Trick or treating anxiety. Am I the only one?

[Anonymous]

Don't let the anxiety win OP. It is the worst possible thing to do. You need to use whatever you're learning in therapy to deal with your anxiety to push through it. If you keep letting your anxiety win, you'll never get better

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think you are the only one. I am more worried about my kids getting hit by a car in the dark.

[Anonymous]

Anxiety meds, OP.

[Anonymous]

I also have anxiety and grew up in the 80s in an area where door to door trick or treating was cancelled due to fears of tampering with candy. I have zero concerns about this, provided the package is sealed and it isn’t homemade. We threw away popcorn balls from the convent down the block a few years ago, because while I don’t believe for a second the nuns were trying to poison children, homemade is homemade and its easier to teach the kids a bright line rule.

Have you fancy checked your fears? I thought this was an interesting read https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/10/30/health/halloween-candy-panic-conversation-wellness/index.html.

[Anonymous]

^ Fancy = fact

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope not at all normal and never something i would burden my child with a fear over!

I would never show him! I like to think I hide it very well.

You probably do a very good job hiding the extent of your anxiety. But you’re not actually hiding your anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Listen to the podcast episode of Cautionary Tales about Halloween. The myth of poisoned candy has been thoroughly debunked.

If you want to worry about something on Halloween, worry about kids being hit by a car because they run across the street without looking. Put a bike light or some glow stick bracelets on your kid and keep them close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I think you are the only one. I am more worried about my kids getting hit by a car in the dark.

This!

[Anonymous]

Every year I get sad on Halloween because we have no one to trick or treat with. Our families are far away and while I have friends, they all have families they like better to do Halloween with. My husband isn't interested in being friends with any of the dads. I am already preparing myself and I thought this was what you were going through! NO I am not worried about drugs in the candy.

[Anonymous]

I'm worried about traffick, not trafficking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does your therapist say?

She says I’m nuts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope not at all normal and never something i would burden my child with a fear over!

This type of anxiety will harm your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your therapist say?

She said while it’s not impossible, it’s highly, highly unlikely. She also made a good point— That there are many places where we *could”* be poisoned or have harmful things done to us (restaurants, coffee shops, schools, work, etc.), but that, generally, people don’t want to hurt others and everything is fine.

She thinks I’m paranoid because my own mother was so paranoid about Halloween candy. She would THOROUGHLY check each piece with a flashlight and was clearly anxious watching us kids eat it. I remember so much candy being thrown out because it looked “sketchy” or “tampered with”.

Your therapist is spot on. Your mom passed the anxiety onto you. Let this be a lesson about how your behavior can affect your kids for life, and try to break the cycle because I’m sure you don’t want this for your kids.

[Anonymous]

You have to change your mindset Op.

There is an overall communal trust in society.

Do you never eat out b/c you fear the restaurant cook may serve you tainted food? Do you not even drive b/c of bad drivers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Listen to the podcast episode of Cautionary Tales about Halloween. The myth of poisoned candy has been thoroughly debunked.

If you want to worry about something on Halloween, worry about kids being hit by a car because they run across the street without looking. Put a bike light or some glow stick bracelets on your kid and keep them close.

+1
There's a professor who did a huge amount of research. There are literally no instances of poisoned candy. People don't hand out free drugs to little kids on Halloween. This is not a real thing. By all means, check the candy when they get home, but the anxiety is not based on reality.