Aparna Nancherla:

Um, one. Being consumed by repressed anger.

Two. Realizing the actual end of the world date. ‘Cuz I know we’ve gotten, like, previous apocalypse save the dates, where it’s like Y2K or the Mayan apocalypse, but yeah I guess it just feels like the news is so relentlessly negative sometimes, it almost feels like well is there just gonna be a point where they’re like, okay well now it’s official, like we’re not coming back from this.

Number three. Being told bad news without a heads up.

Number four. Squandering every moment with negative thoughts.

Number five. Not ever feeling truly connected to other people.

Number six. Losing touch with reality completely. It's like we take for granted that our brains are always gonna just, like, show up in the same way everyday, and if one little thing got crossed, you might become a totally different person. So, I think also as someone who like, you know, takes medication for my brain and stuff, like I’m always like, I don't know. What if I just mess with the wrong thing. ‘Cuz it feels like something that we don’t fully understand at all.

Number seven. Throwing up in public or fainting in public.

Number eight. Someone breaking into my apartment.

Nine. Having bad performance anxiety and it not getting better. I guess the way you hear that old trope of like, oh imagine everyone in their underwear. Like, I almost just imagine no one else is there, just to be like, you’re fine. You’re like, you’ve done this before. Like, you’re by yourself but it’s almost like I have to, like, block out the rest of the room which feels antithetical to, like, live performance.

And number ten. Falling down the subway stairs.

My name is Aparna Nancherla and these are 10 things that scare me.