Monday, December 22, 2008

Why Clementines?

I was sitting in the car today after a yummy lunch. Jack, my eleven-year-old brother, really should have eaten his own lunch earlier because he had a bass lesson to get to. While he and our mother were arguing about it, Jack said, "Well, I had some fruit."

"What fruit?" said my mother.

"I had clementines," Jack replied, and I was struck, all of a sudden, with NAUSEA.

For some reason, the idea of eating clementines right then made me feel sick, even though I really like clementines. What the heck? For goodness' sake. This phobia could be mapped out -- certain foods and situations might trigger anxiety about vomiting, for example -- but sometimes it is just so erratic.

I couldn't shake the nausea for the next twenty minutes and was at the library, doing library volunteer work, as I tried to force myself to be calm, since I could sort of tell that it was anxious nausea, but not genuine nausea.

Oh well. I'm much better now and had a snack. Yogurt-covered raisins -- yum!

I am, on the other hand, a bit nervous because I was so horribly thirsty about fifteen minutes ago, and resorted to a public drinking fountain. Gross. I hope no one with a stomach bug put his or her mouth close to it. I think it's time I shut up or I will freak out here in the library (not the same one I visited earlier. That was volunteer time. This is relaxing time).

Have a very wonderful holiday!

~Emily

3 comments:

  1. As an emetophobic, you probably already know this little trick - but here's a what I do to get rid of anxiety about having possibly come into contact with some kind of germ (i.e., the water fountain, or for me, eating at a salad bar).

    Buy some peppermint oil and put one drop (it's very potent, just one will do) in a glass of ice water and drink it (so yummy, it's like drinking a candy cane). This will kill any pathogens in your stomach.

    The beauty of it is, you can even wait until you get home because it will kill whatever's in there, even if it's been there a while.

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  2. REALLY?

    Goodness me, thank you so much, Kat.

    ~Emily

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  3. Wait.

    This is too good to be true.

    Citation plz?!

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