I am really freaked out right now, please help?

Question

I realize that I am clearly too old to be worrying about this, being 17 and all but my parents are in a different continent for the next 1-2 weeks. I have no problems with this other than the fact that I am a bit paranoid. I live in a house at the very end of my town, I can just see large fields of grass right behind the houses behind mine. It's very isolated and pitch dark outside. I hear a lot of creaking noises and electronics turn on at night for no reason. I also sometimes hear things right before I sleep (not Schizophrenia but sleep related problems) and there are gigantic windows everywhere. My internet also shuts off randomly.

Just now, I was on MSN. I was talking to some people when all of a sudden I got an error message:

"Windows has detected an IP address conflict
Another computer on this network has the same IP address as this computer. Contact your network administrator for help resolving this issue. More details are available in the Windows System event log."

I'm really freaked out right now. I can't leave my room because the blinds on some of the windows are almost transparent. It's windy and foggy and snowing outside. I'm extremely scared, does anyone know what this means? Please console me, I am way too old to be afraid of these sorts of things.

Answer 1

Sounds like the perfect time to rent some spooky movies and light some candles!



the "same ip address" error isn't anything to worry about; it merely means that another computer somewhere is trying to use the same ip as yours; this is pretty common and can result from not setting up a home network correctly, to just a random error where your internet carrier (mediacom, sprint, whoever) thought the ip address was free and assigned it to someone else, or even if someone else sets up their network wrong and tries to use an ip address to access the internet which is already in use (by you).

Answer 2

Hi Deandra :)



Well electronics don't have a mind of their own, so they must be programmed to start up at a certain time during the day or night. Or you may be having power failure with all the bad weather out there. When the power goes out in my area and everything turns on, the microwave beeps, the fridge kicks in and sounds a little louder than usual, and so on. I don't own a TV but my little cousin's turns on "by itself" in the morning. The timer is set to turn on automatically at 5:30am to wake her up for school (I can't even describe how terrified I was when this happened to me when I visited in May and no one else was in the house!) There's almost always a simple explanation for things that we so easily relinquish to fear.



We all have fears that are of the same caliber of silliness. Some people are unreasonably scared of clowns, mannequins, bees, or heights – and I was afraid of the dark until I was... well, too old to be afraid! Being all alone in a quiet house has considerable advantages to frighten anyone who's not used to being alone, especially if you let your mind wander. Paranoia can make things seem real and "fear" usually means you're already expecting – and awaiting – the worse to happen. It sounds like you've got a lot of anxiety building up over this and it's not healthy for you to worry so much. There is absolutely no reason you shouldn't feel safe in YOUR home!



Ask yourself what you're really afraid of and take preventative measures to ensure your safety. Make sure all the doors and windows are locked, leave a different light (or lights) on every night to make it known that there is someone home (to deter a break-in; burglars are looking for an easy mark without confrontation - this is why elderly people's homes are usually targeted), and keep a phone close by of course. If it's something supernatural you're afraid of, keep in mind that ghosts and the like have never been proven real. In fact there's more evidence that's it's all fabricated fantasy than real :) I've lived alone for 8 years now and I've never had a break-in or experienced anything supernatural. In my entire life I've never experienced either one actually!



And lastly try to keep yourself relaxed. Make yourself something warm to drink like cocoa or tea and watch a cute or funny movie to keep your mind occupied and happy. This really is a mind over matter situation. You'll be fine :) Everything will be ok.



BTW, if you're not convinced that it's OK and normal to be scared of being home alone, maybe looking at these other fears will help: http://www.phobialist.com/ – for some people, beards are the scariest thing in the world. For others, the color purple strikes fear in them. Everyone is a afraid of something. But some people let it rule their lives.

Answer 3

First, for the internet shutting off randomly, update your wireless drivers and powercycle your router and modem.



As for the IP conflict, I'm not entirely sure. Check the system event log, like it said, and that might tell you more.



You could try opening a command prompt and typing:

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

Answer 4

Easy on the drugs.