i am neurotic.

When walking up a flight of stairs, I have to begin with my right foot and end at the top with my left foot. As I approach the top of the stairs, and can see that I will end with my right foot, I will skip a step to ensure it is my left foot finishing.

In front of my stairs at home, there are three tiles. I have to step on the center tile with my left foot, and then step up to the first step with my right, no matter what. This rule doesn’t apply to other staircases though; only my own.

When I was little I was walking down a flight of stairs and was holding onto the railing. I wasn’t paying attention and so when the wall that the railing was attached to widened, I lost my balance and rolled down the stairs head first and hit the wall really hard. So now, whenever I walk down stairs, I have to look down at every step I’m taking and hold onto the railing. Even if the railing moves outward or there’s something in the way, I have to follow it.

I cannot walk up stairs barefoot. I have vivid fears of my Achilles tendon snapping and rolling up my calve like a window shade. I feel if I wear shoes, its less likely to happen, and I keep slippers by all the staircases in my home.

In my house when i walk down the staircase and the lights are off upstairs, i always have to RUN down the steps as quick as i can, because i think that a jaguar will emerge from a room and chase me if i don’t run fast enough. I’ve been doing it for 10 years and i can’t stop.

If I’m walking up the stairs with someone else, I have to let them go first.  If they’re behind me, I’m positive they’re going to grab my ankles and trip me.

If I see stairs and am not mentally anticipating it, I am seized with the fear that I will go flying down them and must throw myself against the nearest wall to save myself.

I have to run up stairs.  I can’t walk up them.  For some reason, I am scared of what is behind me and have to get to the top as fast as possible.

I have to hold my breath when walking up stairs. Not down though. I don’t really know why, but I feel like it’s bad luck if I don’t. I often get really bad head rushes and feel faint if there are too many stairs to go up.

i cannot walk down stairs or escalator without experiencing a vision of myself falling down them, knocking all my teeth out.