Staying Calm in a Haunted House
Don't let yourself dwell on your fears before you go in. The anxious thoughts you have before going into a haunted house, thinking about how afraid you'll be and what kind of scares you might see, aren't actually facts—they're just your guesses. Instead of freaking yourself out before you even get inside, remind yourself that this is just a staged situation. Nothing bad is going to happen to you in the haunted house; you're safe. To ease your nerves, do something light-hearted or fun before the haunted house. Try going out to eat, spending time with friends, or watching a funny movie or TV show. Lots of people are scared before a haunted house, but find out afterwards that it wasn't as scary as they thought it would be—and that they actually had a pretty good time. Tell yourself that that's how it'll be for you, too.
Go with at least one other friend so you're not alone. This is a cardinal rule of haunted houses: never go alone! Going inside with a group or even just one friend can help you feel a lot more comfortable. Go with someone you know well enough that you won't be embarrassed to hold their hand or scream. Ask your friend to stick with you through the whole haunted house and tell them you might need to grab them if you get scared. If you don't have anyone to go with, try to make friends in line and join a group that seems nice. You won't be as comfortable with them as with friends, but it's better than going alone.
Take deep breaths to keep yourself calm in the haunted house. When you get scared, your heart rate rises, your skin gets flushed, and you have a harder time thinking straight, which can make you even more anxious! Try to cut off this cycle by reminding yourself to breathe and stay calm when you're walking through the haunted house. When you notice your heartbeat getting fast or your hands starting to shake, take a few deep, calming breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try breathing in for 4 seconds, holding it in your lungs for 6, then breathing it back out through your mouth for 8 counts. Tell yourself that you're breathing out your fear and tension. Whatever's around the next corner, you can take it!
Remind yourself that this isn't real and is just for fun if you get scared inside. As scary as haunted houses can be, try to remember that nothing about them is actually real. The people in the costumes are just actors, and the house is just a regular house. It's all fake and here for you to have fun. Try repeating a mantra in your head to keep yourself grounded, like “I'm OK. This is just pretend.” Tell yourself this whenever you start to feel really scared.
Be proud of yourself for facing your fears when you start to feel afraid. You're doing something that you're scared of, and that's awesome! Give yourself a quick pep talk before you go in the house and whenever you start feeling scared inside. Try saying, “This is scary, but I'm being brave and doing it anyways.” Reminding yourself that you're being brave can make you feel even stronger and more courageous.
Ask to be let out if it gets to be too much. It's OK if you hit your breaking point. Take a deep breath, stay calm, and ask to be let out of the house. An actor or staff member can bring you to an exit, where you can regroup and calm down. You can do this if you're having a panic attack, or if you just get too freaked out. There's no shame in leaving the attraction early. Remember that you still took a risk and went inside, and that it's OK that you weren't quite up to it this time.
Plan something fun afterwards so you have something to look forward to. If you go home straight after the haunted house, you might find yourself dwelling on all the scares and freaking yourself out even more. Make fun plans instead to shake you out of that mindset and to have something to look forward to afterwards. For example, you could hang out with friends, go out for dinner, or watch a funny TV show. If you get scared in the house, focus on these fun things you'll be doing afterwards. You can say, “It's OK, I'm almost done. I just have to get through this and then I'm getting ice cream!”
Avoiding the Biggest Scares
Dress in all black so you don't stand out as much to actors. If you can, try to dress like you “belong” at the haunted house. Wear dark jeans, a black T-shirt or jacket, and comfortable shoes. This might seem like a strange strategy, but wearing dark clothes makes you seem like less of a haunted house newbie, which might discourage actors from targeting you. Dressing in black will also make it harder for the actors to notice you in the dark house.
Avoid screaming or laughing, which will make actors want to scare you. Haunted house actors tend to go for the people who are shrieking, laughing, running, or otherwise showing that they're freaked out! To avoid being targeted, try to stay as calm and in-control as you can and avoid singling yourself out. If you get scared, tamp down on your reactions as much as you can. Instead of lurching back or yelling, try to just jump slightly and gasp. Take deep breaths and move slowly through the haunted house to stay in control of your reactions.
Expect a scare around every corner so they don't catch you off-guard. You're in a haunted house, so you can safely assume that you'll be face-to-face with a scare every time you turn a corner. The shock of this can be more scary than anything, so try prepare yourself ahead of time. Tell yourself calmly that something might jump out at you around this, but that you're ready for it, so you won't get scared. When something does pop out, diffuse the tension and lighten your mood by thinking something like, “Wow, big surprise!”
Make eye contact with the actors and stand up straight to show that you're not afraid. Staying relaxed and acting unaffected in a haunted house might be hard, but it's a great way to show actors that you're not afraid. While some actors might take this as a challenge, most try to go for the people who seem like the easiest to scare, instead of the ones looking them in the eye. Brave Body Language: Do's and Don'ts: Don't: Close your eyes or look at the ground.Do: Make eye contact with the actors to show that you're not afraid. Don't: Hunch over or cross your arms.Do: Keep your head up and chest open. Don't: Act completely unimpressed. This might annoy actors and make them target you even more.Do: Give muted reactions, like jumping slightly, gasping, or saying “Oh my gosh!” Don't: Argue with or hit the actors.They are only doing their job! Do: Remember your are not trapped in the haunted house and go to the exit if the experience is too much for you. Do: Maintain a peace of mind knowing that the haunted attraction has cameras and emergency staff ready to respond in case something seriously goes wrong. The place is being monitored.
Stand at the front to show that you're not the most scared in your group. Taking a position at the front gives the impression that you're not afraid of what's coming up next. The actors at haunted houses know that easily-scared people tend to stay in the middle or back of a group, so they'll often target that area, leaving the people in the front alone. You might even be able to tiptoe past before the actors even notice you.
Choosing the Right Haunted House
Determine your scare and gore levels. Different people react to different kind of fears and scare tactics differently. Some cannot handle a insane asylum or prison themed haunted house but can handle a zombie or monster haunt. Others can handle gore and blood but not watching the process of a human body being destroyed. Some people can watch a creature eat or kill a human but not watch a human on human version of the same thing. If you have a phobia of clowns, spiders, or bats then it's best not to go to ones that have those things in it. If you have a strong religious background or belief don't go into the ones that focus too much on spiritual, chanting or the devil and related subjects. Think about how you react to various movies and video games. Make note of what scenes and themes make you the most nauseous and disturbed. This will let you know your fear and gore levels.
Try to find out the extremity of the haunted house. Look through advertisements on the internet or in seasonal publications like a haunted house directory. The biggest haunted houses are not always the most extreme. Do not judge by name either. Extreme in a haunted house is like the PG ratings in a movie. The more extreme the more farther the actors and props will go to scare visitors using gore and blood and atmosphere. Disney's Haunted Attraction is considered a mild one.
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