Because of last year's diet of horror movies I have gathered a fear of the dark what advice can you give me? thanks
I've always had a fear of the dark and I'm guilty of keeping my lamp on some nights and I'm 21, oops. I'd recommend putting lights (like christmas lights, but they can just be white ones, or any other color really) up in your room, they're not that bright so that won't disrupt your sleep but they're definitely bright enough to see your room. Closing your (if you don't already) can help, because I get paranoid I see shadows or someone/something will come into my room. (I've watched far too many scary movies, obviously.) That's all I can think of at the moment but I'm sure someone else will have some more suggestions!
There seems to be some sort of belief that any fear (irrational and otherwise) needs to be conquered, but much of the time, they don't have to be. You can simply adapt your approach to life to minimize your dealing with whatever makes you fearful. Fear of the dark is not only common, but one of the easiest fears to deal with. Simply stated, sleep with some sort of light on. I rarely have an issue with the dark, but when I'm wrestling with a depressive episode, I get some of that. I have a small string of colored Christmas lights that I plug in when I feel like having some light on in the room. Lex
Well there isn't always a need to conquer every fear, but it can be more convenient. There's no reason to "want" to be afraid of the dark. Maybe it's a big deal for you, maybe it's not. In this case, you might want to consider working out your fear, rather than leaving lights on. Keeping the room lit can lead to sleep disruptions, as well as a reduced quality of sleep (due to interfering with melatonin cycles). Even just christmas lights could have an effect on you (though they may not, different people are affected slightly differently by ambient light levels). Just something to keep in mind. A mild fear of darkness is normal, it's instinctive since humans are at a distinct disadvantage in the dark against predators. Sometimes it spikes, like if you watch a creepy movie, but the paranoia should quickly go down. It's only abnormal when it disrupts your daily life (i.e you can't go into a dark corridor without panicking).
