Scared of the Weather.... HELP!!?

Question

When I was younger I had this HUGE fear of the weather, after a tornado came to my town when I was 3 (we never get tornadoes). I even went to a therapist! I eventually grew out of that fear but would still get a little nervous when bad weather came. I live in Louisiana, so it like rains practically everyday in the summer here. We get some pretty nast storms too. Well, I've been noticing my fear coming back. I get all nervous and thoughts like "Is a tree gonna fall on the house?" and "Will it be severe?" and "Will there be bad lightning and thunder?" and "How strong will the wind blow?" and stuff like that. I really want to get over my fear!!!! I thought I conquered it but it's coming back! Any ideas?

Answer 1

Fear is a weakness

Answer 2

i sugest going back to the therapist, if it worked once it can work again if only for a little while.  if not try to remember that it is only weather and it is silly worrying about it because there is nothing you can do. go down into your basement or some quiet place and put in a movie until the weather is over.

Answer 3

I am absolutely terrified of thunderstorms and tornadoes. I'm afraid of them because I was home alone when a tornado begin to form very close to my house, which has no basement. I was younger and couldn't drive at the time, so it was very scary for me to realize this huge, dangerous, uncontrollable thing was happening and I had nowhere to go. A similar thing happened when I was about 5, and it scared me badly then, too.

I have found that the best way to deal with the fear is to educate myself on what I'm so afraid of. I did a lot of reading on what composes a thunderstorm, how they form, when and where they're likely to form, how they move, and what to watch for. Same goes for tornadoes. I check the weather forecasts every week so I will know far ahead of time if thunderstorms are likely. This way, I'm not caught off guard, and I can try to make sure I will be in a place where I feel safe, and not in a car or something when they happen. Knowing ahead of time really helps me to not be as scared when they come. I've had time to prepare mentally. During the thunderstorm, I try to make sure I'm around people, in a safe place, and check in with the weather to ease my fears.

Honestly, I don't know that there is a way to get over your fear. But trust me, once you know all there is to know about thunderstorms and tornadoes, it makes it a lot easier to calm down about. With me, if there are thunderstorms happening at night, I find it hard to settle down and be able to sleep. To remedy this, I check the weather to see how long the thunderstorm is to be in effect and make sure that there aren't tornado watches or warnings. Because I know how thunderstorms work, I am able to tell myself that it's going to pass around a certain time, and nothing bad is going to happen, so there is really nothing to be afraid of. If I'm still jumpy, I've found that cleaning, watching a movie, or talking to a friend or something usually helps.

I gave this answer to another person with a similar question. I'm in your boat and I realize how terrifying thunderstorms are. For me, and for you I'm sure, they induce instant dread and fear. But like I said, the more you know about them, the more you can relax. I found that it also helps to look at videos of tornadoes on youtube or something- that way, you can see what they can look like, what the clouds will look like if one will form, how they move, etc. For me, that helps me to feel more prepared.

Hope this helps, and good luck!