Help/Support ► Scared of (what's in) the dark

[Delsan]

It's kinda hard admitting this because I'm 16...but yeah, I'm scared of the dark.

But it's not what you think. It's not the absence of light that I'm scared of...It's what's in the dark that I'm paranoid about. This is why I prefer to be with someone while in the dark because I feel safe with someone else around.

Let's say I'm all alone at night on the computer. Since the computer is in an area facing the back door of my house, I constantly look back to see if someones there or not. I get this feeling while in bed, looking at the stairs and waiting for who comes up them, or when I'm watching TV and staring at the front door fearing at who might come in.

Yes, it's toned down since I got older but I still get the feeling while I'm alone in the dark sometimes. The fear of "who/what could be there" just doesn't go away. I've tried on several occasions to ignore the paranoia but on those tries I've failed.

So the main reason I made this thread is how can I overcome this?

 

[gelandporn]

Spoiler Show

In all seriousness, you could always get a night light for the time being. I know a 35 year-old man who still needs one.
But I've found that, normally, the older you get and the more responsibilities you have, the more you worry about real-world problems and not silly stuff like that.

The only thing I could suggest otherwise is to do something enjoyable yet relaxing before you go to bed. Like, read a book until you get tired in order to occupy your mind.

 

[Luap]

Two weeks ago, someone tried to break inside my house, and through my room. They didn't get in, and it all happened while I was asleep (the evidence being screens that someone tried to break off the windows and screen door), but I've had a paranoid feeling now when it's dark. But, it only comes over me when I think about it. I can be totally fine, but then when my imagination sparks and I wonder "what if" then I start to get creeped out.
I just suggest you try to keep yourself occupied, and not think about it. It'll keep you from being paranoid and wondering "what if". Or, you can just try going to sleep earlier.

 

[Delsan]

Not thinking about it does help. But even if I am occupied, I randomly think of it which gets me even more paranoid.

 

[Taylor]

Fears are conquered by confronting them. Rationally approach the dark instead of emotionally (most fears are generated emotionally, and this makes them harder to overcome). If you're afraid of a particular area, keep it lighted while you're around until you get comfortable enough to remove the light. Night lights can also help you to some degree. You should also try to get more accustomed to the dark. If you're fine in the dark as long as others are around, plan night walks with friends or family to help you get more accustomed. You just need to be able to rationally approach and denounce your fears. And just as a rule, make sure you avoid horror stories or news that could only increase the fear. Especially before you sleep.

 

[metrifyx]

Hm, well in these sorts of cases the problem can be a little deeper than it seems. I think that you might want to ask yourself why you're even thinking so much about the possibility that something bad might be in the dark.

For example, maybe you have a very active imagination. In that case, you could work on imagining positive things instead of negative ones. You could even go as far to think that something good is in the dark, if you train your mind to think that way. Then maybe you can embrace what you can't see as a possibility of good things happening.

This brings me to another idea. Perhaps you don't like not knowing things. Are you the kind of person who wants everything planned out or at least someone who always needs to know what's going on? In this case, maybe you need to let go and accept that you're not going to know everything that's going to happen in your life. Maybe someone is going to come up the stairs and into your room and kill you. Would you rather have spent the moments you had living worrying about what was going to happen, or would you rather have spent them enjoying yourself and not being afraid of things that might have never happened?

But anyway, what I'm trying to say is that maybe there's an underlying idea/fear/trait that's causing you to fear what's in the dark. Maybe talking to someone you trust in real life, or some of us on KHI, would help you to peel back the layers. Just a thought. c:

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Go walk into the dark part of the room. Really, the only way you are going to get rid of the fear is if you actually prove to yourself nothing is there. I don't recommend doing that out on the streets, though. Your fear is pretty founded when you are out on the street.

I recommend you always have one of those tiny pocket flashlights in your pocket (I keep one in my purse for emergencies and it is barely bigger than my thumb and it is really bright) and flash it in dark spots whenever the feeling starts to hit you.

You might not know something isn't there, but that doesn't mean the stimuli causing you to feel paranoid is going to go away until you condition yourself to stop feeling it.

 

[Solar]

Really, the only logical thing to do is become the night.

Spoiler Show

hope that cheered you up

 

[ChaoticHeart]

Imagine being home alone, left the piano keys exposed after polishing, woke in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, YOU HEAR THE BONKING PIANO AND SEE A SET OF ORANGE EYES LEERING AT YOU FROM THE DARKNESS, and then realise it's the cat. Every goddamn time! So OP just get a cat, if you hear anything mysterious you can just go ''Yeah, that's just Bandit doing mozart again''. Makes being scared of the dark so much easier having a logical explanation/ scapegoat.

 

[01blackblind]

Am afraid of the dark. I like to see where am going, not in the dark tripping over things.

 

[Silverslide]

Honestly, I really believe this is a phase. I had the same issue but it simply just went away when I got older.