What’s The Deal With Anxiety And Horror Movies??

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Did you know that some people love to purposely make themselves scared so they can gain a little relief from Anxiety? I’ve done this for many years now, but I didn’t realize that hundreds of other people do it too.

When I’ve told people that my favorite genre is horror, they look at me like I’m some sort of disturbed alien.

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I never knew this was a thing, but it makes sooooo much sense. I’m currently watching the movie The Sixth Sense as I write this — because I love to watch something spooky yet relaxing as I write.

Can I just say — that this movie actually upsets me so much due to Haley Osmond’s amazing acting. He is so cute, and I hate seeing him so freaked out. I honestly want to reach threw the screen, and give him a massive hug.

It’s no secret that I suffer from Anxiety. I have done for as long as I can remember, and after trying countless tips and tricks to help — I’ve always had this one — slightly quirky, or let’s just say weird little trait.

When I was younger, me and my mum would love to head out to blockbusters (just in case you’re not as old as me, you could rent out movies and return them when you were finished.) This was way before good old Netflix. Anyway, later we would light some candles, grab a blanket and popcorn, then curl up and watch our movie — which was always a horror film.

We absolutely loved it — even though we usually watched from behind a pillow. After it finished, we would stick something funny on so we didn’t lay in our beds that night staring at the ceiling, completely freaking out over the slightest noise.

So I practically grew up watching these types of films. I would watch horrors with my cousins, friends, or sometimes by myself If I was brave enough. I was blessed with Anxiety throughout my childhood, and I’d be an anxious mess most of the time — worrying about anything and everything.

However, when I’d settle down to watch a movie, I’d feel relieved. I know this sounds bad, but when I’m watching the characters in the movie go through complete and utter hell, it kind of makes me feel better about myself.

Also, I spend a good two hours or however long the movie is just rooting for these characters. So my mind goes blank for a while, and whatever I was anxious about before, just suddenly disappears.

I usually begin watching these movies with dozens of thoughts racing around and around in my mind, which I find impossible to stop. As the movie proceeds, I start to feel those nervous butterflies, and I’ll gaze around the room — praying that I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. All of a sudden, I become so focused on the situation and the characters that I completely forget what I was worried about before.

Let’s head back in time to when I first watched The Sixth Sense. In the beginning, I was wondering why the character Cole seemed so nervous and quiet, but I was also probably anxious about something that happened while I was at school that day.

Halfway through, after seeing that Cole can see ghosts, I was wondering why and what do they want? Slowly my thoughts about school disappeared.

And then I’m suddenly engrossed in the story. I’m rooting for Cole to find a way to help these ghosts so they will leave him alone while watching him experience some truly terrifying encounters. Then, I’m suddenly not worried about myself because all I could think about was the characters in the movie.

I will not speak about the ending just in case you haven't seen it.

Watching the movie, I’d think, “My God, Yes, you are anxious, but things could be a lot worse. Imagine being in Cole’s position, and seeing all those creepy ghosts everywhere.’’

This is just my experience with Horror and Anxiety. Not everyone will love being scared, some people couldn’t think of anything worse. But everybody deals with Anxiety in different ways, so just because I love being scared, doesn’t mean everybody does.

So why do some people with Anxiety love horror movies?

Watching horror movies lets anxious people experience a different type of Anxiety in a safe controlled way. If you have Anxiety, and you watch a horror movie, then witnessing the monsters or ghosts defeated can make you feel like everything will be okay. Our lives are nowhere near as bad as the characters in these movies, so we can feel like we can handle anything life throws at us.

I don’t know about you, but these movies give me quite afew ideas in case I end up in the same situations as the characters. Of course, I can’t see ghosts — thank goodness. So, let’s imagine that I’m skipping merrily down the street in the rain with a little paper boat, which ends up falling down a drain, and then all of a sudden — a creepy clown begins talking to me, trying to encourage me to take my little boat out of his hands.

Instead of giving in to the creepy clown, I will turn and run away as fast as I can — because seriously, why would a friendly clown just casually be hanging out under the ground, then suddenly decide to pop up and say hello?

I’ve suddenly got the image of me running away in the rain, quickly turning my head and seeing bloody pennywise sprinting behind me — with his stupid red balloon in the air screaming, “We all float down here.” 🏃‍♀️⛈😱🤡🎈

What is the fight or flight response?

Horror movies often trigger your body’s fear response, which is usually known as the fight or flight response. So essentially, it’s just like real life when you are facing something terrifying — which can bring you a great deal of distress.

The fear response is our need to survive any threat. Let’s say you’re being chased by a large creature in the woods. Your body will be taken over by stress. Your heart rate and blood pressure will rise, you’ll be trembling, your breathing will become rapid, and you’ll run away as quick as you can to try and survive.

Once you’ve escaped — and the threat has gone away. You will now rest and digest, meaning your body will now have time to calm down and return to normal. Yes, you’ll still be scared, but by knowing that you’re now safe and away from danger, you’ll be able to control your breathing, and your heart rate will return to its original state.

However, it’s a little different if you suffer from Anxiety. Anxiety sufferers react to everyday things as if they were a massive threat. Often the threat is all in our heads and not really anything we should be worried about, so let’s say you have a little chest pain — I don’t know about you, but I will immediately freak out and think it’s something to do with my heart.

In the end, it just turns out to be heartburn, so there really is no need for me to freak out so much about it, but I do. Even though I know that it is just a simple thing that’s easily treated, I will sense an impending doom — convincing myself that I am about to have a heart attack, I will freak out for hours or days on end, and I very rarely forget about it.

Some people with Anxiety will steer clear of horror movies because they don’t want to add any more stress to their long list of worries. However, for some people, horror movies can provide a great deal of relief. As I mentioned earlier, it’s the feeling of being scared in a safe environment, and a chance to refocus your mind on something else entirely.

Because I’m unable to see ghosts, monsters, or zombies — these movies have absolutely nothing to do with my life, which makes me feel more relaxed knowing that these types of things can’t harm me in any way. Of course, I’ll be terrified and experience intense fear, but I know that I’m safe.

But, saying that, I did live in a very creepy house that I was convinced was haunted, so unless I end up living there again, I will feel very safe. You can read all about that in my article below. (Just so you know, I wrote this when I first began on medium, so It’s not the best writing lol.)

Some people will steer clear of any horror movies that are triggering or repulsive, so they don't have to spend every waking hour of the day thinking about them.

So when I’m feeling anxious, I’ll stick on something scary to make me feel better about my life. Yes, some people think it’s a little weird, but as you can now tell from what we’ve gone over in this article, there is actually a pretty reasonable explanation.

I’m curious to see what you think. Does watching horror movies help your Anxiety?? If so, which ones are your favorite?? ♥