Yes actually! Good question. It’s the simplest thing, but—watch a scary movie this weekend. Scary movie directors are outrageously skilled at doing things that make your adrenaline spike— camera angles that scare you with lack of information, dissonant music to increase intensity, you know the type of stuff.

Watch one of them. When the director is doing things to scare you...recognize it! And when that happens, your diaphragm will get tight in your chest or your throat muscles will constrict. Recognize this too, and let go of the muscles intentionally. You’re in charge of them if you decide to be, and they control the tension for your whole body.

When watching a scary movie with others, I often find myself the only one NOT jumping at the scare moments. Not because the movie is any less scary for me, and not because I’m braver than them, but because my muscles weren’t tensed when the scary part happened.

Yes actually! Good question. It’s the simplest thing, but—watch a scary movie this weekend. Scary movie directors are outrageously skilled at doing things that make your adrenaline spike— camera angles that scare you with lack of information, dissonant music to increase intensity, you know the type of stuff.

Watch one of them. When the director is doing things to scare you...recognize it! And when that happens, your diaphragm will get tight in your chest or your throat muscles will constrict. Recognize this too, and let go of the muscles. When watching a scary movie with others, I often find myself the only one NOT jumping at the scare moments. Not because the movie is any less scary for me, and not because I’m braver than them, but because my muscles weren’t tensed when the scary part happened.