Final Girls Guide to Surviving Horror Movies

Chapter 9: Mental Health

(Disclaimer: This is for fake horror movie situations, and I am not an expert when it comes to mental health. I am using these situations and stuff for parody, and not real advice. I do highly encourage therapy for mental health because it is not only good, but it can be helpful for all kinds of people. I am not making fun of mental health, nor no one should.)

Throughout these trials and tribulations, mentally you might be wrecked, and that is okay and valid. Here are some things to help you mentally get through being a final girl.
This first part is for the final girls after their movie is over.

1. Go to Therapy
This seems like oh duh, but therapy can help by having someone go through how you feel. In the moment we may feel everything or nothing or have PTSD, or in most final girl cases survivor's guilt. Finding a therapist that is right for you is one of the ways to help you through. Also, a good therapist can help you see from a different perspective. It is okay if the first therapist you go to doesn't work for you, it is better to find someone you're comfortable with to talk things out.

2. Be Honest with others and yourself about how you feel
One of the best ways to help yourself is to communicate. It is easy to just push down your feelings and pretend that everything is fine, but they will fester within you. Nothing is normal after the trams you have gone through, and it's valid not to be okay. That doesn't mean you should push your feelings down. If you can't communicate your feelings at the moment have some time for yourself and tell your loved ones or whoever when you are ready. If you feeling depressed, anxious, scared, etc it is valid, and it is valid if people have no clue what you went through, but shutting off people won't help.

3. Take some time for yourself
Don't take too much, but enough to find some sort of peace. Not that many final girls often talk or know what happens after being in a horror movie, but life still goes on. Yes there is still fear, so it is valid to want to hide in your room forever, and no one can just get over something like that. I say don't take too much, because at the end of the day you lived and so you should live.

4. Go to support groups
It is okay to get outside help, and you might be surprised at how many people have or are going through what you have gone through. Also, a good system of support will help you overall. Whether it is friends, a therapist, or family, everyone needs people, including you. Depending on your situation you can even do group therapy, or there are specialists for different situations. If you start to have negative thoughts, going to whoever that person is to help could be the difference.

5. Try your best
No one expects you to come out of this completely fine. It is a step-by-step journey to try and feel better in your own skin. Something during the events you went through may have taken a part of you, you might never get back. Some literally, it is what you do to move through that helps. Take some steps into getting back to a sense of normal. Know it won't be like how it was before, but that is okay. Being real with yourself and your goals. To one person it might be a challenge to even go out and get coffee, and you can't magically forget the trama, but trying your best can help you back. Don't be hard on yourself, I know easier said than done, but you can't flip a switch and be okay, and that is okay. In knowing that, as final girls, we can relate.

Series/Sequels final girls
This part has a few extra steps for those final girls who are final girls through their life or are in many and even upcoming sequels. Or if you're like me can't escape.

6. Be prepared
This is always a step in almost every rule or chapter, but in this case, this is what you should be prepared for if you are in sequels, still in horror or ongoing movies.

1. Copycats
They will say they are paying homage to the original, or that they are transcending the original. Whatever their reason to bring back your killer's face isn't gonna be easy, probably adding to the trauma or otherwise mental well-being, so know that half the time copy cats are a weaker version of what you've gone through. They couldn't even come up with their own killer motives or killer creativity to be their own killer, relying on a familiar face to gain whatever. The reason why they do this can vary from revenge to pettiness, to idolization, and even wanting some sort of twisted fame. If it is not the original person they have no true power, and at best they are a parody of the original. Not only that if they had an ounce of creativity, then they'd do their own killer persona, and not have to rely on some mask everyone knows, repeats, and can get at a discount Halloween bargain bin.