A Pity Party Is Still a Party: A Feel-Good Guide to Feeling Bad

Psychotherapist Garner describes her debut as bite-sized chunks of “essays, activities, and science-y lists”; it isn’t intended to be read in linear fashion. Difficult to categorize—inspirational? self-help? pop psychology?—it attempts to address the pandemic’s years of ennui by offering readers cognitive-behavioral exercises, somewhat like an adult activity book. The author says that the past few years have brought about “an increase in permission to feel,” and encourages readers to lean into their negative feelings in order to constructively work through them. Some activities are kooky: take a video of yourself crying (and maybe share the video with trusted friends) or host a cuddle puddle (yes, this is exactly what it sounds like). Other suggested activities are more conventional, such as forest bathing and moonlight picnicking.