My dreams have been taking a turn for the worst?

Hey everyone, I'm brand new to this website, and slightly new to lucid dreaming (I have very little experience in it).
My whole life, I almost never had nightmares, and when I did they were so silly I would wake up and realize how impractical they were. But lately, I've been getting them very frequently. Its getting to the point where a majority of my dreams end in either myself dying, or finding someone else dead. Its becoming harder and harder to lucid dream because I'm constantly in fear while dreaming. Is there a way to avoid this? The one I had the other night is stuck in my head, and now I'm almost afraid to go back to sleep. How can I make the nightmares stop and get back on track?

Nightmares, especially recurring ones, are amazing for inducing DILDs. Some people even have their first lucid dream because of this, despite no prior knowledge of the experience. When you become lucid, the thing to remember is that you are in control now. And the only thing you need to exercise this control is confidence. Naturally, this control will allow you to rather literally face your fears. If possible, try and use nightmares as a dream sign. Another method would be to use WILD, which gives you full control of your dream right from its inception (that was terrible). If neither of these work, then perhaps there's some problem in waking life that your nightmares are representing, so you try solving that if applicable.

Generally speaking, be confidant and try not to worry. It worked for me, so maybe it'll work for you. Good luck.

Make it your goal in life to always do an rc when you are scared, startled, or otherwise afraid. Just push your finger into your hand, or plug your nose and try to breath through it. Hopefully through this you can become lucid during your nightmares, and then do whatever you want.