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Facing Fears - A Halloween Perspective

Isabella Dimeo
15 Oct
15Oct

I. Introduction

Hello to anyone reading, this is Isabella Dimeo, the founder of Minds Matter! I had a goal of starting a website designed to help teens with issues related to mental health, which is why I decided to start Minds Matter over the summer. I’m going to try and publish articles every week, if college will permit me to do so. 

As someone who just got out of high school, I now more than ever realize the importance of mental health. High school was a turbulent time for myself, as I’m sure it is for everyone. Teens have high rates of poor mental health, anxiety, depression, and low self esteem. This makes it all the more important for teens to be educated on different aspects of mental health. 

As mentioned previously, teens are known for having high levels of anxiety. Teens have many fears regarding academics, friends, relationships, and family lives, and it’s understandable why. Teens have a lot going on, and mix that with hormone changes, it can be very hectic. That’s why for the month of October (more specifically, Halloween) I wanted to focus on fear and how to overcome it!

II. The Psychology of Fear

Fear is one of the primary emotions a human being has, and it helps us to recognize potentially dangerous situations. It keeps us safe and has kept our species alive. Fear can manifest in many different ways, and it doesn’t have to involve life threatening scenarios.

While real fears are based on threats, imaginary fears are based on fictional scenarios. Real fears more commonly involve phobias such as arachnophobia, and claustrophobia. It focuses more on the present moment/danger, rather than the past or future. Imaginary fears, on the other hand, focus on fictional and often future scenarios. Fears like running out of money or failing a test would classify as imaginary fears. Common fears among teens include both imaginary and real fears. These include social anxiety, academic fears, and fears of the future. 

When entering a situation that makes them exhibit fear, they enter something commonly referred to as fight or flight. When the body perceives a threat, it will often pump itself full of adrenaline and decide to either confront it (fight), or avoid it (flight). The sympathetic nervous system causes this response and will cause pupils to dilate, the heart to pump quicker, heavier breathing, and higher alertness. While this is good for life threatening situations and has helped keep us alive, it can also have negative effects on the body if used too frequently. 

III. Halloween as a Cultural Exploration of Fear

Halloween has origins in many different ancient festivals, most notably, Samhain, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and All Hallows Eve. It was mostly a celebration to ward off evil spirits, usually by wearing costumes to scare them away. This eventually morphed into what we’d today call Halloween. Halloween is associated with fear through scaring others, as well as confronting fear. 

Another way Halloween explores fear is through the media. More specifically, spooky stories and horror films. This can sometimes help to create new fears through classical conditioning, become desensitized to frightening imagery, and also help us to learn about fear and how it appears in the real world. 

Because Halloween is so rooted in fear, it can also help us to confront fears in controlled environments. For example, haunted houses are meant to elicit fear, but won’t actually cause any harm. People with anxiety also tend to love Halloween, because the constant cycle of fear elicited can help them learn to manage their anxiety. Halloween in this context acts as a training tool to prepare people for threatening situations. 

IV. Facing Fears: Psychological Benefits

Due to Halloween being a controlled environment, it can help people to desensitize themselves to fear. This is because they allow themselves to be put in “scary” situations that have no threat to their safety. This helps them to build a defense against anxiety. 

It can also help people to build/practice healthy coping mechanisms against anxiety/fear. One helpful coping mechanism is deep breathing, which helps to reduce stress and improve concentration. Another helpful coping mechanism is visualization, which entails the person imagining a peaceful environment (For me, I think of an image where lofi music should be playing in the background!). This helps to not focus on the stressor, and allow oneself to calm down.

Practicing confronting fears can help one feel empowered and build resilience. This can further help to loosen anxieties grip on people. This can also help people to develop a growth mindset, allowing them to further meet stress as a challenge that can be overcomed. 

V. Activities for Teens

There are many opportunities for teens to confront their fears during Halloween. Different Halloween activities such as visiting haunted houses, horror movie nights, and ghost stories are fun ways for teens to explore fear in a healthy way. If I were to recommend a movie, I would say Hitchcock’s Psycho. There may be a future article about it!


Teens can also use the spooky season to express their own fears. They can do this through writing, art, or drama. This can help decrease anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Doing articles for Minds Matter has helped me to better release my stress into something healthy. 

VI. Tips for Parents and Guardians

Parents can support their teens by giving them a sense of control. Ask them what they want to do and make a compromise based on your boundaries. This can help teens to feel more empowered in their decision, and reduce both their anxiety and their parent’s.

In order to create a safe space for kids to express fears, parents need to have open communication and a safe and supportive environment. Teens should feel comfortable expressing their fears in an environment where they know they won’t be judged. Having regular check-ins, practicing active listening, and validating emotions are good starting places for this. 

VII. Conclusion

In conclusion, facing fears is important for many different reasons. While fear is meant to keep us alive, it can also harm us by separating us from the outside world. Halloween also exploits fear through intentionally trying to scare people. However, this is also a great opportunity to face fears in a safe environment. Teens can do this through scary movies, haunted houses, or scary stories. Parents can also support teens by creating a safe space for teens to express fears. 

Having a good relationship with fear and not letting it rule over you is key. One of the ways to do this is to break the stigma around mental health and create a community of acceptance. Learn about mental health, start conversations about it, share your story if comfortable, be an active listener, and challenge stigma. 

VIII. Resources

Books:

  • Shannon, Jennifer. The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens: CBT Skills to Overcome Fear, Worry, and Panic. Instant Help, 2015.

  • Turrell, Sheri L., and Christopher McCurry. The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Teen Anxiety. Instant Help, 2018.
  • Schab, Lisa M. The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Build Confidence and Achieve Your Goals. Instant Help, 2016.
  • Duckworth, Ken. You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health. Zando, 2022.
  • Hutchinson, Shaun David. Brave Face: A Memoir. Simon Pulse, 2019.

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