A lot of feedback from our unwanted thoughts post was from young people scared half to death from watching scary movies.
So here’s some specifics for that particular problem. This was the actual list I sent a young girl so scared she slept with a bible.
I’ve kept this post very short to get to the solutions straight away…
Know this:
- You’re not alone — most people freak out after watching scary movies, even adults.
- YOU ARE SAFE. You aren’t in any more danger now than you were before… it’s just a movie.
- You won’t feel scared for long. It will soon pass.
- Scary movies are made to scare you, that’s their job.
- Part of your mind can’t tell the difference between a movie and real life. It’s THIS part that freaks out, but YOU know… it’s just a movie. Because of this, it’s best to be careful what you feed your mind — what you watch, think and imagine!
Do this:
- Do some exercise: You are in a “fight or flight” state so act it out — dance or run about, jog on the spot, do star jumps, skip, have a pillow fight, do some shadow boxing or press ups… whatever.
- Watch “behind the scenes” videos to take the realness out of the movie, so you see clearly; “It’s just a movie.”
- Do what you can to feel safe: Be with people. Get lots of hugs from your parents, friends, even a pet or a big cuddly toy. Use a night-light.
- Keep your mind distracted: Watch comedy, get absorbed in a good book, listen to relaxing music, anything you can to distract your mind. Each time a thought comes up, remind yourself “It’s just a movie” and distract.
- To help you sleep, play the famous lullaby tune by Brahms below. Relaxing soundtracks like waves crashing on the beach would also be very good. Then when it’s time to sleep, use this relaxation technique: Put all your attention into your feet, feel your feet tingling and relax them, then move through every part of your body doing the same thing until you fall asleep.
“I want to say that a while ago I saw this article, it was the night after I saw a scary movie. I haven’t really thought about it since like, 3 months ago! This really helps!”— Katie, USA
FAQ
Q PLEASE HELP ME!!!
A If you follow all the tips in the article as best you can, that’s the fastest way to get back to normal. It’s all there, everything you need to know and do. Please leave a comment below if you’re having trouble following the advice.
Q Why am I sooooo scared just from watching a movie?
A Your mind reacts instinctively to perceived danger and changes your physical and mental state in order to deal with the danger — the “fight or flight” state. We evolved in nature where danger was real, like lions, and your brain still works that way. More about this →
Q Why am I hearing noises in my house after watching scary movies?
A If your mind thinks “danger,” your body changes to a “fight or flight” state. One of these changes is that you notice sounds that you normally wouldn’t notice. Your house always makes these sounds but you normally filter them out.
Q Why are my friends better at watching scary movies than I am?
A We’re all different. If you were to measure fear reaction in you and all your friends, you would get what is called a “normal distribution.” Most people would be somewhere in the middle, a few would not be affected at all and a few would have an over-reaction. There’s lots of reasons why you react like you do… genetics, previous experiences, beliefs, sensitivity etc. Everyone is different.
Q If my friends are watching a scary movie, I have to go along or I will be left out. What should I do?
A Go along if you want to, but don’t get sucked into it. Keep moving your attention away and back, away and back… like… look at objects in the room, notice the objects in the background of the movie rather than on the action, look to see how your friends freak out at the really scary bits :-) And you can keep remembering “that’s just a guy wearing make-up,” “just back a bit is the camera crew and director.” All sort of tricks like this to “keep it real.”
If the music builds up and you know there’s a scare coming, close your eyes or hide behind a pillow! Lots of people do it and the rest will be too absorbed to see what you’re doing.
A few fluttery moments of thrill are what you want from a movie. Losing sleep over it means it wasn’t worth it.
You could take your own DVDs to sleepovers, and see if a great comedy can tempt people away from horror. If you know in advance it’s going to be a horror marathon, you could just skip the event. Your friends won’t ditch you over one blow-off, and you get to spend time with them you actually enjoy.
If you’re REALLY sensitive and know you can’t handle it, then just say “No thanks.”
Q Why can’t I sleep after watching a scary movie?
A As you settle down to sleep, there are no distractions for your mind, it’s just you and your thoughts. It seems as though you are looking at your thoughts through a big magnifying glass.
Whatever you fear, you will be reminded of — it’s just a primitive part of your mind protecting you against what you saw as danger. If you react with anxiety to your thoughts, your body makes adrenaline as part of the “fight or flight” reaction. This will keep you awake and stop you sleeping. Then a vicious cycle of more thinking, more anxiety and so on.
To prevent this happening, you need another focus and to stay relaxed. To do this, play the famous lullaby tune as soon as you get into bed. Put your attention on the music. This will give your mind something to focus on and the calming effect of the music will help you relax. When it’s time to sleep, use the relaxation technique (tip 5) to keep your mind off scary thoughts.
If you wake in the night, remember, “it’s just a movie, no real danger” and then immediately use the relaxation technique again until you go back to sleep.
Q What about movies that are based on true stories?
A Saying a movie is based on actual events is just a way to get you more scared. An unusual event is often used to make unquestioned false assumptions, distorted, and then built upon further to end up with a story that has zero truth in it. In short, you can safely assume that no scary movie is true. It’s just a silly movie.
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Michael Kinnaird is the author of Happy Guide, the result of a 20 year exploration into what works for health and happiness.
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i can’t sleep at night after watching Paranormal Actvity. it’s really got too my head, i haven’t slept in 5 days. i get these thoughts that keep me up, and noises i hear.
any help? thanks (:
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Hi McKayla,
Do all the tips in the article. The main thing is to see the fear as just a reaction to a silly movie. It means nothing and has no value. So when fear comes, see it as nothing “It’s just a movie” and distract your attention.
It’s a great idea to read in bed for a few minutes, this will give you another focus and then listen to the tune we recommend above. Your aim is to calmly pay attention to other things. ~ Mike
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Hey :) I recently watched a scary game. Like I watched someone play the whole thing. I’ve read through many, many articles on how to sleep, but nothings cutting it. Mainly because I know all the stuff in the game is possible to happen. And it freaks me out alot. Please help me :C And like when I shower I get so freaked out too, because in the game there were showers and stuff happened there. And the game just really freaked me out. Please give me some different tips than the one sup there? If possible.
Thank you so much, :)
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Hi Victoria,
The tips will work for you but as you said, you are not allowing yourself to let go. You keep telling your mind there is real danger and you are biologically programmed to pay attention to danger.
You need to see it for what it is… a silly game. You are in no more danger now than before you watched and before you watched, you didn’t care. You need to not care again. So when the fears come, remind yourself it’s just a silly game, have a “don’t care attitude” and distract attention away. Keep doing this over and over every time. Have faith in this method.
So this is the main thing, but do all the other tips in the article too for best results.
~ Mike
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Hi!
I watched It the Clown and it seemed stupid when I watched it but now I’m scared!!! The only thing Im scared of is It coming my shower drain!! Cuz well that’s just what he does…. So…. Any ideas??
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Hi Chanty,
When you get a fear flash, remind yourself “it’s just a silly movie” and have a “don’t care” attitude, then distract your attention away. If the fear lingers, then just see it as an instinctive reaction and let it be there without caring, because you see what it is. It means nothing, the danger isn’t real, so why care? Be patient and continue with this plan all the time and the fear flashes will be less frequent, less intense and soon enough will go altogether. ~ Mike
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Hey Wendy, I’m a Christian too and I’ve never watched a horror movie (mainly because I’m a wimp and get scared watching Disney movies) but even if this stuff could happen, just remember that because God’s taking care of you, none of this stuff can hurt you. This sounds dumb, but you gotta watch that veggie tales show “Wheres God when I’m scared.” lol, it’ll change your life. Hope this helps.
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I’m twelve, and watched Paranormal Activity about half a year ago. I’ve just recently began to get scared by it. The thing that helps me the most is closing my eyes. Even if you imagine something, you can just tell yourself it’s not important. If you keep your eyes closed, there’s no way you won’t fall asleep within the hour. Right now, I am kind of scared, but I don’t give in to my fears. I keep going like nothing is wrong, because nothing is! There was nothing scaring you before you got scared, right? If you had watched the movie after now, you wouldn’t be scared of even looking at this feed, right? It’s all perception. Nothing is there at all.
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Love your comment John and you are showing a great understanding. But be sure to distract away too, once you see these thoughts, images or fear flashes as unimportant. After all, why would you ever continue attention to something that is unimportant to you? :-) Great comment John, thanks. ~ Mike
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