Today, I moved back to a small town after 4 years in the city. I was looking forward to getting away from the light pollution until I woke up in the middle of the night, peered into the pitch black void above my head, and had a panic attack. I need a night light at 23. FML
Collection
Halloween
A failed costume, stolen candy and a very real scare: Halloween, the one night when fear is allowed.
Today, I'm staying in a hotel where the lights are automatic. They turn on when something moves and turn off when everything is still. I'm a sensitive sleeper and I move in my sleep, so the light wakes me up. It's currently 2 a.m. and all together I've gotten about 20 minutes of sleep. FML
Today, I was walking to the kitchen in the dark. Something caught my eye and I turned to see a man standing in the corner, clear as day. I jumped and closed my eyes for a split second. When I opened them, he was nowhere to be seen. I'm now terrified to live in my own home. FML
Today, I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with the lights off. It was 1AM and I'd just finished watching a scary movie so I was a little paranoid. I was about to fall asleep when an eerie light lit the room. I jumped, got tangled in the sheets, and hit my head against the bed frame. Where'd the light come from? Not a space ship. Not someone breaking in. It was my phone. FML
Today, I finally managed to sleep, after two days of being kept awake by the miniature floodlights my neighbors have installed to scare off burglars. Only a couple of hours into my sleep, I woke up to the sound of their car being broken into. FML
Today, I went downstairs a little after midnight to grab a snack, and in the dark hallway, I clearly saw a small child walk into the kitchen. I was freaked out, but I followed him in. There was nobody in the room. I'm now too scared to sleep, and am seriously considering moving house. FML
Today, I was awoken at the ungodly hour of 1 a.m. to find that everything was very dark and quiet. It took me way more time than I'd like to admit to figure out that there was a blackout. As I tried to doze off again, I was jump-scared by the sound of everything coming on again. This happened twice. FML
Today, after years of restless sleep in a noisy city, I finally moved to a very quiet place. So quiet that I realized I have tinnitus. I need to play background noise to cover it, so I can manage to get some sleep. FML
Today, I was the last to go upstairs, so I had to turn off the lights. My tired brain decided to use my phone flashlight to check if all the lights were out. FML
Today, I couldn’t sleep because the hall light was too bright. Someone left their room; I waited for them to return so we wouldn’t cross paths. I got up and went for the light, only to find them peeing naked with the door open. In a panic I flipped any switch, which made the hall brighter, then ran. FML
Today, I woke up loudly screaming from a "night" terror. I say "night"; I was actually at my desk at work, in the middle of the day, surrounded by dozens of co-workers in their cubicles. FML
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Top comments
Bloo2555 22
I'm 20 and still leave the hall light on. You're not alone.
Lobby_Bee 18
Yes, the boogey man can't see in the dark too. Leave a light on for him to find you, he will appreciate it.
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Comments (19)
PhantomCrevan 8
I don't have this problem with lights (partly due to some seriously light sensitive eyes) but I'm 22 years old and HAVE to have background noise to sleep. Otherwise, either the pure silence or house related noises will send me into panic attacks and trigger nightmares from hell. Everyone with a working amygdalae has SOMETHING they are afraid of, and the dark is one of the fears most hardwired into the human brain. No need to be embarrassed, your brain is doing what it was wired to do.
GlacierKitty 4
I'm almost 30 and absolute darkness terrifies me (I have also had a panic attack when I woke up in a pitch black room), so you are not alone :)
David Horgan 8
pussification of America at it's best!
PhantomCrevan 8
It doesn't say where OP is located. They could be anywhere. Even if they ARE in the United States (which, I am forced to assume is where you meant by America) the fear of the dark is literally written into human DNA, is one of the most common fears WORLDWIDE, plus one of the OLDEST fears, and true darkness also causes sensory deprivation, which humans are wired to freak out over. The fear of the dark has existed as long as humanity in any form has existed. So it's definitely not "pussification" of America. Also, using any insult derived from the female anatomy to mean weak, scared, or timid is a ******* joke. People squeeze friggin' babies out of them- you don't see people with dicks doing anything comparable through any of THEIR orifices.
Zeatha Mistron 7
It’s ok OP. The dark is no joke. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
WHSKitty4ever 23
There’s NOTHING wrong with that, OP. No matter what people may say.