# Rethinking Your Relationship With Fear During Halloween Use seasonal frights to practice emotional regulation and build long-term psychological resilience. - **Source:** [TIME](https://time.com/) - **Published:** 2026-10-29 - **Topic:** [Career Growth](https://brifing.si/c/growth) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/39dcd7b7-b634-4070-9fef-b31ae5c5e339 ## Biological Roots of Fear Fear is a core biological emotion designed to ensure survival by triggering immediate physical reactions like dilated pupils and a racing heart. While these responses are involuntary, Halloween provides a controlled environment to experiment with these sensations. Recognizing that the threat is artificial allows individuals to safely observe their internal alarm systems. ## Dangers of Emotional Suppression Suppressing fear or avoiding uncomfortable emotions often leads to long-term mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. Many people attempt to numb these feelings through unhealthy behaviors rather than processing them. Psychotherapists emphasize that acknowledging and naming core emotions is essential for maintaining psychological health and preventing the buildup of internal distress. ## Somatic Awareness Over Logic Society often promotes a mind-over-matter approach, but trying to think your way out of fear is frequently ineffective. Instead, tuning into physical sensations like trembling hands or coldness provides vital data about your emotional state. Identifying these bodily cues helps regulate distress, as naming the emotion often diminishes its overall intensity. ## Observing Transient Emotional States Painful emotions can feel permanent, yet observing them with curiosity reveals their temporary nature. By watching fear build, peak, and eventually subside during a spooky scene, you train your brain to recognize that these experiences are fleeting. This curious mindset cultivates positive emotions and effectively reduces the tendency to worry about future stressors. ## Calming the Nervous System When fright takes hold, breathing techniques like 4-7-8 or box breathing can soothe the nervous system by increasing oxygen flow. Practitioners also utilize dual attention, keeping eyes on a frightening stimulus while maintaining focus on bodily sensations. This practice increases parasympathetic regulation of the heart, helping the body settle into a calmer state. ## Understanding Adaptive Action Impulses Fear generates physical impulses, such as the urge to flee, freeze, or reach for someone’s hand. In AEDP, these are termed adaptive actions. When individuals block these impulses due to shame, it creates a pressure-cooker effect. Noticing these urges expands emotional awareness and allows for a more authentic response to perceived danger. ## The Power of Connection Sharing a scary experience with a trusted person significantly alters the emotional response. Presence calms the amygdala, the brain's emotional center, providing reassurance that solitary exposure cannot offer. Testing this by watching horror movies both alone and with a partner highlights how social connection facilitates healing and makes challenging emotions easier to tolerate. ## Building Long-Term Emotional Resilience Learning to stay with fear teaches the brain that challenging emotions are manageable rather than something to avoid. This emotional education fosters authenticity, flexibility, and courage in daily life. By reframing how we interact with fear during the Halloween season, we become better equipped to handle the complex challenges of our professional and personal lives. ## Sources covering this story - https://time.com/article/2026/10/29/halloween-is-a-chance-to-rethink-your-relationship-with-fear/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._