The great horror of Halloween is that it heralds the cycle of holiday overspending and overeating. This year the National Retail Federation estimates that American consumers will spend $7.4 billion on Halloween. Candy accounts for 2.2 billion and this figure does not include follow-up dental, or doctor bills. Worthy to note: pet owners are expected to collectively spend $370 million on pet costumes this Halloween. Do our pets even like it? In addition because Oct. 31 lands on Friday this year, more people have the opportunity to participate in the festivities which means forecasters believe that they will spend half a billion dollars more than last year. Nipping closely at the heels of Halloween is shopping for the Thanksgiving meal, followed by the Christmas countdown.

3 Scary Issues Concerning Halloween:

1. Is eating the holiday candy that you ostensibly bought for trick-or- treaters worth the start of winter weight gain as well as fuel a sugar addiction which can potentially rewire the brain?
   
2. Did you know that people are hiring costume consultants? Can we create our own costumes instead and save money, or donate to a charity?
   
3. Does wearing an ISIS or Ebola costume reduce collective terror or exacerbate it? Should we even be wearing frighteningly cruel costumes and decorating our homes with fake blood and gore when there is so much cruelty and disease in the world? Why celebrate the dark side of humanity as opposed to its playful, cute and funny side? We could all benefit from a good laugh.

To create a more positive vibe for Halloween takes a simple shift in perspective.

• Celebrate with pumpkin: it is rich in dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. This vegetable is recommended by dieticians for controlling cholesterol in weight reduction programs. Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E. It provides significant amounts of potassium and magnesium. Substitute pumpkin for oil and cream in many baking recipes to raise the health factor and cut calories.
  
• Release your creative side and make your own decorations. Orange is the color of cheerfulness.
  
• Choose a costume which reveals an internal truth about yourself. What would you like to try on for size: Are you looking for sexuality, power, adventure or immortality?
  
• Save your money, donate to UNICEF or a charity of your choice; above all keep it simple when spending. It’s stressful to go into debt.
  
• Instead of doling out junk food to children aim for dried fruits and raisons, juice boxes, little toys and books.

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For more information on managing your stress and reclaiming your life read my book, Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7 Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life. To listen to archived radio shows with guest experts visit Turn On Your Inner Light Radio Show