Many kids and adults are known to suffer from the fear of darkness or night phobia.
People are afraid of the dark for the same reason they are afraid of death, we don't know very much about what happens within it or after it. I can definitely say I have a very vivid imagination, therefore, what could be in the dark is always absolutely terrifying to me.
When you don't know what to expect, you lose your sense of control. Your heart begins to race and your mind begins to wander. There are two reasons I am never going to look outside my window at night: five percent of me is scared of the dark and the other 95 percent is scared that I'll see a face looking back at me. Even when I have absolutely no reason to believe that would ever happen, the thought continually makes its way to the forefront of my mind whenever I look out a window. When you lose your sense of control, there may not be any obvious threat, so your mind creates one and you believe it with everything you have in you. The mind naturally comes up with the worst possible scenario to avoid putting you in danger.
I have noticed that, due to my incredibly raw and dedicated fear of the dark, I have developed these habits and other fears over time.
1. Before I sleep, I have to close both my closet and bedroom doors. The darkness that lurks on the other side of those doors is too much for me to fathom.
2. I also have to have a night light.
3. When I walk around my bed, my heart jumps because I'm scared someone is going to reach out from under it and grab my ankle.
4. I have to have noise, I can't fall asleep in silence.
5. I tuck my sheets in super tight at the foot of my bed so that I feel completely enclosed and nothing can reach up and grab my feet.
6. When I approach my car at night, I always check the backseat just in case.
7. I once saw a girl get kidnapped in a movie because she was texting as she was walking to her car... Now, I look around at the cars or areas surrounding mine just to double check.
8. I lock my car doors as soon as I get in.
9. In the shower, I can hardly keep my eyes closed long enough to wash my face before I start to panic. I don't even know what I'm panicking about, but my heart races every single time.
10. Back to sleeping, I cannot bring myself to sleep without covers or with any limbs hanging off the bed in even the slightest bit.
11. When I walk up the stairs, I have to look behind me at least once during the trek up and again once I've reached the top.
12. I tend to avoid vents if at all possible.
13. Bathroom vents are even scarier to me because movies like to portray people or cameras hiding in the vents... Therefore, I avoid the stalls that contain them when possible.
14. I'm terrified of basements.
15. I tend to look behind me a lot, even when I know I'm in a safe place.
16. I'm highly afraid of swimming in water I can't see through.
17. The shower drain tends to freak me out because I just picture something creepy climbing its way out of there and getting me.
18. Taking a bath is a hard pass for me because again, I can't see through the water. Scary movies taught me that creatures like to attack vulnerable people in their bubbly bathwater.
19. "Bloody Mary" encouraged me to never have the lights off in the bathroom out of fear of her making a surprise appearance.
20. Don't get me wrong, I love a good bonfire... but I can't help but worry about someone sneaking up behind me.
21. I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to go on a run or walk on a trail by myself out of fear for being jumped. The woods surrounding the trail are dark and creepy...
22. Halloween is a no. You won't find me watching the Halloween movie countdowns.
23. Haunted Houses are a no unless I have someone walking both, in front and behind me to protect me and hold my hands.