Phobias, fears and frustrations.

Hello! Without wishing my first post to be too negative I thought I'd write about my "cycling fears," mostly in the hope that it might help to alleviate them by getting them out in the open, as it were. I should point out that I do in general enjoy cycling, but these (desperately trying to think of another word for fear) ... Phobias, I suppose, do tend to make me nervous. So, in no particular order, I present my fearfulest fears.

1. Standing on the pedals.
   
   To folk who are keen cyclists this may seem strange, but I do have difficulty with it. I think a major reason for all my worries is that I never really cycled as a child and so never got to not forget how to ride a bike. I have made some steps recently to overcome this problem and do believe that it's not a major concern - it's more something that will make my cycling easier rather than a safety issue. I shall, I'm sure, be able to overcome this with some practice.
2. Using the drops.
   This is something that I never really do. On the occasions when I have I think I just felt a bit like I was tipping forward or something - not very logical, I know. Like the standing up, issue I would think that this one could be overcome with practice.
   
3. Going downhill.
   Now to most normal folk, going downhill is a lovely gift from above, to me, especially lately for some reason, it has often been a fearful ride into hell, with me desperately clinging onto the brakes for dear life. I really don't know where the fear has come from. I've never been especially one for flying down hill at top speed, but it seems like since I had a bit of a spill on some loose stone, I've been almost phobic about it. As soon as I feel like I'm not really controlling the bike I start to panic. This one has a me at a bit of a loss as to how to beat it, as sometimes I can be fine, while at other moments the panic can almost overcome me and I end up stopping and walking the bike. It's very frustrating for me and Mr 3Ply and has spoilt quite a few cycles for us. It's so strange that I'll happily go along on the flat at towards 20 miles an hours (not for long admittedly!) and yet at half that speed downhill - where I would probably take no longer to stop if I had to - I feel the fear. Gosh I can be a loon at times - and not in a nice way.
   
   Well there we go - now that I've aired my dirty laundry in public I shall go. Any hints on overcoming illogical behaviour are greatly appreciated.