Happy Halloween everyone,

Today is a fun holiday where children can dress up, walk around in the evening to ask for candy, and show off their costumes. Families can also dress up to enjoy the festivities with their children. When I was younger, I looked forward to trick-or-treating, but as I got older and responsibilities got in the way, I traded in trick-or-treating for staying in, watching the children. I realized that trick-or-treating could be more stress-free, and people of all ages could still enjoy this holiday like the young children and celebrate the occasion.

Making it Stress-free
Recalling the standard five dimensions mentioned in the previous post:

Halloween is an evening where we could still use a break to dedicate to these dimensions and join in on the fun. Here are some ways:

• A person can walk around with friends or family, dressed up or not- taking care of the social dimension by gathering with friends, the physical dimension by walking, the mental dimension by going out outside for air, the emotions by having fun with friends, and the spiritual dimension by being a person to be there for your younger sibling to take trick-or-treating or friends to hang with.
• Handing out candies and treats at the door is also a fun and interactive way to take care of some dimensions of wellness, such as taking care of the social dimension by socializing and the mental and emotional dimensions by giving yourself a break
• Arrange a self-care night to stay in, order pizza, cook/bake food, and with friends, take care of the social, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions by being surrounded by loved ones, taking a break, and lifting one’s spirits.

I recently started participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project, a movement offering alternative options (stickers, pencils, toys) for children with food allergies when trick-or-treating started by the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE); the movement also works for children with diabetes, Celiac disease, or other restrictions.

It promotes inclusion and is a stress reliever for parents and children. Parents get stressed out taking their children trick-or-treating because they need to inspect what the child is grabbing, children trick-or-treating in groups do not want to be or feel excluded from going up to houses with friends, feel peer pressure despite knowing they can not take the candy or have to step away from do this fun activity with their friends. Participation in the Teal Pumpkin Project would

• Help take care of the emotional and spiritual dimension of wellness because it relieves stress, finding meaning and purpose in knowing you are doing something to help the children not feel left out.
• Reduce the stress of parents, including student parents at USG; the stress of sending children off to grab only candy is lifted, and you would help out the community

We can all enjoy the holiday and make it a stress-free Halloween. Happy Halloween everyone!