the calluses on his hands.
“It’s a scratchy feeling that’s very uncomfortable for me,” Norwell said. “The only thing I can do is avoid it — or use a different type of cloth if that’s an option.”
For many college students, finals week is the most daunting time of the semester, but for others like Norwell, campus brings deeper fears that may seem irrational to some. Members of the Ohio State community say confronting those challenges can be a meaningful part of personal growth in college.
Julia Garvic, a first-year in nursing, said the first thing she notices on her walk to class is the sharp, smoky scent in the air. When she looks up, she sees smokestacks looming overhead, their dark plumes trailing across the sky and casting shadows on her path.
To most, the McCracken Power Plant smokestacks are just another part of the campus landscape — easily overlooked and passed without a second thought. But Garvic said for her, they trigger a spike in heart rate and clammy palms, as the fear of being consumed by the smoke overwhelms any rational thought.
“They’re these giant clouds you can’t see through, and what if they eat me up?” Garvic said. “How big they can get is scary. It’s anxiety-provoking, and my mom has to tell me when we’re about to pass one so I can look away.”
Ashley Arens, a psychologist at the Wexner Medical Center, said irrational fears can stem from various triggers — like traumatic encounters with feared objects or negative experiences — firsthand or through media exposure.
Arens also said “mean-world syndrome,” a phenomenon that occurs when an abundance of negative media content inflates consumers’ sense of danger in everyday life, could be a contributing factor to several irrational fears.
“We might come to believe that negative things are more probable of happening to us because we’re exposed to this information more readily,” Arens said. “The way that the news is presented now in terms of 24/7 news cycles, it’s a more recent phenomenon. Our access to hearing about negative news so quickly in real time throughout the world can potentially increase the perception of base rates of negative things happening.”
Though many people steer clear of their fears altogether, using avoidance as a coping mechanism, Arens said counseling provides an opportunity to directly tackle issues instead of sweeping them under the rug.
“Over time, the more we avoid something because of fear — even if it’s not objectively dangerous — the fear can grow in our minds,” Arens said. “In some cases, it even becomes larger than it originally was.”
Arens said when fears interfere with daily functioning, it’s crucial to seek professional help, as avoiding feared objects or situations can restrict a person’s activities and cause them to miss out on meaningful life experiences.
“People’s avoidance behaviors can prohibit them from doing the things they care about most,” Arens said. “Their world becomes smaller, and their quality of life suffers.”
While Norwell’s fear is rooted in past experiences, other students find their fears triggered by certain environments or situations. Ellen Babinski, a second-year in public affairs, said her freshman year in Morrill Tower was marked by sleepless nights, driven by an overwhelming fear of her bunk bed.
Though Babinski said she had slept in lofted beds before, she couldn’t shake the fear that the upper bunk might collapse and injure her.
“If I could be 1,000% sure that the bed wouldn’t break, then I wouldn’t care,” Babinski said. “But because no one can assure me of that, I’ll forever be scared.”
Arens explained that safety-related fears are common and grounded in evolutionary biology, as people are inherently predisposed to fear environmental threats, which can sometimes cause them to overestimate the likelihood of danger.
“We’re wired to be alert to things that could harm us,” Arens said. “Sometimes, this can inflate the possibility of something negative happening and lead to specific phobias.”
Babinski said she has used Ohio State’s counseling services for other issues, but she feels more hesitant to seek help for her fear of bunk beds because she’s concerned others might not take her seriously.
“It feels stupid to ask for accommodations for this fear,” Babinski said. “People don’t take it seriously, so I don’t really like to bring it up.”
Arens said she frequently helps students secure the necessary accommodations as they work through their fears. In addition, she said students should recognize help is always available, even for fears that might seem unfounded.
Arens said that though some fears may seem senseless to others, their emotional and psychological impacts on students are real, which is ultimately why fear management is so crucial.
“Look around and ask yourself, ‘What’s the average person doing in this situation?’ and gauge whether this fear is excessive or not,” Arens said. “If it’s impacting your daily life, that’s when it’s time to seek help.”
