Hi! I was raised in a Jewish family. It so happens that I love this time of year...the scorching California summer finally mostly turns into a kinder and less intense warmth.

As for Yom Kippur...I do sense that there's some kind of universal intuition that determined why Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur falls at the time of the harvest, but overall I tend to view the High Holidays as a historic event, not so much a solid truth. I mean, look back many thousands of years...Jewish leaders told the people they had better atone for their sins and be good if they wanted to live another year. Well, what an effective way to encourage folks to behave themselves!

I kind of use the holidays as a time to gently reflect on my life, being sure to consciously reward myself for the healthy choices I've made over the past year. And I take a look at some of the challenges I'm still working on, and will be working with for the coming year.

As for this time of year being a time when you fall into depression/anxiety, I'm so sorry. Of course, that's not a Jewish thing...so many people commonly experience depression when the days are cooler and shorter.

Living with that kind of severe anxiety is a misery. I'm glad you're seeing your p-doc tomorrow. That's a really life-affirming action to take for Yom Kippur!