Simple tips on how to be less afraid of the dark.
the fear of the dark is a basic human instinct. in a time when we’d have to survive on gathering and hunting, darkness could hide all kinds of dangers, snakes, tigers, cliffs and traps. however most of us still continue to struggle with this fear without any real threat hiding in the dark woods or cities. for those of you I've written this simple list of tips based on my own experience.
Human behavior.
One thing that often bothers people is the change in human behavior.
Groups of youngsters seem more hostile, loud and intrusive. Single people will seem more reserved, observing, judging. Looking at you while you pass them on the road.
This isn’t just in your head. Darkness changes the behavior of people.
Young people in groups will be more outgoing, you’ll get called out more by guys, girls will giggle and whisper. It’s a behavioral reaction to the fear of the dark.
Just go out with friends and see if they’ll suddenly talk louder. It’s real. And you’ll be unaware of it if it happens in you.
Similarly single hikers will be more reserved, often looking at you, not replying initially. It’s a similar response, risk assessment.
Being aware of this greatly helps with being less afraid. Loud people aren’t more hostile, they’re just scared. It’s a basic human reaction as old as time.
I’ve found that greeting people greatly helps to change their behavior. As for loud youngsters, ignoring them helps too.
being followed?
It’s also recommended to switch to the other side of the road when walking in front or behind someone. I might accidentally have scared quite a few ladies on my hikes as i walk quite fast, approaching from behind, only to pass because i had no interest in them at all (obviously). Nowadays i switch to the other sidewalk on recommendation of the ladies in my household. But of course if you’d be the lady you could’ve done the same.
Risk assessment, Turning fear into conscious thought.
One of the most annoying things of hiking through dark woods or cities is the ability of the mind to make things up. Your highly alert brain will constantly scan for “danger”.
One thing that helps a LOT is having control of the things you see, hear and feel.
Take off your earbuds or headphones to consciously experience the sounds of the night, taking off any ear covering clothing helps too.
Flashlights are often more fear inducing. Flickering and moving shadows in a small beam of light, surrounded by utter darkness. Compared to a lot wider and easily identifiable surrounding view, if you’d just let your eyes adjust to the dark, you’d be surprised how much a healthy human eye can see with just moonlight as it’s light source.
But you’d still hear animal sounds, clattering, etc. Now you’ll need to process these things consciously.
I discovered one one of my hikes that my feeling of being followed stemmed from a specific zipper clattering against my bag, creating an unfamiliar sound in a distinct walking pattern.
A sound in the forest was quickly identified as a small animal that posed no threat to me. Could’ve been a bird or a mouse, that doesn’t matter. What matters is it’s tone and scale was easily identifiable when getting out of the anxious “I’m alone in the dark woods, help what is that?” mindset.
There’s actually a separate therapeutic system based around consciously processing the things that for example scare you. It’s called CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) this therapy is used for a lot more than just conquering fear. as the ability to simply pauze and look objectively at the things that surround you, your thoughts, fears, etc. can greatly help with a wide range of issues.
But keep in mind that fearing the unknown is a natural human instinct. And nothing to be ashamed of, often the only thing you’ll need is to be aware of it.
if your fear of the dark is such a struggle for you that you can’t function in daily life, there’s no shame in seeking professional help. CBT can help, but there are many other therapies and methods. the only thing that defines if you’d need psychological help for a psychologist is if it prevents you from functioning in your daily life. if something does, anything. get help.
