Celebrating Halloween can come in many forms – enjoying spooky stories, watching scary movies, dressing up in creative costumes, and enjoying sweet treats. Knowing which aspect of Halloween excites you can take the pressure off the emphasis on candy and help guide your celebration of this spooky day.
Halloween allows opportunity for social gatherings and shared experiences — be it shielding your eyes for the entirety of a horror movie, coming to a group consensus on what costume to commit to, traversing neighborhoods with young loved ones holding bags of candy, or just enjoying your roommate’s obsession with pumpkins and ghoul decorations.
Halloween allows opportunity for social gatherings and shared experiences — be it shielding your eyes for the entirety of a horror movie, coming to a group consensus on what costume to commit to, traversing neighborhoods with young loved ones holding bags of candy, or just enjoying your roommate’s obsession with pumpkins and ghoul decorations.
Non-Food Ways to Celebrate Halloween
If you’re in eating disorder treatment, recognizing what aspect of Halloween is most appealing to you could be beneficial.
- Choosing a goofy costume that makes you feel silly instead of self-critical can make this holiday lighthearted.
- Cozying up with your favorite Halloween movie and a bag of popcorn can be nostalgic.
- Going home to help your parents hand out candy to the neighborhood children and teens can be a great reminder of creativity.
- Asking friends what they’re doing could be a motivator to prevent you from self-isolating.
- Picking and carving pumpkins can be a fun date idea.
Think about what will make this holiday the most fun for you. So often, the emphasis is on candy and sweet treats. In reality, this focus and obsession of food can feel stifling. By taking the emphasis off these goodies and focusing on the good feelings that come with having plans with loved ones, having a night to yourself, or having an excuse to drive to a pumpkin patch, we can place the emphasis on connection.
How to Pick a Food-Free Halloween Activity
Here are some questions to consider when deciding what Halloween activity might be best for you.
- Do I like scary movies? If so, is there anyone else I know who likes scary movies and would want to watch with me?
- Does my neighborhood do trick-or-treating? Should I hand out candy this year?
- Do I want to dress up as anything?
- Can I help my roommate decorate the apartment or house?
- Should I see if any friends want help with their kids and trick-or-treating?
Regardless of what you choose to do, let it be authentic to you. Seeking connection during holidays and traditions can be incredibly rewarding and rejuvenating, and might even make Halloween your new favorite holiday. It is absolutely possible to participate in spooky activities and prioritize your recovery. If you need help in making this Halloween both spooky and healing, connect with your treatment team or a trusted friend or family member.
Join BALANCE Registered Dietitian Genevieve Prushinski, MS, RD (she/her) on Friday, October 27th, at 12 PM ET for a FREE Unmasking Fear Foods: A Halloween Recovery Webinar. In this webinar, you will learn to identify your fear foods and food anxieties and understand how they impact your life, practice methods to overcome food-based anxiety, unpack diet culture’s role in amplifying your stress around food, learn when and how to reach out for help with food-based anxiety, and more. Learn more about this webinar and sign up here!
Our admissions team would happily answer any questions about you or a loved one receiving eating disorder treatment. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below, or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Elizabeth Foot (she/her).
Elizabeth is currently pursuing her Master’s of Public Health in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Michigan, on track to become a registered dietician. Prior to returning to school, Elizabeth received her B.A. in Public Policy from Hamilton College in 2020.
Since graduating Hamilton, Elizabeth has worked for an infertility insurance company as a marketing associate, has volunteered with Multi-Service Eating Disorder Association (MEDA), and has advocated on Capitol Hill for expanding insurance coverage to registered dietitians as part of the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC). Elizabeth is also a strong supporter of intuitive eating, HAES, and is excited to become a licensed practitioner working in the ED field. In her free time, Elizabeth can be found creating recipes, practicing yoga, or counting down the days until she can get a dog.
