Writer's Block: Nothing to fear but fear itself

[ivybgreenflower]

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1. Darkness
2. A nightlight.

-10:57 AM

Comments

[oreohmygosh.livejournal.com]

I have a lot of big fears. But darkness is probably one of my number one fears. I still sleep with a nightlight on when I'm at my parents house. When I'm at my apartment, I don't need one because there is a street lamp right outside my window!
I've tried to overcome it. I've gone an entire week at my parents house without a nightlight. But not much longer than that.

[ivybgreenflower]

It gives me panic attacks to be someplace where I can't see, no matter how much I try to rationalize to myself "Okay, I'm in my room, nothing has changed in the three seconds since I shut the light..." but my heart beats so quickly and my brain stops working. It's awful. Probably why I sleep more during the day than at night. It's definitely right at the top of the list for me.

[oreohmygosh.livejournal.com]

Same thing happens to me (I freak in complete darkness). At my parent's house, I don't have a night light. Instead I sleep with the dimmer lights on that are right by my window. Sometimes I turn them down too low, and when the sump pump in the basement kicks on, the lights flick off and stay off. Then I wake up in complete darkness.

Once, when that happened and I woke up, I could have sworn there was a dark shadow hovering over me to my left. It seemed brighter to my right, and pitch dark to my left. I was paralyzed in fear. Usually when the lights flick off, I bolt to the light switch. But I was so scared I couldn't bring myself to do it. I pulled my covers over my head and tried to fall back asleep. Because the covers act as a shield against monsters?

[ivybgreenflower]

Not even sheets can comfort me in my hour of darkness. You're braver than me, I would have gotten up and just flailed like Kermit until I found a light switch somewhere, likely sustaining injury in the process. Sometimes it helps if I hum to myself, when I'm stuck someplace dark.