stop being afraid of the dark

i’m 23 years old.

The dark has never made me as nervous as it does now. I’m 17 years old, and I am struck with fear when I go outside in the dark. The darker it is outside, the more terrified I feel in my heart.

This fear came as a result of violence in my neighborhood, especially one incident that occurred a few months ago. I heard a man get shot, after hearing him screaming and pleading for his life. An hour later, my best friend/love of my life had a stranger’s gun pointed in her face, in her own house.

I invested in a flashlight, which helps a bit, but I wish I didn’t need it at all. I’m going to college in NYC in the fall, in a neighborhood with a bad rap. It’s very much like my neighborhood here at home. The difference, and I find this strangely comforting, is that the city where I currently live is small enough that I know the people involved in these violent incidents, of which there are far too many. In New York City, the anonymity makes me feel safer, less paranoid, less nervous, less fearful.

I’m not, however, in NYC right now. I’m in my room at home. It’s dark, and writing this post has got a bit freaked out. Time to stop thinking about it.

So I just started looking up all this being afraid of the dark crap and it’s kind of making sense to me now, well not like why or anything, but that it’s an actual like disease/phobia. I fucking hate it. Why can’t it just go away. I feel a bit better knowing that i’m not the only one who is this scared of the dark. I feel embaressed to tell my friends. I feel like it’s such a child thing, just because i’ve been scared of the dark ever since I can remember. Please help me, someone, anyone, I’m freakin 19 years old and still don’t know how to deal with it. Like right now, I just put my dog to bed, she started staring at my kitchen, god damn i got the creeps. Also one night, I left a light on, and it turned off, ahhh what do i do?! I try to be as nice as I possibly can so something doesn’t come back and bite me in the butt. It interupts with my sleep. Please if anyone can help me, give me tips, I would greatly appreciate it!

I have slept with a night light on as long as I can remember.
Even now when go to visit my parents, my mother quietly comes in to turn off the light (she cannot imagine how anyone can sleep with the lights on). And no matter how deep my sleep is I wake up because of the darkness. Over the years a childhood fear has lessened to be more of a discomfort and sleeping with a light on has become a habit.
Every month or so I tell myself I am going to turn off the light before I sleep and do it. It takes about 15 minutes for my resolve to break. I never find the need for a light to be on when I know someone else is sleeping in the room with me.
Today this habit has come to symbolize all the little things I know I must get over to improve my way of living. Tonight I am sleeping in the dark.

im 13, and im still afraid of the dark. not still though, ive only been like this for the last 3 months. it just scares me that much, i cry every night and absoultly crap when theres a knock on my wall or even a shadow moving.
at least (on minimum) i have one nightmare (and i mean NiGhTmArE) every fortnight and it always keeps me on the edge (id say over) until maybe ill have a good night sleep. :’(

Im 19 years old. My whole entire life I have slept with someone either in the same bed or within 2-5 feet away. I recently moved in with my bf and his parents. and i sleep in the bonus room which is secluded from where the rest of the family sleeps. I usually stay up pretty late, so i go to the bathroom before going to sleep and i have to turn off all the lights. and then scared like rush back to where i sleep. I hate it, i am away from everyone, if a robber came in here, i would have no way of escape. I am afraid of the dark, i think i hear noises, im afraid of someone in the dark planning to shoot me, kill me, rape me, murder me, eat me. Im afraid of aliens. Im afraid of the dogs barking next door like theyre being mauled. Im afraid because no one is here with me to protect me, or if there really is a burglar there, to be assaulted with me. I am alone over here and terrified.

I’ve always been afraid of the dark. I’ve tried to overcome it many times, but I just freak out and become more frightened. I used to tell everyone it was what’s in the dark, but I know there isn’t a monster that’s going to come out. I’m embarassed by it. I have to sleep with a light on. Everything has to be brighter than it is outside, even in the daylight and I have to have something running so I don’t start hearing things. I don’t know what I should do. I feel like it will never go away.

I hate being afraid to sleep without covers on, walk up dark stairs at night, or go into a dark room. I want to be confident and know that nothing is going to attack me or whatever it is I am afraid of.

Not so much afraid of the dark but say I’m up late like 2 – 3am and everything’s really quiet and I have to leave my room for something like going to the loo then I just get this really creepy feeling come over me

in trying. I’m going to be scared of the dark for the rest of my life. And that’s fine with me because I own guns. (=