The Midnight Monsters: Who's Afraid of the Dark?
- Tell Me
What to Do! - Is your bedroom perfectly safe during the day but suddenly turns into a haunted house at night? Do ordinary clothes, shadows and furniture begin to look frightening when the lights go off?
Dear Uncle Fix-It,
I am Birva, a 14-year-old student in Class 9. I have a problem that I find rather embarrassing: I am terribly afraid of the dark! And I don't mean just dark, unfamiliar places. Even inside my own home, I feel frightened when the lights are switched off.
I cannot walk alone from one room to another if the lights are off. At bedtime, things that look perfectly normal during the day suddenly become scary. For example, clothes hanging behind a door sometimes look like ghosts! I also get the strange feeling that something is hiding under my bed and might suddenly come out and attack me.
The strangest part is that I don't even watch horror movies or scary television shows. Yet, these frightening thoughts keep coming back, especially at night. I have even tried chanting 'Om Namah Shivay' before entering a dark room, hoping it will make me feel brave. But somehow, my fear refuses to disappear! Why am I so scared of something as ordinary as darkness? Is there something wrong with me? And, most importantly, how can I overcome this fear?
Please help me switch off these scary thoughts!
- Birva
Dear Birva,
First things first: Relax! You are not living in a horror movie, there is no ghost waiting behind your bedroom door, and your bed is not secretly hosting a monster convention!
But jokes apart, I want you to know something important: There is absolutely nothing embarrassing about being afraid of the dark. Even grown-ups sometimes experience fear when they are alone in a dark room. So, you are certainly not the only one! Let's understand what is happening.
Why does darkness make us afraid?
Our brain is an extraordinary machine. One of its most important jobs is to protect us from danger. During the daytime, our eyes provide plenty of information about our surroundings. We can easily recognise a chair, a cupboard, a curtain or a pile of clothes.
But when the lights go off, our eyes cannot see things clearly. Our brain receives incomplete information and sometimes tries to fill in the gaps.
And guess what? It occasionally becomes a little too creative! A shirt hanging behind the door becomes a ghost. A curtain moving in the breeze becomes a mysterious creature. The space under your bed becomes a hiding place for imaginary monsters.
This happens because our imagination is working overtime. Psychologists sometimes describe this as a tendency to interpret unclear situations as threatening.
The more you think about something frightening, the more frightening it can become. If you repeatedly imagine a monster under your bed, your brain may start treating that imaginary possibility as a real danger.
This does not mean there is something wrong with you. It simply means your brain needs a little training to distinguish between imagined danger and actual danger.
Five tricks to defeat your midnight monsters!
Here is your personal mission to become the fearless commander of your bedroom!
- Become a detective, not a frightened spectator: The next time your clothes look like a ghost, switch on the light and investigate. Walk closer and examine them. Touch the clothes. Move them around. You will discover that your terrifying ghost is actually your favourite T-shirt!
Do this whenever an ordinary object looks frightening. Gradually, your brain will learn not to panic at every strange shadow. - Start a darkness challenge: Don't try to become fearless overnight. Begin with something very small. Switch off your bedroom light but keep a dim night lamp on. Spend a few comfortable minutes in that setting. After a few days, try walking a short distance in a dimly lit room. Slowly increase the challenge as your confidence grows. This technique is called gradual exposure. It helps your brain understand that darkness is not automatically dangerous.
Remember, there is no competition here. Move at your own pace! - Give your imagination something better to do: Before sleeping, read a funny book, listen to soothing music or think about something enjoyable that happened during the day. You can also imagine yourself in a beautiful place: perhaps a beach, a garden or a magical kingdom where you are the superhero!
Avoid frightening stories and disturbing videos before bedtime. Even if you don't watch horror movies, some social media videos and spooky stories can influence your imagination. - Make your bedroom your happy place: Keep your room organised. Make sure your clothes are inside the cupboard instead of hanging behind the door. Keep a small night lamp near your bed if it makes you comfortable.
And about that mysterious space under your bed? Ask someone at home to check it with you once. After that, stop inspecting it repeatedly. You don't need to conduct a nightly monster census! - Don't fight your fear alone: Talk to your parents about what you experience. Tell them honestly how frightened you feel and ask them to support you while you gradually become comfortable with darkness.
If the fear continues for a long time, affects your sleep or stops you from doing ordinary activities, speak to a school counsellor or a mental health professional. They can teach you simple techniques to manage anxiety.
What about chanting 'Om Namah Shivay'?
There is nothing wrong with chanting a prayer if it gives you peace and comfort. It can become a lovely part of your bedtime routine.
However, remember that overcoming fear also requires understanding your thoughts and gradually changing your reactions. Don't feel disappointed if chanting alone doesn't make the fear disappear.
Your final mission!
Birva, I want you to remember one thing: Being brave does not mean never feeling afraid. Being brave means learning to handle your fear instead of allowing it to control you.
You don't have to switch off every light in your house tomorrow. You don't have to prove anything to anybody. Take small steps, celebrate every little achievement and be patient with yourself.
All the best, little warrior!
Yours cheerfully,
Uncle Fix-It
