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How to get rid of fear and scary thoughts after watching a scary movie
Just a movie...
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, download the famous lullaby tune below. Right click the link and left click Save Target As or Save Link As. 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.
Brahm’s Lullaby
“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. Read more
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, download the tune above and listen to it 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.
All the best,
Mike Kinnaird
Habit Guide: How to be Happy & Healthy
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I went to Universal Studios for Halloween because of my cousin and I have never seen a scary movie so I wasn’t used to it. Hopefully these tips will get rid of my Scary Thoughts. Thanks Mike Kinnaird
Sorry, I accidentally press enter, I am only 14 and it was ridiculously hard for me to sleep. Anything?
Thanks
Hi Gabriel,
Yes, I recommend a good relaxation habit before sleep. Take a few conscious deep breaths then go through each body part — starting with your feet and relax each one before moving onto the next. Just keep doing that until you drop off.
Do it every night — for the rest of your life :-)
When iam scared of a scary movie i just watched , i make sure i watch the same movie atleast a few more times, then the fae will go a way.
Hi Lucky,
Thanks for your comment :-)
Very interesting idea. I’m not sure your desensitization method would be good for everyone — esp. young folks. The risk could be making the problem worse but I can see where you’re coming from.
My wife just told me that if she’s scared, she’ll watch comedy or something like that afterwards — before going to bed. This is more in-line with the whole “keep your mind off it” idea.
To get rid of a fear simply use my advice :
1. find the scariest part in a movie
2. go through it a lot of times
3. if you smile your spirit will cheer up
4. Its just a movie
Hi Mike,
I saw a life show about exorcisme girl, I felt sick, and from than I could not be recovered from the bad idea that does not stop coming to my mind till I feel so week and sick, I talked to a priest and he said nothing i have to see a doctor!! I tried to read ur comments it help me till I saw something weard about a girl !!!! I’am praying I trust God he is the protecter and we’re his kids!!! but I cant stop my mind !!! what can i do??
Hi Rita,
When we have these “bad ideas” as you call them, we desperately want them to go away. That’s understandable but the more you TRY to make it go away, the bigger it gets.
As strange as it seems you need to relax about it. Not try but ALLOW these thoughts to surface and attach a quality of NO IMPORTANCE to them.
So just focus on OTHER THINGS and if a thought comes in about the exorcism them shrug it off and REFOCUS onto something else.
Persist with this simple method and your fear will subside. It’s the quickest way to get what you want.
Let me know how you get on,
Mike
i am a 16 years old girl .. and i LOVED watching scary movies .. i loved being scared .. but there was never any movie that scared the pants off of me .. until the movie paranormal activity came out … i am a religous person . im christian . and i know that things like that can happen . which is the scary part … and its been a while now that i watched the movie but i cant sleep !!! i have thoughts in my head from the movie picturing stuff as if it was in the room with me … for example if i see say my little sisters doll i picture it coming after me or idk just stuff like that .. and those thoughts dont stop ! … i am VERY VERY scared of the dark ! … i sleep with the lights on. but its gotten to the point where i sleep with my parents .. im 16 i shouldnt have to sleep with them EVERYDAY … i sleep with a bible . i pray . iv cried praying more than once… because of this.
… i only eat once a day because im just simply not hungry … i dont eat breakfast ever i eat at skul tuesdays and thursdays because they have salads and i dont eat dinner .. my parents get mad but i tell them i ate a big lunch at skul .. im a jr. and weigh 100 pounds and im 5′1 im not trying to lose weight … i just dont know what to do .. yesterday night i was lying in bed and i heard a noise onj the walls around me and on the roof as if some one was walking on the roof and getting the feeling someone was looking at me .. as if someone was in the room walking around … and i was scared to death !!!! …. my parents said they have seen a possium around the yard and that coulda been making the noise but idk ….
i would also like to add that this has gotten so bad i have taken 2 or 3 advil p.m. pills so they will knock me out and ill be able to sleep .. i get histericle if i dont have pills
Hi Wendy,
Don’t worry, these feelings will fall away in time. First of all – don’t watch scary movies. In fact, don’t watch anything that makes you scared or unhappy. As Mike says in the post, a part of your mind doesn’t know that the moview isn’t real, so it makes you ‘jumpy’ on purpose, to protect you. But in reality there is NO danger, you’re perfectly safe.
So don’t watch any more scary movies. I’m 33 and I choose to fill my head with happy things – and guess what? I’m happy :-)
If you do the same, you will be happy :-) So – no more scary movies, ok?
And remember – it’s just a movie. What you saw in that movie CANNOT happen, despite what other people may tell you. I can promise you that. I used to work in movies and I’ve talked with actors while they’re covered in fake blood, or ‘possessed’ or whatever. And they’re all very nice people, who drink coffee and like to chat. Nothing unnatural there eh? :-)
And houses make all kinds of weirds noises at night – you’re only noticing them now because you watched a scary movie. The noises were there before, you just didn’t care about them, you didn’t notice them.
And remember, as Mike says in the post, you are in no more danger now than BEFORE you watched the movie – because nothhing has changed has it? There’s no difference. You can see that right? You’re fine, you’re safe.
Keep leaving the light on at night if it makes you feel better. One day you’ll just forget to worry about this stuff and will switch it off.
Follow Mike’s advice in the post (re-read it a couple times) and distract yourself with happy things and thoughts whenever something scary pops into your head. That’s a nice thing to do anyway.
And don’t worry Wendy, you’re going to be just fine. No more scary movies from now on ok? And now every day that passes you’re going to feel safer and safer.
Hi Mike,
Thank you for the advice!!!!After I watched this scary movie I was so freacked out I didn’t watch a quarter of the movie:)thank you for your advice x1000000000000000000000000000!!!!!!!
when i watch a really scary movie like a recent 1 (paranormal activity)
i start frreaking out i scream histerically when i turn my light off p.s im only 14.i leve my tv or sumthing on all night, my parents try to calm me down but it dosent really work. most nights im awake till 3 in the morning!!!!
Hi Kyle,
Is it really worth it?
i watched a scary movie and i couldnt go to sleep so i searched how to get rid of scary thoughts and i read this and i was fine well i still regret watching that movie and i always have the image of the scariest part in my head and now all i do is imagine the director saying “cut cut you need to look way more scared like theres no 2morrow ” and the actor repiling “no one tells me how to act I QUIT”and then i start laughing and rember its just a movie but im still scared any tips
hi im 11 and well i watched a scary movie (paranormal activity) and it has been like idk 3 days and im really freaked i pray and sleep with a roseary and in my parents room but im still scared and mad at myself cause im not suposed to belive in that stuff but im scared and i want to know 4 how long i will be scared ????
Hi Emily & Nicole, your comments came in together and you have the same email address, so I’m guessing you’re sisters that watched this scary movie together, right? :-)
First of all… don’t watch scary movies!!
There’s a part of your brain that can’t detect it’s not real, so it puts you on ’spooked’ and ‘alert’ mode. But remember what Mike says in the article above, you are in no more danger now than before you watched the movie. ie. you are in NO danger because the movie isn’t real.
Emily, you are half way there, that’s great. What you described is perfect, just keep laughing at it because none of it is real. It’s all just actors dressing up and pretending to do stuff that looks scary when you play scary music over the top of it.
When a scary thought from the movie pops into your head, just remember it’s just that weird little part of your brain that doesn’t know the movie isn’t real. But YOU know it’s not real! So just distract your mind onto something else, think about your favorite thing to do and think about how warm and happy you feel when you’re doing it.
At first, you might have to do this several times but as time goes on, memories of the movie will stop popping in your head and one day you will say to each other: ‘Hey do you remember when we got scared of that movie?’ and laugh about it. :-)
Also, keep re-reading this page. There’s lots more great advice in the actual article and these comments.
Take care and remember girls, you’re safe! It’s just a stoopid movie :-)
I just watched the movie zombie land and it is really creeping me out! The night after i saw it i didnt go to sleep! Hopefully your tips will help.
thanks sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!
oops i didnt get to finish i literaly just found another way to get rid of scary thoughts and that is to go on a walk with a parent(or close friend, teacher, preist, etc), comepletly blank your mind, and talk about something exiting that is coming up or a funny memory. It is also very helpfull to use the tips you provided (belive me it helps so much!)
please get back to me on this (it is good to talk to someone else about this problem!)
Thanks,
Jake DeMark
Hi Jake,
What it all comes down to is NOT thinking about the movie. You do this by either not thinking about anything at all or thinking about something else.
Most people find it hard to think about nothing so actively thinking about something else (in other words DISTRACTING) is the best way to go. As well as the thought distraction, it’s comforting to be around people you like and trust, it adds to your feeling of safety and security. So what you described is perfect and very good advice :-)
Thinking about something funny is a good one because laughing actually alters your physiology (your inner state).
When you watch something scary, there’s a little part of your brain that doesn’t know it’s not real, so it puts you in ‘danger’ mode – what most of us call ‘freaked out’.
Laughing effectively tells your mind and body ‘there’s no danger, everything’s ok’. In fact, laughing releases endorphins which make us feel good. People who laugh regularly live longer and are happier, so it’s a great thing to do anyway…
So don’t watch scary movies and DO hang out with people you like, trust and laugh with :-)