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Ronan Asks...
The new rhianna music video disturbia is giving me nightmares. helpp! do you think its scary?
What we suggest...
Hi Ronan, thanks for contacting q2a.
From the bit we've seen of it (our computer crashed part way through!) we agree that it looks very scary. It seems to be set in a dungeon where horrible things can happen so your imagination will be working hard and it's obviously frightened you. Another possibility is that it's not actually the video that's causing your nightmares. It may be reminding you of something distressing that's really happened to you, or is happening to you now. If you can think of anything like this, talk to someone you trust and get help. This could be someone in your family: a parent or carer, another relative like an older brother or sister, or perhaps a friend or someone in their family. Alternatively there might be a teacher or youth worker you get on with. We would be glad to talk with you more too.
The obvious thing for us to say to you is don't watch it! Or if you do still want to watch it, don't do it just before you go to bed. After you've watched it, do something to give your brain something different to think about: watch TV or a dvd; play some other music; play a computer game; text or phone a friend; spend time with the people you live with. You could also write down exactly which bits you find scary; putting it down on paper get's it out of your head, and thinking about what you're writing will make it less scary.
Here are some tips to help you to cope when you wake up (we've assumed that you've got your own room and won't disturb anyone, otherwise do it quietly!):
- don't just lie in bed in the dark feeling scared: put a light on
- tell yourself where you are, and that you're safe
- get out of bed and walk around to remind yourself where you are and that you're safe
- make yourself a drink
- write down in detail exactly what happened in your nightmare, then put it somewhere out of sight (e.g. at the bottom of a drawer) and tell yourself that the nightmare lives there
- do a bit of relaxation e.g. imagine yourself in a favourite place with your favourite person
- go through your normal bedtime routine again
- don't be frightened of going back to sleep, just keep saying in your head 'I'm in my own bed and I'm safe'
Generally, make sure that you get plenty of fresh air and exercise during the day so that you're tired. Don't have carbonated drinks before bed, especially not colas as they contain caffeine that will keep you awake. Avoid having a big meal just before bedtime. This should help you to sleep better.
If you have access to the Internet have a look at:
http://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/wellbeing/sleep/dreamsandnightmares
http://www.teenissues.co.uk/SleepingDifficulties.html
We hope what we've said here helps you to sleep better! Please email us again if you need to, about this or anything else.
Sweet dreams and best wishes from q2a.
Expert advice and every precaution has been taken to ensure that the information on this page is trustworthy and reliable, but the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracy as information can go out of date very quickly. This page gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. With regard to suggested weblinks given in this reply please note that Lancashire County Council is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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