Fears: Irrational or logical?

fear

  
[feer]
–noun
1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil,pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: anabnormal fear of heights.
3. concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.
4. reverential awe, especially toward god.
5. that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which aperson is afraid: Cancer is a common fear.

"Look, look, I'm like Steve Irwin, that crocodile hunter!" This was the statement that my husband made whilst storming upstairs. The excitement in his voice was as though he'd just been given a season ticket for Liverpool FC- over the top, and unnecessary! He lumbered clumsily into our room, where I am sitting peacefully writing down my thoughts in my first evening of blogging activity. I nonchalantly looked around to see what the cause of the hysteria was. When I spotted the up-turned glass and leaflet-lid in his hand, my heart began to race in my chest, and I felt the knots in my stomach tighten. I knew instantly that it was one of my many fears; a spider. 

As I felt the colour drain from my face, the love of my life seemed to be happier with every second. He is the man of the house. He had captured a spider, and without exaggeration it was the biggest spider I have ever seen in this house before, and brought it up to show me. Like a cat brings in dead mice as a sign of affection, I'm sure he had only meant to prove how much he loves me by capturing and disposing of such a beast. But did I need to see it? In fairness, probably! However, the result of the spider being in the same room as me, especially a spider of such magnitude, was not one of gratitude and awe. Panic set in, making me shake. I ordered it to be taken out of my sight. Tears welled up, and I got that vile taste you get just before you vomit. My husband was right, you could see the hairs on it's legs, it was so big. 

Once the spider had been set free (no matter how much I hate the little critters, I'd never want to kill one), and I knew that I was safe again, my heart rate slowed to a more normal pace, the clammy feel of my skin disappeared, and my stomach stopped doing cartwheels inside of me. I began to feel calm almost instantly. The point I am trying to get to is that I have a complete fear of something that is tiny, and realistically cannot do me any harm. I have no reasons to be scared of spiders, I even hate the cliché that my fear is. But the truth of the matter is, no matter how hard I try no to, I have an incredible fear and loathing of spiders. 

Is there such a thing as a rational fear? Is it true that the only thing to fear is, in fact, fear itself? I wish someone had the answer, and I certainly wish that someone had a cure for my ridiculous, and, even in my own opinion, irrational fear.