‘I swear I saw faces in the darkness’: can you scare yourself happy?

From a walk in the woods at night to exploring a ghostly derelict building or riding a bloodcurdling rollercoaster, can a dose of fear make you forget your everyday worries?

‘Fifty feet, Danny!” Lucy shrieks as we ascend to the top of the Big One, the UK’s tallest rollercoaster. “One hundred feet … one hundred and fifty feet … two hun …” she continues. “OK, I get it; we’re high,” I reply. “Oh God, oh God, oh God! Aaaaaargh!” We scream as our carriage reaches the track’s apex and plummets back to Earth at 70mph.

I have come to Blackpool Pleasure Beach with a friend to try to scare myself happy. Fear is said to be as good for mental wellbeing as a dose of mindfulness. I am also hoping that exposing myself to acute fear will help me to cope with my terror of public speaking. After we exit the ride, everything appears a little sharper, colours seem brighter and sounds are crystal clear– rollercoaster Zen.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/saqTYKb