Rebecca stared at her lit-up phone screen. Just as she reached for it, a loud crack of thunder made her jerk her hand back.

She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched her thigh hard.

Anxiety made Rebecca's entire body tremble. Her heart raced, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

‘Come on, Rebecca,’ she thought. ‘It's just thunder. What's there to be afraid of? So you've got a little trauma—can't you get over it?’

Rebecca bit her lip and steeled herself to ...