Holidays, while they can be an excellent excuse to celebrate during the darkest months of the year, can be complicated . However, whether it’s due to family dynamics, difficult anniversaries or dissatisfaction with current life situations (perhaps a combination of any/all of these), there are some ways to soften the more challenging parts of this time of year. Accumulating positives.  Plan at least one small, doable and pleasurable experience that you can engage with as mindf

The holiday season is here! For many this is a time of joy and connection, but guilt around food and weight around the holidays are very real. Here are some quick tips to help reduce guilt around the holidays and increase feelings of joy and connection! Avoid Skipping Meals- Many people will skip breakfast or eat less the day after a large meal, this can actually contribute to over eating in the future, not to mention you will feel really crabby! The best thing you can do is

Transgender Day of Remembrance November 20 has become known as Trans Day of Remembrance. In 1999, advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith hosted a vigil to commemorate her dear friend Rita Hester whose life was ended brutally and unremorsefully . In 2025, there are 38 deaths recorded  due to violence against transgender folks. Trans Day of Remembrance is an opportunity to remember and mourn these lives that were taken. Vigils are common practices where candles are lit and the names of t

Thursday, November 15th is World Kindness Day.  Although Looking Glass Counseling has spoken to World Kindness Day in the past by Vera  and myself , there can be great value in revisiting this type of blogpost with fresh eyes. The classic ways we have talked about being kind to ourselves and our community can be found in linked posts above. To explore this topic from a different framework, let’s look at ways we can incorporate kindness into our lives that uses creativity and

This month is an opportunity to celebrate the limitless creativity and grounded realities of transgender and gender-expansive individuals. The expression of one’s gender identity is a magnificent dialectic of holding the individual reins of personal creation in one hand and a sense of everyday, common, shared humanity in the other. This shared humanity is why it is important to highlight the nuances associated with this moment in time for transgender and gender-expansive indi

As October speedily arrives to a close and we find ourselves fully in the throes of fall—with Halloween decorations, an assortment of pumpkin-themed treats and colder weather—I’m reminded of my time living in Tucson, Arizona before moving to Boston. The weekend after Halloween in Tucson is a special time. Usually occurring on the second weekend of November, Tucson hosts an event called the All Souls Procession , which has been taking place for 36 years. This unique public art