Let’s say you’re laying in bed, it’s dark and your eyes are closed. Now picture a strange person standing in your room looking at you. Once you do that how strong is the urge to open your eyes and check to make sure nobody’s there?
On a scale from 1 (no urge) to 10 (overwhelming urge) I rank a 7. What does that say about me and other people who may score lower or higher?
What happens if you change who it is to a monster type or ghost or some type of animal that you fear like large cockroaches. The one that really sends me up to 10 is imagining a face looking through the window at me. double shudder
This is why I sleep with the lights on. Not just one light, because that might burn out, but with both of them on. I know I’m a 10 not only for opening my eyes, but also for jumping out of bed and screaming (which I can’t help doing when a storm knocks the power out and the lights go off).
I’m probably about a 3. As long as I’m covered by my blanket, nothing can touch me. On the other hand, if I’m out having a smoke on the back deck and imagine someone out in the woods stalking…I’m in the house in about 2.7 seconds. I have no clue why this is.
I’m probably about a 2, maybe even a 1. I’m around an 8, though, for the aforementioned situation of someone looking in the window at me. For some reason, that scares me way more than someone being in the room.
My girlfriend’s probably a 10 for every situation like this. She’s scared of all sorts of imaginary things. Of course, being the jerk I am, I occasionally mess with her. One thing that scares her is when she thinks I don’t “sound like me” for some reason. So, the other night, as she slept soundly, I started saying, “Hellloooo…” in a creepy voice. After the third time or so she startled awake, made a little “aaah!” sound and whacked me in the mouth. I was amazed at her accurate aim in the total darkness. I think I said something like, “you just punched me in the mouth!” to which she replied, “You were scaring me!” We both started laughing a lot from that point on.
I’m scared of the dark! Still! I always thought it was something I’d grow out of.
On that scale I’d proabably be about a 9.5 or higher. I’ve sleep with my shades down ever since I saw 'Salem’s Lot, the idea of someone watching me sleep terrifies me. But someone in the room is pretty god damn scary too…
~Kittie
In fact, when my SO is gone at night I sleep sideways in the bed so I can see the whole room the second I open my eyes. I am scared of people and other unknown boggey men. Bugs and rodents don’t scare me when I am trying to sleep.
I also can’t sleep with any part of my body hanging off the bed. Who knows what might grab my toes if it had the chance? It is more of a throw back from being a kid but old habits are hard to break.
When I was a child I use to rig coat hanger “alarms” on my closet and bedroom doors. You just can’t be too careful.
It’s night, I have my eyes open and I’m fully aware that there’s no one in my bedroom. Then, I’m supposed to close my eyes and do my best to try to convince myself that there’s someone scary standing above me?
I measure at about a -16; I’d probably just fall asleep since I have my eyes closed anyway.
Now, if I hear a noise, that’s a whole different story…
I’d be a 1. I sleep lightly and wake up easily. Nobody could be there without me waking up. (Hell, someone closing a car door halfway down the block wakes me up.)
Occaisonally if I’m in a forest or something, I’ll be walking along happily when out of nowhere the thought pops into my head that absolutely anything could be hiding in the woods, watching me at this very moment. Then my imagination goes into overdrive and it’s all I can do to not pee my pants.
I’m about a 3, because I know I made it up. However, I am convinced that there are monsters under the bed that will grab my ankles if my feet hang off, or shudder I stand so close to the bed that my toes are poking under the edge. Gaaaah! That’s different, see, because the monsters are real.
Also, they look just like the creatures from Where the Wild Things Are, except their fingernails are all long and pointy for maximum grab effect.
20+. I don’t know why, but the entire process of turning the light off and laying in bed and going to sleep fills me with anxiety. That’s my neurosis.
And I will think of this thread when I go to bed tonight.
What are bedclothes for if not for throwing them over your head and hiding from the monsters?
Look, if there’s an axe-wielding homicidal maniac in your room… you’re dead. You’re dead. What are you expecting him to do once he’s busted? Slink off muttering “Shucks, nearly had 'em that time… if only they hadn’t of looked…”
In fact he’s more likely to kill you once you’ve seen his face. Giant cockroaches in particular are very keen on doing away with witnesses.
Kind of a hijack: how many other people think that if they’re covered by a blanket or sheet they’re OK? Kaotic Newtral got me thinking; whenever I get a creepy thought like that, or have a nightmare, I just pull a sheet or blanket over me, and bingo, I’m OK. No killer’s knife could break through this sturdy fabric. :rolleyes:
I’d say I’m about a five. Back in the day when I was little I would’ve been an 11.
hey, if the whole “walking across the room to flip the switch” thing gets to you, just go to a “natural wonders” store or somesuch and buy a 7 foot bamboo pole.i have one, it’s great for turning off the light when you’re comfy under the covers and you don’t want to have to reorganize yourself.
oh yah…
i just know that there is no monster. and, to defeat my fantasies, i just believe that there are swords embedded in my arms and that they can go S-CHANG! and pop out to do the bad guy puree. no eye opening needed.
besides, and i am ashamed to admit it, all those dreams of having a homicidal killer in my room always turn into a sexual fantasy one way or another…
I’m probably around a 4. If I’m having trouble sleeping anyway, it’ll keep bothering me, and I’ll eventually get mad at myself and look. Otherwise, it doesn’t bother me much.
Here’s something to try:
You’re reading this post. Don’t look away. Now imagine that there’s a ghost which has just passed into the room through the wall directly behind you. It’s watching you, and if you look, it’ll know you see it and do something terrible. Don’t look!
Now, on a scale of 1 - perfectly fine, to 10 - gibbering in a fetal position, how uncomfortable does that make you?
For some reason, the ghost thing doesn’t bother me. Of course, that could be because I’m at work, in a well lit environment. Wait till I get home.
I too can scare myself with monsters under the bed. Monsters are more scary than people, because you can’t hear them walk on creaky wood floors and they don’t need a key to get in.
