+the scene

How NOT to Get Scared This Halloween!

10-17-2016

BOO!!!

Did I get ya??

The haunting season is upon us and all the ghosts and ghouls are coming out to play! Even the clowns are appearing in the oddest places!

'Tis the season to fright and scare, and if you’re anything like me, we need to start mentally preparing ourselves. I’ve already been invited to go to a Haunted Hayride and watch scary movies. Don’t get me wrong, your girl is down, but your girl is also a huge scaredy cat. Worst of it all is that I want to go and get scared and then immediately regret my decision once I'm in the situation.

So, for everyone like me who gets scared easily but doesn’t want to get a case of FOMO this Halloween, here are some of my tips and tricks to diffusing my terror in the various horror night amusement parks my friends and family drag me to or just watching scary movies… at night… with the lights off... [*thunder*] [*chains rattling*] [*chainsaw revving*]

AMUSEMENT PARKS

Safety in numbers

Go with as many people as you can. The more of you there are, the smaller a target you become, and if there are zombies (which there will be), you can always throw your friends at them while you run away.

Look disinterested

Don’t give off any signs or body language that you are scared or look funny to scare. Try to walk with confidence, boredom, or just hang out with one of your friends who gets scared more easily than you.

Pay attention to your surroundings

These amusement parks thrive on the element of surprise, so keep your eyes open looking for places for scary monsters to jump out from. Plan your route and those jump scares won’t get you!

SCARY MOVIES

Hands at the ready… to cover your eyes

Don’t judge, this works! Covering your ears and closing your eyes will keep me safe from any movie monster and I don’t care what anyone says! Call me a baby, but when you’re having nightmares while I’m sleeping soundly, guess who has the last laugh.

Remember they’re just actors

All these scary monsters and axe-weilding murderers are just actors and they’re NOT real… I hope. No, they’re not. So just remember, it's just a movie and they can’t actually get you.

Cuddle with a person or a pillow

Scary movies with someone like your significant other or a friend can help you feel safer and secure #SafetyInNumbers AM I RIGHT?! If you don’t have someone to cuddle with, a pillow will also do the trick! I also like to surround myself with my stuffed animals and hug my Build-a-Bear so I don’t feel alone... Unless you’re watching Child's Play or something, then stuffed animals might not be the best option.

But the best advice I can give you for any scary situation is to distract yourself and think happy thoughts. Whatever makes you happy -- puppies, rainbows, kittens, caramel apples -- they will help you get through the fear.

You can try it out with Shane Dawson in his "Try Not To Get Scared" video!

Ready for one by yourself?

If you’re not, don’t worry -- if you want to pause and exit out, that’s fine because that may or may not be what I did...

Happy Halloween, everybody!

(Image via TNYF/WENN)

- Amanda Baltazar, YH Contributing Writer