Childhood fears

twanda

have any of you got childhood fears?
Do they interfere with your quality of life?
I have always had both a fear of the dark and a fear of being in the house on my own. Unfortunately at this time of the year, I am subjected to both each morning, as my bfriend leaves for work earlier than I do. As a result I have ended up going to work up to an hour and a half early, rather than stay in the house
I guess what I'm asking here is if my case is extreme or if there are plenty of people with such problems.

daveg

twanda that does seem like an extreme case. When I read the first part of your post I thought loads of people are afriad of the dark/being alone in the house. Did something happen to you as a child that would cause this fear? Perhaps you should consider councilling to try to resolve the issue?

Static M.e.

I have always had both a fear of the dark and a fear of being in the house on my own.

Everyone has fears but in your case I think its extreme given the fact you have to leave the house early

If you got your house kitted with a fancy alarm system with handheld panic buttons would that make you feel safer? Could you stay in a house then?
Have you ever felt safe on your own in ANY house?

Or is the fear itself more irrational? (Not making little of it but that more you know you shouldnt be afraid logically but still are.)

I would try and work out what would would help you to stay in the dark and/or stay in the house on your own, what you would need to have with you and try and just do it in stages, stay 10 minutes 1 morning, 15 the next etc.

Must be terrible for you. I really hope you work it out

twanda

no childhood trauma, just a born worrier with an overactive imagination.
If I'm left on my own in a house and/or in the dark that's it. Mind goes crazy , heartbeat increases, the whole lot. The result is no sleep for me
I can imagine anything - from ghosts to intruders in the house -logical to illogical.
I suppose I have seen too many scary movies.
It may seem trivial to a lot of you, but I can't go on like this
Am considering Cognitive behavioural therapy as suggested by a friend.

6th

being 100% honest do you believe you have reason to be afraid?

haunted-room

twanda wrote:

have any of you got childhood fears?
Do they interfere with your quality of life?

I have a fear of vomiting if that counts....Definatly interferes with life alright, cant drink or eat out and there are hundreds of other things i cant do becuase of it:mad:

twanda

No, I know I over-react and hate that, but when I'm in that situation I feel powerless to stop the fear - I feel like a big baby.

6th

I'd say hypnotherapy.

Black Swan

twanda: Recommend that you see a counselor. If you do not know of one, then perhaps you can ask your GP for a referral?

twanda

Thank you all for your replies. I will take your advice onboard.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Always had a weird fear of getting into trouble... as a result of which I'm a trouble magnet. They do say that what you fer, you also attract.

That said, how about motion activated lights or something where someone enetering a room triggers the lights to come on...

Ickle Magoo

I'm scared of spiders....but it doesn't affect my quality of life.

~I think what you describe is more of an extreme phobia than a fear and any phobia that is affecting your life adversely needs to be dealt with either through behavioural therapy, hypnotherapy, etc...

Hope you get it sorted.

LadyJ

OP,I have the exact same fears and they are just as extreme as yours. I never thought much of them but I have come to realise that they do interfere with my life.

I'm a nervous person in general and I'm afraid of pretty much everything. It's annoying for me and for people around me. Seeing a therapist has helped to ease one or two of these fears for me and I would recommend that you talk to someone as sometimes there is a lot more behind our fears than we realise. However,in saying that,sometimes we are just afraid of things and all the therapy in the world won't change our mind.

Good luck.

twanda

Well it's official - it helps to talk.
This morning I slept for two hours after my boyfriend left for work.
I would not allow any panicky ''oh my god - I'm on my own'' thoughts to enter my head ( however much they tried) , and I had the window slightly open so the noise of car engines starting and people going about their daily business was somewhat comforting.

This is a big step for me, thank you all for helping me take it.
I hope I can continue this way.