But mostly I love Halloween because of a modern-day concept it champions – costuming and letting yourself be a different character for one night – is, to my mind as a therapist, therapeutic and something we could all stand to learn and benefit from more.

Keep reading about what I see as the “therapeutic” aspect of Halloween and, when we weave this more into our lives, how we can benefit psychologically.

Beyond that, there is the state of the world outside of our California borders: A horrific massacre just to our East in Las Vegas, hurricanes and tropical storms devastating our Southern friends, a President picking fights with Puerto Rico and non-violent NFL protesters… The list goes on.

In times like these, it can feel like the world is ending.

The challenge of our personal lives coupled with the challenge of what’s unfolding on a local, state, national, and global scale can, at times, simply feel overwhelming.

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.”

― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

If you’ve been struggling in these past few weeks, you’re not alone.

Feeling sad, scared, overwhelmed, and anxious about what’s happening in the world are all appropriate responses to what’s unfolding.

And yet, it’s really hard to feel this way, isn’t it?

That’s why I wanted to give you a small gift today. It’s a 20-some page e-book called, “A Little Guide For Life’s Tough Times.” 

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

― Haruki Murakami

Normally I sell it here on my website and on Amazon, but, in order to get it into as many hands as possible, in order to (in some very small way!) support as many folks as I can who may be suffering right now, I wanted to give it to you as a free gift.

This little book is the sum of what I’ve learned as a psychotherapist shepherding people through tragedies, crises, transitions, Dark Nights of the Soul (not to mention going through these times myself).

It lays out the four stages I believe exist whenever we are moving through a hard, tough time and details out the self-caring tasks we are called upon to do in order to tend to ourselves emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

It also contains 80+ self-soothing, grounding tools, tips, and hand-picked multimedia resources to use no matter what stage you find yourself in, no matter what may be unfolding in your life right now.

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.”

― Mary Oliver

If you’re feeling lost, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, if you’re feeling devastated, if you’re feeling afraid for the state of the world, I think that, in this little book, you’ll find some solid ground a bit of a light to illuminate the darkness.

No matter who you are and where you are in the world right now, I truly hope it feels helpful to you and that you will get the support you need from it.

If you would like additional support with this and you live in California or Florida, please feel free to reach out to me directly to explore therapy together. You can also book a complimentary consult call to explore therapy with one of my fantastic clinicians at my trauma-informed therapy center, Evergreen Counseling.

Or if you live outside of these states, please consider enrolling in the waitlist for the Relational Trauma Recovery School – or my signature online course, Hard Families, Good Boundaries, designed to support you in healing your adverse early beginnings and create a beautiful adulthood for yourself, no matter where you started out in life.

And until next time, please take very good care of yourself. You’re so worth it.

Warmly, Annie

Warmly, Annie