Help overcoming a fear

[big_white_dog84]

I carry out out-of-hours standby duties at my work, and these often take me into remote company buildings in the middle of the night.

I don't have a fear of the dark, but I do have an intense fear of being in these remote areas on my own at night - the feeling of opening up the buildings, hearing the doors creak closed behind me, walking along dark corridors etc makes me tense up with the thought of what might be hiding there. I know this is irrational, because in the 80 years my company has existed not one person has ever had anything happen to them while out alone at night. I really need to get over it because it is starting to affect my ability to focus on the task I have been called out for, and is therefore having an affect on my career in general.

Can anyone offer any advice on how to overcome this fear? Anything I find on google refers to people who can't put the light out when they go to sleep - which is no help to me at all!

 

[big_white_dog84]

Btw Op, what does your work involve?

Are you usually alone?

I work for the electricity board - so everywhere I go is in darkness (that's why I'm there!). The vast majority of the time I'm alone - and only in occasional telephone contact with my control room ~50 miles away.

I started off going out accompanied for ~2 years, but I've been doing it solo for around a year. It's becoming more of an issue now the dark nights are coming in - during the summer there is really only 4 hours of darkness here so I haven't been out in it much recently but from October it'll be much more likely.

I think one of my big fears is that if something did happen then nobody would know until someone in the control room realised I hadn't phoned for a while - but this could easily take a couple of hours depending on the task I am doing.

 

[big_white_dog84]

I like the suggestions about getting fitter and stronger, so that I will feel able to run / fight anything I need to. I think that's what I'm going to do.