Garie Beach

Why would someone be deathly afraid of the sky?

I am an adult female and I have been afraid of the sky all my life. I am afraid of it in the daytime, but will take out RUNNING to avoid it at night. Especially a cloudy one. It's not like I don't go outside, though, I do all the time. Usually I just deal with this by NEVER looking up at it. I live in a big city now, so its kinda easy to avoid having much of it in my line of vision anyway. But on those rare occasions when I do look up at it by accident - it scares the crap out of me. I went to the beach at night with a date once, and it's odd how I find the sight of Lake Michigan at night beautiful, it's just as dark and endless as the sky (or maybe not) but I find it great. So we laid back, and I took in a full gander of that sky-thingy, and I freaked out hardcore. I was ready to go home. >:( I cannot find any information online of this particular fear, or understand why I have it. Any insight?

Public Comments

1. enormity, your afriaid of how big and endless it is, or maybe your afraid of whats out there, dont know exactly see a shrink maybe
2. I was going to say it sounds like a fear of oblivion, or even the reality of how we are hurdling through space and walking on the side of this earth. Where the sky is a window into the truth that we are small in a massive universe. But you mention the clouds, which says to me that you are focused on the traditional idea of the sky, a blue sheet that hangs above us, and sometimes turns grey and heavy. Does the phrase 'The sky is falling' have any impact on you? Perhaps get to know the sky in it's reality. Study up on it. 'Why is the sky blue?' How much does it weigh? (it can't fall because it's already on the ground) 'How far away is it?' 'Is it far away?' Let yourself freak out. Try looking at it from different places, knowing that it's okay to be scared and go someplace that feels safe to regroup. I used to be terrified of thunderstorms. I could never 'deal' with them, I'd hide and look for a guardian, but one day my parents weren't home and the approaching thunder was causing me to run around the house frantically searching for a safe place. I found the front porch, outside. Suddenly, staring at it, the deep heavy blue clouds and the enveloping rain, it was beautiful. A flash of lighting raced across the horizon and warned me of the thunder. When it cracked, I was ready for it. After that, whenever I felt a bit worried about thunder, I'd just go outside. Now I love it and it can lull me to sleep better than most things. My safe place was the porch. It changed the experience. There are many places where you can try to meet the sky. Maybe it's better in a moving car or train. Have you ever flown (probably not a first step)? Under a park bench? Through binoculars? The reality is that thunder is not a monster, and by getting close to it, I could feel that reality. The sky is arguably the most peaceful entity on the planet. If you could find a way to get close to it, and let yourself feel the real sky and not your imagination, maybe the fear would fade.