We learn about anxiety and depression, donate clothes to unhoused neighbors, and talk about regression during the holidays.
A Letter From Our Founder
Hi there,
It’s the day after Thanksgiving. Some of you may have celebrated yesterday, others may not have observed the holiday at all, and plenty of folks have understandably complicated feelings about it, regardless. However you moved through yesterday, I hope you found some ease. This time of year can be a lot. Family dynamics, grief, financial stress, the pressure to feel a certain way… and that’s true whether or not you’re participating in the traditional holiday celebrations.
For those of us who felt complex feelings this week, who had to brace ourselves at certain moments (or for the weeks leading up to the day), can we take a moment to celebrate that we made it through? We did it. And maybe even with more grace than we had years before, having learned to tend to our needs too.
This season brings so many celebrations, so much time with loved ones, and so many opportunities for connection. It can also exacerbate depression and anxiety or make it harder to tell which one you’re dealing with, or if it’s both at once. That feeling of being simultaneously on edge and exhausted, worried about letting people down while also feeling disconnected from what usually matters, is something we see all the time in our practice.
This month’s article digs into exactly that: Anxiety vs. Depression: What’s the Difference? Can You Have Both? I share some of my own experience with managing both conditions, what the research tells us about how they overlap and feed into each other, and practical tools for recognizing your own patterns and finding support. Whether you’re trying to make sense of your own experience or support someone you care about, I hope it offers some clarity.
If you’re needing support with this or anything else, I hope you know that we are here. Please reach out to us at info@takeroottherapy.com or call/text us at (323) 388-5578.
Warmly,
Saba Harouni Lurie (she/her/hers)
On The Blog
Anxiety vs. Depression: What’s the Difference? Can You Have Both?
I’m no stranger to depression or anxiety, and have been managing both for the duration of my adult life. Depression, I’ve known since adolescence. I was a tween when my critical inner voice got louder and louder, when I would struggle to get out of bed, and when I would find myself thinking about dying far more than I now know is normal. I may have romanticized it to some degree. I had read about the great artists and writers who also suffered from depression, and I fancied myself a poet and an artist, so at some point I began to really identify with my depression…
How to Help
Winter Supply Drive
Our next event is coming up! Help us get Warmth and Coziness to our neighbors! Here’s how:
-Shop for hygiene items, hand warmers, and blankets on this wishlist! All of the shelter items on the wishlist go out as soon as they are received because they are so in demand.
-DM @evadotwoods on Instagram to volunteer at the event or help with prep and transport
-Share this graphic!! Tell everyone u know!!
WHEN:
Sunday, December 7th
10 AM – 1 PM
WHERE:
McArthur Park
Los Angeles, CA
La Esquinita Planting Day
Enter the LA River Center & Gardens off of Ave 26. Park in the main lot. When facing the main building, walk to the right 300’ and around the corner.
Join us for a day of planting and expanding our garden. Each plant here carries a rich ethnobotanical heritage—stories of food, medicine, and culture—so your hands-on care is also a way of honoring their history. This project is a collaboration between Test Plot, Mujeres de la Tierra, LA Works, and MRCA. For more information, contact: vanessa.alonzo@mrca.ca.gov
RSVP HERE WITH LAWORKS.
WHEN:
Saturday, December 6th
1 – 4 PM
WHERE:
Los Angeles Center River and Gardens
570 W Ave 26
Los Angeles, CA 90065
Community Events
Scribble Holiday Market
Accepting hygiene supply donations for SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition
-travel size body wash
-packs of body wipes
-travel size shampoo
-travel size conditioner
-travel size deodorant
-travel size toothbrushes
-travel size toothpaste
-brand new adult underwear (all genders)
These items will be assembled into hygiene kits that will be distributed to our unhoused neighbors in Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz, Atwater, and Hollywood!
Hot food by @scribble.community to raise funds for their sliding scale counseling program
see you there
WHEN:
Sunday, December 14th
11 AM – 5 PM
WHERE:
Scribble
5541 York Blvd
Los Angeles, California, 90042
LA Made Presents: Alternative Libraries
A Made Presents: Alternative Libraries
Listen to representatives from Libros Schmibros, Radical Hood Library, Coyotl + Macehualli, and Heavy Manners Library talk on various topics.
In a post-pandemic Los Angeles, a number of alternative libraries have opened up, filling in gaps for the communities they serve, in all kinds of different ways. Come listen to representatives from Libros Schmibros, Radical Hood Library, Coyotl + Macehualli, and Heavy Manners Library as they discuss their goals, successes, challenges, and future hopes.
Libros Schmibros: Libros Schmibros champions the pleasures of literature and its power to change lives. We are a Boyle Heights-based nonprofit lending library dedicated to the proposition that the world distills its best ideas from imaginations nourished on the humanities. Through everything from book-lending at street level to advocacy at the highest levels, Libros Schmibros champions the pleasure of reading and its power to connect.
Radical Hood Library: After years of online organizing, the Radical Hood Library opened in 2021. The space is now the headquarters of the Noname Book Club, a reading group centered on Black voices, founded by Chicago rapper Fatimah Warner, a.k.a. Noname. Over the years, the Radical Hood Library in L.A. has added more programming to include teach-ins, a bi-monthly “prison packing week” for incarcerated members of the Book Club, open-mic nights, game nights, and writing workshops for Black women writers—all with the goal of creating more spaces of Black joy and liberation.
Coyotl + Macehualli: A BIPOC-led environmental justice group based in Northeast Los Angeles directly defending urban woodlands and hillside ecosystems from destruction. In 2025, we opened the Coyotl + Macehualli Lending Library, a community and insurgent learning space committed to the convergence of ideas and sharing of resources. This year we also acquired a threatened Black Walnut woodland hillside in ‘Ochuunga and are now in the process of rematriating the Land to members of the Tongva community.
Heavy Manners: Heavy Manners is a lending library, gallery, and bookstore that seeks to provide a space for developing, sharing, and discussing artwork and creative practice. Our collection focuses on self and independently published books, zines, and other media. Additionally, the library collaborates directly with artists and small publishers to make previously overlooked, out-of-print, and hard-to-find materials accessible. Visitors are welcome to browse or scan our collection during our open hours.
WHEN:
Sunday, December 14th
2 – 3 PM
WHERE:
Central Library – Taper Auditorium
630 W 5th St
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Featured Publications
Fewer Teens Are Using Drugs—but Experts Say There’s Another Big Threat To Watch For
featuring Saba Harouni Lurie
This TikToker with depression shares what her day-to-day looks like — and it’s not what you may think
featuring Saba Harouni Lurie
