I’ve been anxious lately. Personal losses, climate change, the news and political corruption are too much. So, I turned to Martin Seligman’s book, “Learned Optimism.” His research showed that one tool for feeling good is “to distract yourself from depressing thoughts.”
Perking up our mood and immune systems in spooky times is a challenge. For me, going to good thrift stores is fun, healthy and distracting. If it’s not your bliss, I get it. I don’t golf either. I never quite understood following a little ball around all day. But, thrifting is playful for me. And, it’s more affordable than gasoline, groceries or golf!
Everyone has different tricks for self-care, whether popcorn or karaoke. In a thrift store I enjoy abundance. There’s an infinite array of affordable items. I can pretend I’m a princess in a tiara and pink satin gown, or a queen in a big feathered, farcical hat. It’s Halloween all year round. Guys shuffle around in there too, discovering old record albums, savoring antique tools, tantalizing thingamajigs, books not yet banned or trying on wild T-shirts. This is a world where everything seems possible for a few minutes.
I spotted a polka-dot blouse last week. You could hear me swooning, “Oh, oh, oooh.” The woman next to me giggled, “I’ll have what she’s having!” Then, another gal pulled out a pair of jeans from the dollar rack, beaming, “These would be good on you.” They fit me perfectly! Do you know how hard it is to find great fitting Levi’s? And what can you buy for one dollar anymore?
There’s no scarcity of items; it invites generosity of spirit (unlike housing). Who cares if you’re recycling someone else’s stuff? It’s reciprocity and so easy to donate old items because someone else will delight in them! It’s how society should be. No quibbling, no teeth-grinding, corrupt competition.
One of the founders of the thrift model, Kerstin Block, started The Buffalo Exchange thrift store in San Francisco. She delighted in treasures found at flea markets and thought others might too. Kerstin lived her values and gave millions to non–profits including Fund for Animals. In 2025, her eulogy said, “Kerstin never shied away from trying new things, speaking her mind or thinking outside the box. She built a company that redefined the secondhand clothing industry.”
In turbulent times we’re called to get creative, to invention, generosity, participation in civic change and self-care. While we sit, isolated in front of computers, facing increased darkness with “daylight savings” time-changing, we need ways to keep gas in our proverbial tanks. We’ve got to fuel ourselves, our relationships, and build a fair economy. We’ve already lost some local retail. In his brilliant book, “Crisis of The Common Good,” Chris Murphy writes, “Something else happens when in-person and vibrant business districts evaporate: Space for in-person communion dries up, too.”
We can each do daily acts of kindness and charitable gestures this goblin season, however small or large. Send a sweet text to a lonely friend, offer deals, sliding scale prices or help your neighbors. Reach out a little more, participate in local meetings. Insist government stops spending your hard-earned money in destructive ways. Vote and stay engaged in community.
Katy Byrne, LMFT, is a psychotherapist in Sonoma.
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