[ghibli]

hewo~ im new, and this is my first real post !
im actually on here because im too scared to go to bed..
i've had nightmares for as long as i remember but im still scared by them! i have a nightlight, music, and a stuffy every night but i get so anxious about the nightmare im too scared to sleep...

has anyone had this happen before? what would you do ? and thank you ! ( ´ ω` )

[LittleBabyBoo]

I've always had nightmares too and on top of that I often experience lucid nightmares and sleep paralysis, which leaves me frightened and unwilling to sleep, but I usually text daddy to let him know and I close my eyes and cuddle my stuffies and imagine all kinds of scenes with daddy and it's all better!

[Mermaid]

Big sister little wants to help!!

I've never had a huge problem with nightmares, I only have them occasionally... except when I watch zombie stuff, that gives me nightmares every time. So I don't have personal experience... and I don't know how to get rid of nightmares or anything. D:

But I do have lots of times when I just have too many thoughts (sometimes intrusive) in my head and can't sleep no matter how much I try. So usually I just have some cartoon on instead of music, that way I can concentrate on listening to that rather than my thoughts! I thought maybe that could help you too, to make you relax a bit and not get too anxious about the possibly oncoming nightmares?

I've also been learning some relaxation methods in therapy! c: One of my favorites that has worked for me plenty of times is the "outlining" exercise, where you just kind of... focus on your own outlines. You lie there and kind of draw a line on yourself in your mind, starting from your head, going down your neck and arm, up to your armpit, then down your side and so on until you reach your head again. Then you just start all over again. I find it easy to focus on since you'll always have a solid place to come back to if you get distracted for a moment. It's helped me sleep so many times already.

Another thing I've felt helps is just focusing on your breathing. No need to count or control it, just focus on how it feels in your body, how your chest rises and falls with it, how the air flows inside... I'm guessing that since you're so anxious about getting nightmares, your body is also in an overly alert state so this might help your breathing to become more even and relaxed, and that way help your whole body to relax.

I really don't know if any of this will help you go to sleep easier and like I said it won't help you get rid of the nightmares... but maybe it can make bedtime a bit less anxiety-filled? Do let me know if you try any of this and if it helps (it might need some time getting used to, so don't give up too soon)! And tell me if my explanation was unclear or something, hehe. I've learned all this in my native language so expressing all this in English was surprisingly challenging!

[tiffa]

oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that, night mares are the worst! I find that a I have nightmares more often when I'm stressed, go to bed really late, and watch scary disturbing stuff on TV. The best advice I can give is don't go to bed upset or sad or angry. Find a way to release those emotions in a positive way like coloring. Make sure you go to bed early enough every night even if that means trying yo go to sleep earlier than you usually do. Also, stay away from scary horror movies and video games. The walking dead and the silent hill video games and thugs related to aliens ALWAYS give me nightmares. Talk to someone you trust about how you are feeling

[PixiePerfect]

Nightmares suck. Before I met my Daddy I would barely sleep because of them. If you have a Daddy or Mommy that doesn't live with you maybe something with their scent will help? Daddy always sends me home with one of his shirts so I can put it on my stuffy in case I get scared. Stuffies and music help too. If you have a toy store near you look into something called a twilight turtle or a twilight buddy, they're soft stuffies that when you push buttons on them light up and stay on for a certain amount of time, they even project stars onto your walls and ceiling or some even play lullabies

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[RadiatorDaisy]

I get really anxious some nights... I usually bury my head in my blankets and count the stars on my nightlight, but if it gets really bad I ask my daddy to count to me, just to ten... He tells me to take a deep breath and let it go while he counts, makes me feel better almost instantly, even when he is far away..

[DaddyandKitten]

I snuggle into my blankie, cuddle my teddy, and I usually tell Daddy about it and get comfort from him c: Sometimes I will pet my kitten to calm down or do some self soothing techniques as well, if they are needed bad enough. Self soothing techniques i use include meditation, mindful breathing, and thinking happy thoughts or memories /.\

[Skeeter]

I would seek out calming activities that appeal to you. Petting animals or stuffies if appropriate, listening to calming music and nature sounds, exploring the cause of the nightmare during the daytime when you're able to do so. I recently found ASMR which helps me personally but isn't for everyone. I also watch favorite tv shows and movies when I wake up from a nightmare. It helps distract me positively and I can rest easier.