Winter is especially hard for many LGBT people. In addition to having to endure holidays with less-than-welcoming family members, queer people must contend with freezing temperatures, lots of darkness and sometimes Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). And, of course, Donald Trump becomes President this January.
Everyone Is Gay is here to save the day.
They’ve released an online self-care package in order to help you get through the long winter ahead. The package, Where the Love Light Gleams, is free and available to download whenever you need it.
This package is full of goodies. Listen to a Jenny Owens Young-curated playlist featuring everything from Mariah Carey to The Shins to Ella Fitzgerald. Read their advice about getting through the holidays and practicing self-care, or their essays about LGBT life. The package also includes professional resources that you can access in order to get help.
At the risk of sounding like an infomercial: That’s not all.
You can write your thoughts on the printable journal pages or shade in the coloring pages. Fill out the holiday+queer-themed crossword puzzle. Finish the package by reading the world’s most adorable winter comic featuring a cat in long johns and Uggs.
According to its creators, Where the Love Light Gleams exists “so that – no matter what – you get a dose of love and kindness (and coloring and music and crosswords…)!”
There’s only one thing that this care package cannot provide: friendship. If possible, spend as much time as you can with your friends this winter, especially if you cannot or do not want to visit your family. Support each other. Encourage each other. Find a close community as the temperatures drop and the Inauguration comes and goes. Companionship is vital during these (literally and figuratively) dark months.
When you’re done with the care package, check the official Everyone is Gay website for continued self-care. The site features essays about identity and politics, advice about activism, gender and religion, and lists of professional resources divided by state so that you can find LGBT organizations near you.