Do you smell that? The slight scent of cinnamon in the air—which, by the way, is feeling much crisper? Fall is officially here, and for many people, that means things like pumpkin flavored coffee and wearing throw blankets as scarves. But for the girlies who colored their nails with black Sharpie in middle school and called themselves goth and haven’t updated their personality since, it’s the beginning of spooky season! There are plenty of ~terrifying~ activities to indulge in, like haunted houses and the like. But that’s all just so overdone. Prove you’re really about that life by tackling one of these truly harrowing tasks.
An Escape Room With Your Parents
Just picture it: You’re locked in some themed room, with a bunch of vague puzzles to solve and a time limit. If the ticking clock wasn’t stressful enough, you’ll also have to answer questions from the people who gave you life about if this activity fits in your (non-existent) budget and why you’re not dating anyone, all while your parents bicker because your dad thinks he knows best and your mom feels he never listens to her. Meanwhile, you know how to actually get you all out of the room, if only your parents would shut up and let you speak for two minutes. If your parents are natural puzzle-solvers, or simply well-adjusted people, then you can borrow mine for this exercise.
Sit Alone In A Dark Room
It’s like the original escape room, but the puzzles are just the intrusive thoughts you’re constantly trying to keep at bay. If you can handle sitting alone in a dark room with nothing else to keep you occupied, there’s probably nothing that scares you. In fact, I’m kind of scared of you.
Go On A Road Trip Without GPS
Sure, you could get lost in a corn maze, but that’s just so passé. Turn that lost-in-a-corn-maze feeling into an immersive experience, complete with real danger, by setting a destination and trying to get there without a GPS. That includes your phone, obviously. I think you can use this old document called a map to get around? Nothing spookier than trying to use outdated tech!
Make A Doctor’s Appointment
By yourself. Without your mom’s help or encouragement. Even scarier? You can’t rehearse what you’re going to say beforehand, either out loud or in your head. Good luck!
Try To Spell ‘Definitely’ Without Looking It Up
Since I gave you that one as a freebie, now try the place you go to to eat dinner cooked by a chef and brought to you by a server. You can’t do it, can you?
Express A Genuine Emotion
Laughter is not an emotion. Covering it up with self-deprecation doesn’t count! Nervously chuckling at the end of a vulnerable emotion doesn’t count, either. And I know what you’re thinking, and no, you can’t blame mercury retrograde. Or your recent alcohol consumption, sleep-deprivation, or menstrual cycle. You have to let people see the real, uninhibited, excuse-free you. I would honestly rather pay to go to one of those haunted houses where I have to sign a waiver that it’s legally fine if they kill me.
Images: Russell Ferrer / Unsplash
