From Sh!tshow to Afterglow: Putting Life Back Together When It All Falls Apart

In this delightfully unorthodox self-help guide, Stallings (Offbeat Brides), founder of digital publisher Offbeat Empire, explains how to put one’s life back together after a life-changing event. She speaks from experience: shortly after her left ovary burst, her husband announced he wanted a divorce. Stallings defines a “shitshow” as a life crisis with a few key ingredients: uncontrollable change in several foundational life structures such as career, relationship, or health; an identity shift so intense one is left feeling like they don’t know themselves; and confusion and physical symptoms including difficulty sleeping and/or eating. After leading readers through her empowering “this fucking sucks” meditation, Stallings provides a road map out of the chaos. She instructs readers to “wallow forward” before finding one’s “afterglow”—the lessons learned. While some of Stallings’s suggestions are rather niche (chances are most readers won’t ask a Tinder date to spank them), her empathy will buoy readers going through tough times and give them hope for the future. Anyone in a tailspin could benefit from Stalling’s snappy, no-nonsense lessons. (July)