When I was younger my favorite holiday was Halloween. All year I would look forward to the one day a year when I could be a princess/genie/fairy/witch/ballerina. I couldn’t imagine anything better than a day where I could be anything I wanted to be. The candy at the end of the night was something I couldn’t complain about, either.
As the years went by I noticed my peers becoming less and less excited when October 31 rolled around. For some reason, the idea of playing pretend was not so appealing once maturity set in. People were sloppier with their costumes, and some didn’t dress up at all. Halloween became more of a childish holiday.
What I began to realize was, the older we get, the more stressful our lives get. The more stressful our lives get, the more essential being silly every once in a while is. As students and adults, our lives are filled with complications. Sometimes everybody needs an escape.
While it might seem silly to dress up like someone we’re not for a night, wearing a costume can be taking a much needed mental health break. Being silly can be liberating. In a way, dressing up for Halloween can be like taking a short trip to the beach to clear your head. Be someone you’re not, pretend to be a character, let loose for a while. You will always have your normal life to return to, so why not take one night a year to make pretend?
If you haven’t gone trick-or-treating, or dressed up like a princess, or gone on a ghost tour, or had a sing-along to Rocky Horror Picture Show yet…do it. What are you waiting for?