Make Fun Yours

As Halloween nears, the world leans into costumes and characters, but you don’t have to perform to participate. Today’s issue is about showing up as yourself, finding joy without comparison, and remembering that authenticity is the boldest costume of all.

Today’s Quick Overview:

🌟Confidence Builders: Reclaim joy through play…
🗣️ The Overthinking Toolkit: When everyone’s Halloween looks better…
📰 Mental Health News: Signs of recovery; Early risk signals
🙏 Daily Practice: Seek joy without waiting for perfection…

Let's find what's at your edge and what's holding your center:

What's stretching your edge as the week winds down: the rush to finish, exhaustion pushing limits, or one more thing you didn't plan for? And what's grounding your center: the weekend on the horizon, your proven ability to handle hard things, or the gentle reminder that almost done is still enough?

Strong boundaries require multiple skills. Which one would make the biggest difference for you?

Your Playfulness as an Adult

What it is: Allowing yourself to be playful, silly, or childlike, whether that's dressing up for Halloween, playing games, making jokes, or engaging in activities "for kids", takes a certain kind of confidence. It's about giving yourself permission to have fun in ways that might feel unsophisticated, without worrying that it undermines your credibility as an adult.

Why it works: Many adults suppress their natural playfulness because they worry it makes them seem less competent. But research shows that adults who maintain playful attitudes report higher life satisfaction, better stress management, and stronger relationships. Play isn't just for children; it's how humans connect, create, and recover from stress at any age.

This week's challenge: Identify one way you've allowed yourself to be playful recently, even if it felt slightly silly. Maybe you’re planning on dressing up for Halloween, playing a board game, singing loudly in the car, or getting excited about something others might consider trivial. Write down how it felt to let yourself enjoy something without self-consciousness.

Reframe this week: Instead of "I'm too old for this," try, "I'm confident enough to enjoy things simply because they're fun."

Try this today: Notice one moment where you could choose playfulness, maybe making a joke or trying something fun, and let yourself do it without immediately explaining or justifying why.

When Everyone's Halloween Looks Better Than Yours

What's happening: You're scrolling through Instagram seeing elaborate matching family costumes, haunted graveyard front yards, and homemade trick-or-treat bags. Meanwhile, you bought a bag of candy, dumped it in a bowl, and called it a day.

Your coworker's hosting a themed party while you're planning to watch a movie in pajamas. You start wondering if you're boring, if you should be doing more, or if you're somehow failing at a holiday that's supposed to be fun.

Why your brain does this: Social media turns every holiday into a performance, where you only see the final, filtered version of everyone's celebrations. You're comparing your real, behind-the-scenes life to everyone else's curated content.

Halloween has also become increasingly elaborate. What used to be simple costumes and candy has turned into an entire season of activities, creating a false standard of what Halloween "should" look like.

Today's Spiral Breaker: The "Celebration Check-In"

When you catch yourself feeling less-than about your Halloween:

Perspective Reset: The best Halloween isn't the most elaborate one, it's the one that actually fits your energy, budget, and preferences. Handing out candy in comfortable clothes is just as valid as a full haunted house setup. You're allowed to celebrate exactly as much or as little as feels right to you.

I can actively choose joy instead of waiting for circumstances to grant it to me. Happiness isn't a feeling that finds me; it's a practice I return to deliberately.

Think of one moment this week when you felt genuinely light or amused. That joy was available because you were present enough to notice it, not because everything was perfect.

It's okay to feel joy even when life isn't sorted out. You don't need permission from your problems to experience moments of delight.

Pause three times today and actively look for something that brings you pleasure: the warmth of sunlight, a good song, the taste of your coffee, a kind exchange. Don't wait for joy to arrive. Go hunting for it.

When Someone Pressures You to Go to a Haunted House/Scary Event

The Scenario: The Halloween season rolls around, and friends or family want you to join them at a haunted house or horror movie. You've already said you're not into scary things, but they keep pushing. They say, "don't be boring," "it's not even that scary," or "you'll have fun once you're there." You're tired of being pressured to participate in something that sounds miserable to you just because it's Halloween.

Try saying this: "I know you love this stuff, and scary things really aren't my idea of fun. I'm not going to change my mind, so let's plan something we'd both enjoy instead."

Why It Works: You're acknowledging they genuinely enjoy these activities, being direct about what doesn't work for you, making it clear this isn't up for debate, and showing you want to spend time together differently.

Pro Tip: If they continue with "you don't know until you try it," you can say: "I know myself well enough to know this isn't for me. I'd rather do something we'll both actually enjoy." Don't let them convince you that your preferences are invalid; you're allowed to know what you don't enjoy without having to be forced to experience it first.

Picture a musician tuning an instrument before a performance. The strings don't automatically produce beautiful sound; they need deliberate adjustment, regular attention, and conscious effort to create harmony. Your capacity for joy works the same way. It requires tuning, practice, and the choice to keep returning to what resonates, even when the world feels discordant.

Spend three minutes writing: What small moments of joy have I been passing by because I'm waiting for something bigger to make me happy, and how could I start noticing them more intentionally?

Close your notebook and ask yourself: When did I feel most alive or delighted today? What negativity have I been rehearsing that crowds out space for joy? What simple pleasure could I prioritize tomorrow?

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." — Henri Nouwen

Joy is a rebellion against circumstances that insist you can't feel good until everything is fixed.

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Coming Friday: Your skin might be sending early warnings about mental health, with skin symptoms during first psychotic episodes predicting dramatically higher suicide risk, and why your skin and brain's shared inflammatory pathways matter.

Researched and edited by Natasha. Designed with love by Kaye.

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*The Daily Wellness shares educational content only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice and diagnosis. Please consult a licensed provider for personalized care.