From Despair to Hope
How to Stay Calm in the Chaos
While there are many books on how to handle stress or challenges, From Despair to Hope addresses the specific stresses caused by the current political turmoil. We are grieving the potential loss of the America we love and respect.
Many of us are angry, frightened, and overwhelmed by the political chaos ripping through our country. We don’t know what to expect, day to day, or even hour to hour. Author Carmen Renee Berry assures readers that these strong emotions are “normal” reactions to an “abnormal” situation. We are “normally” competent people, but are taken by surprise by what is happening.
Creating turmoil when undermining democracy is part of the autocrat’s playbook. But Americans haven’t expected this type of behavior from our own White House.
The continual confusion, threats, and abrupt reversals trigger the part of our brains designed to protect our survival—the amygdala. About the size of a walnut, this little part of our brain is extremely powerful and offers us only three responses. We can fight for our lives. We can try to escape and flee. Or, we can freeze in terror, overwhelmed and unable to move. But what we can’t do is solve problems in an effective way.
The attempt to keep us off balance has been effective with far too many people. It’s time for us to step away from the commotion, calm ourselves down, and take charge of our own feelings and ability to cope. This book provides clear, effective, and practical ways to help you regain your sense of calmness and clarity. And then, you can unite with other Americans who believe in and defend democracy.
Carmen Renee Berry
MSW, is a New York Times bestselling author who has authored, co-authored and ghostwritten forty-plus books, selling over a million and a half copies worldwide. Her books have been translated into nine languages and published by houses including HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and Thomas Nelson. Back in the day, she was on Oprah. Drawing from a career starting in the 1980’s as a social worker, specializing in the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse, Carmen combined her professional insights with personal experience to write a foundational bestseller on burnout and codependency, When Helping You Is Hurting Me.