Afraid of the dark

I know this is pathetic, but I'm an 18 going on 19 year old female and the dark still really scares me. I have to have a bedside lamp on whenever I'm in bed otherwise I freak out and can't sleep. When I was a child I constantly had really bad nightmares nearly every single night and as a result I was never able to sleep without the light on. For some reason I still haven't grown out of it and if I'm laying in the dark alone I get this overwhelming fear that something's going to start moving in the shadows. I know it's childish and irrational but I just don't know how to overcome this! Any suggestions?

Reply 1

aced

Sleep in the dark with a friend you trust, and chat with him/ her.

Reply 2

Anonymous #2

Many adults have it, I have it, but slowly am getting better and Im 18.

I found when I start getting freaked out I think theres nothing really there and I just think of summat else, usually my girlfriend or the footie or TV, take my mind of it and I dont get as paranoid... but ye I know

Reply 3

generalebriety

16

Get a dimmer switch of some sort on a lamp, or just gradually cover it over more and more over a period of maybe 2-3 weeks. I always used to sleep with the light on - not because I was afraid of the dark, just because I was used to it. :confused:

Didn't take me long to get out of that habit.

Reply 4

Sazarina88

11

I feel the same sometimes.

It stems back to a robbery at my house a few years ago at night time. I also hate being in the house on my own.

I find the best way to deal with any anxiety at night about things moving in the shadows is to rationalise - what is the possibility of it actually happening? I think you'll find the answer is very low.

Perhaps go to see a cognitive psychologist or ask at your doctors for some help - I did this and although I only went once it has helped.

Good luck,
Sarah x

Reply 5

Bubblebee

15

I'm like that too! I have to have a light on or a door open. It used to be quite uncomfortable sleeping over someones house... but my boyfriend is scared too and he is 26 lol! not as bad as me but we are getting better together. I have a lamp with a green bulb in cause it is calming.

Reply 6

Purple

18

Anonymous

I know this is pathetic, but I'm an 18 going on 19 year old female and the dark still really scares me. I have to have a bedside lamp on whenever I'm in bed otherwise I freak out and can't sleep. When I was a child I constantly had really bad nightmares nearly every single night and as a result I was never able to sleep without the light on. For some reason I still haven't grown out of it and if I'm laying in the dark alone I get this overwhelming fear that something's going to start moving in the shadows. I know it's childish and irrational but I just don't know how to overcome this! Any suggestions?

I have the exact same problem, I have to shut all doors etc if my boyfriend isn't here.

Reply 7

blissy

15

My dad has got into the habit of leaving the loft door open at night to "keep the house cool". I hate it. I always run to and from the bathroom and usually let out a squeal. I hate the dark, it scares me, but I like to sleep in it.

Reply 8

Vetinari

8

Hehe, I have my moments where I can't sleep for fear of what lurks nearby... but I find it passes fairly quickly. The trick is to have a stack of Calvin and Hobbes annuals next to your bed. You just read for 15 minutes and by the end your mind is so wrapped up in wanting a friend like Hobbes that you've forgotten all about those quiet worrying thoughts.

A few years back (I'm coming up to 18 now) I would have been very... uneasy, about going downstairs to get a drink when all of the lights are off and everyone else is in bed. Over time as I have stayed up later and later I have been forced to overcome any issues with the dark simply through necessity - I either go downstairs into the dark or I don't get my drink of water. My vivid imagination often plays tricks on me in the dark, but I just ignore them or read some C&H once i'm back in bed. :wink:

Just use something to take your mind of things. Reading something is especially useful because it requires some concentration. Works like a charm. :smile:

Reply 9

Pseudomuse

1

it nothing to be afraid of alot of people are afraid. i am of pitch black. slight light i'm ok.

Reply 10

Bluelight

13

If im in my bed and its pitch black thats fine, but if im moving round the house and its dark, im full on paranoid mcgee. Uggh hate it.

Reply 11

Mark S

17

Yeah same as above. I love relaxing in the dark, but for example. In ther winter when i go to put something in the dustbin outside, freaks me out a wee bit.

Try getting a dimmer light and making your room darker and darker until you feel comfortable

Reply 12

supertramp

9

I would have been very... uneasy, about going downstairs to get a drink when all of the lights are off and everyone else is in bed.

You should keep a cup in the bathroom :wink:

I do, but it's because I'm lazy, not afraid of the dark. However, I do tend to bang into things a lot when it's dark, so it's the sensible thing to do.

Reply 13

Vetinari

8

supertramp

You should keep a cup in the bathroom :wink:

I do, but it's because I'm lazy, not afraid of the dark. However, I do tend to bang into things a lot when it's dark, so it's the sensible thing to do.

Hehe, yeah, that'd be a good idea... but the water in my area tastes awful, so I need to go downstairs to get water that's been filtered. I'm quite a water-connoisseur and so neeeed my good tasting water. :biggrin:

I love pitch blackness. I went caving once and we all turned out our helmet-lights and sat enjoying the darkness. Pitch blackness is so soft and comforting - it's the shadows that get my imagination creating twisted images for me. :p:

Reply 14

Mr @

1

if i've just woken up in the middle of the night, i dont like puttin them light on cause it proper nails my eyes :frown:

so i just stumble round into things, until i find where i need to be or break something. try sleeping with the tv but no lights on?

Reply 15

Anonymous #3

Just put the landing light on and leave your door open, then gradually close your door more and more. My main fear of the dark was that there would be a fire and I wouldnt see where I was going, I was 12 though.

Reply 16

Anonymous #1

OP

Thanks for the all the support and advice everyone. I'm now going to take up the idea of reading for a while to take my mind off things then I shall see how well I do in the dark. The bulb in my bedside lamp has gone and I can't get light from the tv since that's not working, which is why sleeping is such an issue for me at the moment. :frown:

Reply 17

ro-ro

10

I'm scared of the dark. I'm ok in my room now at my new flat because I feel very safe here. I get scared in our lounge, my housemate's bedroom (his one of my close friends so we sometimes slept together in a friend way, the bathroom and walking home in the dark.

I just try really hard to focus on other things. For walking home I have stones in my pocket from the beach near my mums which are smooth and fit in my palm and I hold and rub those at night.

I like sleeping in the dark now because it signals to my brain time to sleep! But any other dark scares me because of what may be lurking in the shadows.

Reply 18

blurboy

1

In my case, I can only sleep in the dark if I'm sleeping with someone. If I'm alone I need to have the lights switched on even I feel uncomfortable having the lights on when sleeping! But what can I do, I'm a whimp when it comes to dark places. :smile:

Reply 19

jointhedots

16

I hate it. I get well scared going to the toilet at night! I don't think I've ever got over my childhood fear that there were dinosaurs/burglers hiding in the loft, and I watch too many horror films :redface:

If I'm trying to sleep and I feel uneasy I usually read for a bit, it really calms you down. Also I've got a really pretty little nightlight that glows just a bit, without stopping it being dark cause I don't sleep well in the light :smile:

Afraid of the dark

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