The Courage Behind the Costume: Turning Fear Into Fuel

Halloween gives us permission — and even an excuse — to dress up, get creative, and be bold. We put together costumes, wear masks, and for one night, step into someone else’s story — whether that’s a superhero, a favorite movie character, or maybe even a version of ourselves we wish we could be.

Nevertheless, here’s the truth: real courage is not something you put on — it’s something that already lives inside you.

On Halloween, we wear masks for fun. In life, we sometimes wear them to fit in — hiding parts of ourselves that feel too “different,” “awkward,” or “not enough.” However, being resilient means being brave enough to take off that mask and show up as your authentic self — the one who makes mistakes, gets nervous, feels fear, and keeps going anyway.

Researchers define resilience as the ability to adapt and respond effectively to challenges and stress (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012; Connor & Davidson, 2003). More recently, it has been viewed not as a fixed trait, but as a dynamic process — one that develops and strengthens each time we navigate something challenging (Luthar et al., 2007).

Every athlete — no matter how confident they appear — faces moments of fear and uncertainty. The fear of failure, of not belonging, of letting people down, or of not performing at their best. Those feelings do not make you weak; they make you human.

A 2025 study by Stewart and colleagues explored the link between resilience and mental health in female athletes. They found that the two are deeply connected: athletes with stronger mental well-being demonstrated higher levels of resilience, while those experiencing lower mental health reported more difficulty bouncing back. In other words, resilience and mental health fuel each other — when you care for your mind, your ability to handle challenges grows stronger, too.

And that is what matters most — what you do next.

Think about Halloween again — the haunted house moment. You are standing at the doorway, heart pounding, not sure what’s waiting inside. You could walk away. Alternatively, you could take a deep breath, step forward, and remind yourself that you’re brave enough to handle whatever comes your way.

That is what resilience looks like in sports and in life — not avoiding fear, but facing it.

So when you feel nervous before a game, anxious about trying something new, or discouraged after a setback, pause and tell yourself:

“This is my haunted hallway moment — and I am walking through it anyway.”

That is how fear becomes fuel. Every time you do something that scares you, you grow. You build confidence not by avoiding challenges, but by stepping into them — one brave choice at a time.

This Halloween, as you dress up in something intense or spooky, remember that your greatest superpower isn’t your costume — it’s your courage.

Take off the mask. Face the fear.
That is how you find your authentic, unstoppable self. 

XX,

Lilly 

References

Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. T. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.10113

Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2012). A grounded theory of psychological resilience in Olympic champions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 13(5), 669–678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2012.04.007

Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71(3), 543–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00164

Stewart, T. M., Wesley, N. Y., Hazzard, V. M., Varzeas, K. A., Rowan, M., & Becker, C. B. (2025). Resilience and mental health in female athletes: Identification of associations needed for future longitudinal research. Exercise, Sport, and Movement, 3(2), e00042. https://doi.org/10.1249/ESM.0000000000000042