How To Manage Body Image Struggles During Halloween Season
Halloween is a time experienced by many with immense joy. People are encouraged to be creative and playful, engage in spooky season activities, and eat lots of yummy treats. While all of this may sound like a great time, for others it may bring up challenges - particularly for those who struggle with body image concerns, body dysmorphia, eating disorder(s), and gender dysphoria (or other concerns around gender identity).
For example, there is a lot of pressure to wear clothing that may be more form-fitting or that reveals more skin than a typical every-day outfit. While this can be really fun for some, for others it may lead to negative thoughts of self and rumination. There also may be pressure to join a group costume that contradicts your gender expression. Additionally, there may be more candies and baked goods around whether you’re in school, at work, or attending social events - which again, is delicious! - but for some, the pressure to eat more sugar or move away from their routines around eating and exercising may bring up a lot of distress and anxiety. If any of this is resonating with you, it could be helpful to create a plan for yourself in order to cope with the challenging emotions that come up. Read on for some strategies or tips for that plan!
Your Costume: Strive For Comfort
When thinking about your costume, prioritize comfort above all else. That may mean wearing looser fitting clothes, or dressing in a way that makes you feel more confident in yourself, your body, and/or your identity. Though dressing as someone you’re not may be a part of Halloween, don’t put pressure on yourself to wear a costume that contradicts your preferred presentation of gender - no costume is worth triggering a dysphoric episode or any other negative experience. Choose friends to plan with whom you feel comfortable with and will support your needs, and try to steer clear of folks who may apply pressure to conform to their expectations around costumes. As long as you’re comfortable and feel safe, your costume will rock!
2. Choose A Crew Your Feel Safe With
Comfort is really the name of the game for this holiday, so I’ll say it again: choose people to celebrate with who make you feel safe and will support you. Ask yourself some questions: if I was feeling bad or on the verge of a panic attack, would this friend support me in deciding to go home early? If I wanted to refrain from certain activities or plans because it makes me too anxious, would this friend put pressure on me or would they accept and support me in making those choices? Your safety is super important, especially on holiday where a lot of people are out and about - so make sure you’re with people who have your back both physically and emotionally.
3. Keep One Part Of Your Routine The Same
Any holiday has the potential to throw your routine completely off track - and Halloween is no exception. There may be parties at school or work, more “fear foods” around at events and social interactions, and shifts in physical activity or sleep depending on your plans. This rupture in routine could lead to a rise in anxiety - which makes total sense, since routine is a big part of what grounds us as humans. The key here is to identify ways to cope with some of this anxiety while not depriving yourself of the experiences you hope to have and be able to look back on with fond memories one day. Assess your Halloween plans and identify where your routine will be disrupted. Then, identify one or two parts of your routine that you want to keep the same that day or weekend/week. For example, there may be a Halloween party at your office on a Thursday, which you’re not used to and may throw off your lunch routine and you may need more time to find something to wear. You could identify your morning run and your short walk at lunch to keep the same, even if the rest of your day looks different. You can utilize this same-ness to cope with the new-ness of the holiday.
4. Plan Halloween Festivities With Loved Ones
As we’ve noted, a holiday like Halloween comes with detours from our regular routines, as well as unpredictability - both of which can put us on edge and evoke anxiety. Instead of ruminating on the uncertainty, plan as much as you can so you know somewhat what you’re walking into, and so you can prepare some coping skills for the harder moments. The goal here isn’t to avoid all discomfort (experiencing discomfort is super important in our personal growth, resiliency-building, and mental health recovery if relevant), but to give yourself the tools you need to manage the discomfort and engage in the joyful activities and social connections that we choose to partake in. Ask a loved one, or a mental health professional, to sit down with you and talk through your plans for the holiday. Talk through the following:
Where will you have to diverge from your routine? What strategies will you use to cope with that?
What parts of your routine will you try to keep constant/regular? What will that look like in the context of the Holiday? (i.e. if you like to go for a run, will you have to avoid any Halloween parades? If you want to take a back, will you have to take it at another time so that you or those you live with need to get ready and dressed?)
What activities are you comfortable with engaging with? What exactly will that plan look like (i.e. what time you’ll go, how to get there, etc.), and who will you go with?
What’s your safety plan? In other words, if you start to really struggle and are on the verge of crisis, what is the plan for you and your crew to deal with it and perhaps get home?
Even if your holiday doesn’t go exactly to this plan, it may help to alleviate your anticipatory anxiety and provide a sense of control leading up to the festivities. Knowing what’s to come and feeling confident in yourself to get out of an unsafe situation (physically or psychologically) may help you stay in the moment and enjoy it all the more.
5. Engage In A Self-Compassion Practice
Ramp up your self-compassion practice - or start one! Acknowledge that some more negative thoughts of self may come up during this week or so of October, and plan for it by engaging in some anticipatory self-care and self-compassion practice. And/or: make sure you have some exercises or rituals on deck for when these thoughts come up. Make sure to do some research on what self-compassion is and how to do it so you’re prepared!