![Tara Schuster - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B07SS6H3ZT.jpg)
Glow in the F*cking Dark: Simple Practices to Heal Your Soul, from Someone Who Learned the Hard Way
The author of the runaway hit Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies shares honest and practical lessons for healing your past and owning your future so you can radiate strength, bravery, and joy when life gets dark.
"A revealing and powerful book that lit me up from the inside out."-GLENNON DOYLE, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed
Tara Schuster thought she was on stable ground. For years, she'd worked like hell to repair the emotional wounds inflicted during what she refers to as her "mess-wreck disaster" of a childhood. She'd brought radical healing rituals and self-love into her life. On most days, she was a happy, stable adult. She even wrote a book about it!
But then she lost her job, the one on which she had staked her entire identity. Cue a panic-attack-doom-spiral that brought her harshest childhood traumas to the surface. Isolated at home during a global pandemic, she felt piercing loneliness and a lack of purpose like she had never known. Finally, after experiencing a terrifying dissociative episode while driving down the highway, she realized that enough was enough; she needed to slow down and pull over-literally. It was time for Tara to stop the hustling and to reclaim her essential, free, and loving self.
Glow in the F*cking Dark is a guide to healing your deepest wounds, getting off your "good enough" plateau, and creating the spectacular life that you most desire. Tara clawed her way out of the darkness and recovered her shine, and in this book, she shows how to
• recognize trauma reactions and choose new ways to respond
• find what's really under your anxiety
• repair your relationship with your body
• find solace and purpose in something bigger than yourself
Full of practical, achievable baby steps that we can take today, this book is for anyone ready to liberate themselves from their emotional suffering, discover their purpose, and finally sit in the driver's seat of their life. It's for anyone who is tired, hurting, and feeling like their essential brightness has dimmed. It's for people who are ready to glow, even when sh*t gets grim.
"A revealing and powerful book that lit me up from the inside out."-GLENNON DOYLE, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed
Tara Schuster thought she was on stable ground. For years, she'd worked like hell to repair the emotional wounds inflicted during what she refers to as her "mess-wreck disaster" of a childhood. She'd brought radical healing rituals and self-love into her life. On most days, she was a happy, stable adult. She even wrote a book about it!
But then she lost her job, the one on which she had staked her entire identity. Cue a panic-attack-doom-spiral that brought her harshest childhood traumas to the surface. Isolated at home during a global pandemic, she felt piercing loneliness and a lack of purpose like she had never known. Finally, after experiencing a terrifying dissociative episode while driving down the highway, she realized that enough was enough; she needed to slow down and pull over-literally. It was time for Tara to stop the hustling and to reclaim her essential, free, and loving self.
Glow in the F*cking Dark is a guide to healing your deepest wounds, getting off your "good enough" plateau, and creating the spectacular life that you most desire. Tara clawed her way out of the darkness and recovered her shine, and in this book, she shows how to
• recognize trauma reactions and choose new ways to respond
• find what's really under your anxiety
• repair your relationship with your body
• find solace and purpose in something bigger than yourself
Full of practical, achievable baby steps that we can take today, this book is for anyone ready to liberate themselves from their emotional suffering, discover their purpose, and finally sit in the driver's seat of their life. It's for anyone who is tired, hurting, and feeling like their essential brightness has dimmed. It's for people who are ready to glow, even when sh*t gets grim.
Editorial Reviews
"Tara Schuster is a phenomenal storyteller-a woman who insisted on reclaiming her agency to shine in bleak circumstances. Glow in the F*cking Dark is a revealing and powerful book that lit me up from the inside out."-Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed, founder of Together Rising, and host of We Can Do Hard Things
"Healing takes effort-and we can't do it alone. In Glow in the F*cking Dark, Tara Schuster guides us along as she finds her way through her own pain and offers honest, often funny, and actionable advice for taking charge of your emotional health."-Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of the podcast Dear Therapists
"Tara Schuster has done something remarkable: She's written a guide to facing the slings and arrows of life that's both delightfully irreverent and disarmingly earnest. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you might just come away stronger and better."-Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"Glow in the F*cking Dark proves that Tara Schuster is a modern-day guru for people who really hate gurus. Ruthlessly authentic and bitingly hilarious, Schuster takes us on a roller coaster of self-discovery, revealing that we are all the student and the teacher on our own paths to growth and healing."-Melissa Urban, co-founder of Whole30 and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Whole30 and The Book of Boundaries
"Former Comedy Central exec Schuster follows up Buy the F*c...
"Healing takes effort-and we can't do it alone. In Glow in the F*cking Dark, Tara Schuster guides us along as she finds her way through her own pain and offers honest, often funny, and actionable advice for taking charge of your emotional health."-Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of the podcast Dear Therapists
"Tara Schuster has done something remarkable: She's written a guide to facing the slings and arrows of life that's both delightfully irreverent and disarmingly earnest. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you might just come away stronger and better."-Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"Glow in the F*cking Dark proves that Tara Schuster is a modern-day guru for people who really hate gurus. Ruthlessly authentic and bitingly hilarious, Schuster takes us on a roller coaster of self-discovery, revealing that we are all the student and the teacher on our own paths to growth and healing."-Melissa Urban, co-founder of Whole30 and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Whole30 and The Book of Boundaries
"Former Comedy Central exec Schuster follows up Buy the F*c...
Readers Top Reviews
J.S.
When I first began reading Tara Schuster's books, I was in a difficult place, and I felt incredibly alone. The best part of this book, and her first book as well, is that it makes you feel like you're not sitting in the dark by yourself. It feels like she is right next to you, giving your hand a squeeze, and lending you her flashlight. Schuster is different from most authors in this genre: her advice doesn't feel condescending, superior, or trite. She has been there, and she lays bare her experiences and struggles in the most raw and honest way. Not only is her advice (and company? I swear it feels like she's right next to you) genuine, it also truly helped me dig into my own trauma and put myself back in control of my life and my choices.
LaramieJ.S.
Glow in the F. Dark is a beautiful follow-up to Tara's first book, Buy Yourself the Fing Lilies. This second book will have you giggling, working on your inner emotions, and even crying. (Amazon won't let me use the f word even with an asterisk). First, thank you Tara for selecting me to be a Glow Getter and reading her book before the release. Secondly, thank you Tara for giving me more tools for my toolbox. You must read Glow. Utilize the tools, journal, and feel like you are not alone. Schuster has put out her life stories, vulnerabilities, and tools she has used to cope and work through it all. While reading this, you feel like you have a best friend who knows what you've gone through and is saying "Hey, I've got you. Now let's do this!" Read this book and get to work on living your best self and best life.
MLaramieJ.S.
Glow in the “F*ing Dark by Tara Schuster” is all the stars 🌟⭐️✨💫🤩 I read her first book “Buy Yourself the F*ing Lilies” (also recommended if you have not read) in a book club and I was left wanting to know more about Tara’s healing journey and this book “Glow in the F*ing Dark” delivers! Her words are empowering that we are all worthy of healing ❤️🩹 We are all stardust ✨ and we all✨Glow✨ Tara talks about tough topics and gives helpful practices to better help you acknowledge your feelings to heal, build healthier habits, and glow within. “While I don’t have the answers, I know I’m asking the right questions. I know I’m making progress when I look at my journals through the years and read how much more I both know and trust myself.” - Tara Schuster, “Glow in the F*ing Dark”
Jessica DepewMLar
I loved Lilies and knew immediately that I would purchase this one as soon as I saw it was coming out. It did not disappoint! Tara's voice is so authentic, and she shares her knowledge and experiences in the most accessible way. I hate that her childhood was so difficult, and I hate that we all have to experience hardships in life; however, I love that Tara is willing to be honest and open about things that have worked for her and is willing to share those with us. I have never met her in person but was able to receive an advance copy of this book through her Glow Getters group and participate in some Zoom meetings that she led. She truly seems like the most genuine human being, and I'm lucky to have been such a small part of the book launch. This does not affect my review in any way. I truly loved the practical ideas, personal stories, and the way that she makes things that we know are helpful for healing (i.e. mindfulness, journaling...) so much less overwhelming and simple. Thanks for another gift, Tara!
L.WidnerJessica D
When I heard Tara was writing another book to help one further reparent themselves, I was ecstatic! And this book did not let me down! Tara has a way of resonating with the reader. The words come off the page and fill your mind like a you’re chatting with your best friend. The friend that isn’t afraid to point out your issues, but then also helps guide you with how to work in them. She helps guide the reader through addressing their own trauma…..highlighting that not all traumas are the same for everyone. I for one did not think my past experiences where bad enough to be considered traumatic, but Tara helped me see that just because they weren’t as bad as other peoples issues doesn’t mean they weren’t traumatic for me. She opens your eyes and gives you tips to dig deeper and heal because she has been through it. And the best part is she does it all while sprinkling in humor and not sounding all self-help-preachy. Definitely recommend this book for anyone who feels something isn’t right in their life and who is willing to do the work to fix it. Take it in at your own pace and enjoy the journey.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Tro-mah
If It's Hysterical, It's Historical
The first time I heard someone earnestly use the word "trauma," I was on a date with a guy I met on the Internet. I had sneaked my way into an invite-only celebrity dating app where I had options for potential dates like, "DJ slash Instagram influencer slash model" and "~~REDACTED te" Not only had I tricked the app into thinking I was worthy of people who listed their profession as "founder," I had even secured my first date and found myself sitting across a wooden bistro table from a bona fide Hot Person: an actor who was professionally attractive. As someone who usually dates "interesting" to "sickly looking" people, this was a revelation. A verified, blue-checked Hot Person! A tall Australian with a tousle of strawberry blond bangs swooping over his glasses and an accent that could melt the artisanal butter right off your gluten-free bread.
As we discussed the menu, I felt those I wanna get close to your skin butterflies. Flustered by his attractiveness, I hastily ordered the first item, a cold kale salad with dried cranberries (???). I tried to recover from my incredibly lame, not-enough-food order by asking for the dressing on the side and a cup of water with no ice (again: ???), as if complicating the order made it better. Nothing says romance like cold kale (that was for sure going to end up stuck in my teeth), dressing on the side, and lukewarm tap water.
As we exchanged our getting-to-know-you questions ("Where are you from? Who do you hate?"), I asked him what he was currently working on. He explained that he was in between seasons of his hit biker/zombie/apocalypse TV show and was taking this hiatus to work on a documentary. "I'm looking into how tro-mah affects every single part of our lives. You look at the root causes of war, you look at how people mistreat one another, and usually, all our issues stem from tro-mah. Mom who has severe anxiety and gives it to her children? Tro-mah. Dad who is abusive to his kids and was abused himself? Tro-mah. And then there is cultural tro-mah! The Holocaust, the political system, discrimination and oppression. We soak in that tro-mah every day."
Eh . . . Did I miss something here? What was "tro-mah"? I wondered as I looked into his unreasonably blue eyes. (HOW WERE HIS EYES THAT BLUE? HOW DO SOME PEOPLE GET BORN LIKE THIS?!) It took me a minute to come out of my swoon and realize that the word "tro-mah," without a bewitching Australian accent, was English for "trauma." Trauma.
Oh God. No. I felt a full-body revulsion as if my eyes might roll so hard into the back of my skull that they would come loose and drop down my throat like errant pinballs, only to land somewhere in the pit of my stomach. We all have our shit, but do we really need to dwell on it? Is EVERYTHING really "trauma"? This feels indulgent. Just moments ago, I had been thinking about how to ask this gorgeous specimen to come over to my place for a post-salad snuggle. Now, I just wanted to get the f*** away from him.
I wrapped up the date as quickly as possible, oddly insisting that I had an early meeting the next day (I did not-it was Saturday), and that this, in some ways, was a work dinner (it definitely was not and framing it that way was highly problematic). I flagged down our waitress and, without waiting for the bill, reached for my credit card so that we could expedite the process. My wallet, however, had other ideas. I was so flustered that I ripped the tab off the zipper and was now unable to open it. I grasped at the brass nub, but it wouldn't budge. I picked up a butter knife and jammed it into the track, trying to jimmy it loose. With pity in his eyes, the hot Australian looked at me, the wallet with a knife in it, and said sweetly, "I can cover your salad."
Back home, I had two major realizations. The first was that kale salad is not dinner. If I order a kale salad without any protein for dinner, then I will be inhaling an entire frozen pizza two hours later. The second, and marginally more important, realization was that I had clearly been set off by the word "trauma."
As is my custom when I have an intense and inexplicable reaction to something, I sat down on my aggressively floral duvet, picked up my journal with a cover illustration of the Trevi Fountain depicted in delicate detail, and let my favorite white-and-gold pen investigate. As I wrote, I found myself proclaiming, "I didn't have it that bad! I have no right to trauma. Trauma is for other people who have really SUFFERED. I just had a kinda consistently bad childhood. Why is everyone so sensitive? Why does everyone have ‘issues'? AND, let's say that some things, for me, were a little on t...
If It's Hysterical, It's Historical
The first time I heard someone earnestly use the word "trauma," I was on a date with a guy I met on the Internet. I had sneaked my way into an invite-only celebrity dating app where I had options for potential dates like, "DJ slash Instagram influencer slash model" and "~~REDACTED te" Not only had I tricked the app into thinking I was worthy of people who listed their profession as "founder," I had even secured my first date and found myself sitting across a wooden bistro table from a bona fide Hot Person: an actor who was professionally attractive. As someone who usually dates "interesting" to "sickly looking" people, this was a revelation. A verified, blue-checked Hot Person! A tall Australian with a tousle of strawberry blond bangs swooping over his glasses and an accent that could melt the artisanal butter right off your gluten-free bread.
As we discussed the menu, I felt those I wanna get close to your skin butterflies. Flustered by his attractiveness, I hastily ordered the first item, a cold kale salad with dried cranberries (???). I tried to recover from my incredibly lame, not-enough-food order by asking for the dressing on the side and a cup of water with no ice (again: ???), as if complicating the order made it better. Nothing says romance like cold kale (that was for sure going to end up stuck in my teeth), dressing on the side, and lukewarm tap water.
As we exchanged our getting-to-know-you questions ("Where are you from? Who do you hate?"), I asked him what he was currently working on. He explained that he was in between seasons of his hit biker/zombie/apocalypse TV show and was taking this hiatus to work on a documentary. "I'm looking into how tro-mah affects every single part of our lives. You look at the root causes of war, you look at how people mistreat one another, and usually, all our issues stem from tro-mah. Mom who has severe anxiety and gives it to her children? Tro-mah. Dad who is abusive to his kids and was abused himself? Tro-mah. And then there is cultural tro-mah! The Holocaust, the political system, discrimination and oppression. We soak in that tro-mah every day."
Eh . . . Did I miss something here? What was "tro-mah"? I wondered as I looked into his unreasonably blue eyes. (HOW WERE HIS EYES THAT BLUE? HOW DO SOME PEOPLE GET BORN LIKE THIS?!) It took me a minute to come out of my swoon and realize that the word "tro-mah," without a bewitching Australian accent, was English for "trauma." Trauma.
Oh God. No. I felt a full-body revulsion as if my eyes might roll so hard into the back of my skull that they would come loose and drop down my throat like errant pinballs, only to land somewhere in the pit of my stomach. We all have our shit, but do we really need to dwell on it? Is EVERYTHING really "trauma"? This feels indulgent. Just moments ago, I had been thinking about how to ask this gorgeous specimen to come over to my place for a post-salad snuggle. Now, I just wanted to get the f*** away from him.
I wrapped up the date as quickly as possible, oddly insisting that I had an early meeting the next day (I did not-it was Saturday), and that this, in some ways, was a work dinner (it definitely was not and framing it that way was highly problematic). I flagged down our waitress and, without waiting for the bill, reached for my credit card so that we could expedite the process. My wallet, however, had other ideas. I was so flustered that I ripped the tab off the zipper and was now unable to open it. I grasped at the brass nub, but it wouldn't budge. I picked up a butter knife and jammed it into the track, trying to jimmy it loose. With pity in his eyes, the hot Australian looked at me, the wallet with a knife in it, and said sweetly, "I can cover your salad."
Back home, I had two major realizations. The first was that kale salad is not dinner. If I order a kale salad without any protein for dinner, then I will be inhaling an entire frozen pizza two hours later. The second, and marginally more important, realization was that I had clearly been set off by the word "trauma."
As is my custom when I have an intense and inexplicable reaction to something, I sat down on my aggressively floral duvet, picked up my journal with a cover illustration of the Trevi Fountain depicted in delicate detail, and let my favorite white-and-gold pen investigate. As I wrote, I found myself proclaiming, "I didn't have it that bad! I have no right to trauma. Trauma is for other people who have really SUFFERED. I just had a kinda consistently bad childhood. Why is everyone so sensitive? Why does everyone have ‘issues'? AND, let's say that some things, for me, were a little on t...
