"Tiny Traumas: When You Don't Know What's Wrong, but Nothing Feels Quite Right" by Meg Arroll is a compassionate exploration of the often overlooked struggles of navigating everyday challenges and the impact they have on mental health. Arroll skillfully delves into the concept of "tiny traumas" – the small, cumulative stressors that can accumulate over time and disrupt our emotional well-being. Through insightful anecdotes and practical exercises, the author offers readers a roadmap for identifying and addressing these subtle yet significant sources of distress. Arroll's writing is empathetic and relatable, providing solace and guidance to those who may feel lost or overwhelmed by their experiences. "Tiny Traumas" is a poignant reminder that even the smallest struggles deserve attention and validation, and it offers invaluable support for anyone seeking to reclaim their emotional equilibrium.

I can honestly say, this one changed my life. I am so grateful to have stumbled upon it. The author introduces the triple A concept of Acceptance, Awareness, and Action then delves into how all three work together to understand and heal the underlying trauma one has experienced. This is definitely a book that I'd recommend to purchase a physical book copy of with the intention to highlight and underline to come back to as a resource.

This explores how all the things that seem little, but are deeply significant to us personally impact how we feel and interact with the world.

I personally was a particular fan of how she pointed out Covid was a trauma (tiny or not) for all of us, the chapter on eating, and the one on transitions. Even happy changes can be a bit traumatic.

Plenty of helpful reflections tools and tips to process various experiences.

Definitely worth the read if you just don’t feel quite right these days.

I found the idea of this better than the execution. It did not add anything essential to trauma research, just tried to put a new spin on it that was not always convincing.

This is a great introduction to the idea of psychology and therapy and it does have an understandable action plan with it's exercises. This book would appeal to a lot of people interested in beginning their metal health journey and offers attainable achievements.

TINY TRAUMAS by Meg Arroll is subtitled "When You Don't Know What's Wrong, but Nothing Feels Quite Right." Arroll is a psychologist and scientist who specializes in health and wellbeing, has written six books on related subjects and makes frequent contributions to British media. Her premise, that experiences (like microaggressions, family conflicts, or stress at work) leads to bigger problems, seems fairly self-evident, Perhaps, however, if you are in the midst of a difficult situation that is not the case? Arroll argues for implementing her AAA approach: awareness (discover your tiny traumas); acceptance (process what is involved); and action (take needed steps). Overall, her work tends to offer a summary of known issues (e.g., insomnia, binge eating) and general ways to address them. Endnotes represent roughly five percent of the text. For interested readers, The New York Times recently published an article about persistent depressive disorder that seemed more revolutionary; as was the use of ultra sound to treat addiction and some anxieties that was recently profiled on 60 Minutes. Here are those two links:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/04/well/mind/depression-persistent-treatment-dysthymia.html
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BGtVJ3lBdE

“Tiny Traumas” focuses not specifically on the big traumas people experience in their lives, but the little things that tend to build up, or things that we don’t even realize can be traumatic. It is a very understanding approach to trauma and therapy.

Tiny Traumas
Written By Meg Arroll
Published By Harper One
Release Date January 09, 2024


This is a great book for those who are just now understanding the trauma that has affected their lives. He author has gone into great detail about what is needed and how to cope with the situations that occurred to cause the reader pain. The author has introduced what she calls AAA. It is a three step approach that looks at Acceptance, awareness, and Action. All three together will work on the person in such a way that they will start to understand and heal from the trauma in their life. I really enjoyed the research in mental health awareness that is abundant but not understood as it should be, that this author has put into the book. There is so much to understand and learn that I think it will help millions of people who either are aware of their trauma or not.

5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

A focus on these tiny traumas, what we might see as small stressors that we experience over and over until it can break the system, is a topic that is overdue for attention. I liked that the author had an approach, the AAA that can be easily followed as well as talking about current topics effecting our mental health, loneliness, bullying, isolation, etc. Overall, a helpful book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thorsons for the ARC!

If you are at the beginning of your self-discovery journey, if you are at the very beginning of your own and unique healing journey, then this book will be the most perfect, most validating read. Read it and feel seen, feel heard, feel understood, feel validated. If you are only now opening your eyes to seeing how your life could be improved, how you have some experiences that all while not were absolutely horrible but were not nice also, then this book is for you. The world needs more beginner self-healer books. The world needs more books for those who want to start digging deeper.
Yet if you have been on this journey for a longer time, this book is not the one for you. There are plenty of deep and extra-deep books for your next steps. This one is for those who are just at the beginning, and it is perfect for it.

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did given the title. HOWEVER, I feel this a self-help book for beginners into pyschology and the topics discussed in the book. This book was mediocre, at best.

Let me explain:

-end of chapter exercises: some were great and had solid ideas. While other exercises were clearly for beginners. I think the exercises should have been for people that really need help from the book and should tailored, dumb-downed advice for beginners

-the actual writing: many of the anecdotes were spot on but I think the author was speaking more towards beginners.

I usually enjoy self-help books but this was not the best, IMO. I cannot recommend it but I take no offense to other people who may like this.

Thanks to Netgalley, Meg Arroll and Harper One for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 1/9/2024

In a world where we often overlook the cumulative impact of everyday challenges and emotional wounds, Dr. Meg Arroll provides a much-needed framework for recognizing and addressing these "Tiny T" traumas. These seemingly small yet emotionally devastating experiences can accumulate over time, affecting our mental and emotional well-being, relationships, and overall happiness.

Dr. Meg's three-step AAA approach—Awareness, Acceptance, and Action—offers a clear path to understanding, processing, and healing from these tiny traumas. Her compassionate and insightful guidance helps readers identify their unique constellation of tiny traumas, acknowledge their impact on their lives, and take meaningful steps toward a happier and more peaceful existence.

Reading 'Tiny Traumas' was a transformative experience for me. Dr. Meg's wisdom and practical advice have the power to help anyone navigate the challenges of life, big or small. This book is a must-read for those seeking healing, self-discovery, and a path to a more fulfilling life. Meg Arroll has created a valuable resource that empowers us to confront and conquer the lasting effects of tiny traumas, ultimately allowing us to embrace the happiness and peace we truly deserve.

A necessary book, seeing as we are all more likely to be carrying around massive amounts of tiny traumas, rather than the big name traumas that draw all the attention. My only objection is that I feel the book was just a little on the skimpy side. The author also could have commented on the micro aggressions faced by marginalized groups, but maybe the author felt it was outside her expertise.

We all have little things that happen every day. We have some bigger things that happen every year or three. These all add up. Few of us have major traumas happen – at least more than a couple of times per lifetime, but yet many of us have the same sorts of symptoms than those who’ve had it much worse. It’s useless to compare our traumas to others – indeed, that’s another “tiny trauma” of being encouraged to think of how good we have it, and downplaying that our experiences are not that bad.

We seem to be programmed to focus on the negative and ignore the positive. This book gives exercises that can help with our tiny traumas and help us to focus on good experiences.

There were a number of types of problems. That includes our constant sense of transitioning, and our chronic lack of sleep in many cases. Gaslighting, including medical gaslighting which is getting a lot of press these days. Busy-it is, that turns us into human doings rather than human beings. Bullying and bullies, and even microagressions. And, yes, that sapper of everything, procrastination. Over or under-eating are discussed, as well as our tendency to compare our own insides to others outsides which is now souped-up with the advent of social media.


I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The traumas we experience each and every day little or big create our reactions. If we never think about the tiny ones we will never uncover the bigger ones.

Well covered and opens your eyes to your beliefs.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy for my unbiased opinion.

Dr. Meg Arroll’s upcoming release, "Tiny Traumas," arrives as a much-needed guide for understanding and addressing the silent yet impactful wounds we experience in our day-to-day lives. The sudden adjustments we have to make when we lose a friend, move to a new city, work hard to pay the bills every month and other everyday stressors. These "tiny traumas," as Dr. Arroll terms them, may not stem from major events but are small, accumulating experiences that can significantly shape our emotional well-being over time.

"Tiny Traumas" introduces an invaluable three-step approach—Awareness, Acceptance, and Action (AAA)—providing a framework for recognizing, understanding, and healing from these cumulative emotional injuries. What sets this book apart is its validation of experiences beyond major traumas, acknowledging that these smaller, seemingly insignificant hiccups along life’s path have a profound cumulative impact on mental health.

Dr. Arroll's work is a breakthrough, providing a space for individuals who haven't necessarily faced major early life traumas, such as abuse or life-altering tragedies, to recognize and address the smaller emotional wounds. By validating the reality that these tiny traumas accumulate over time and contribute to mental health challenges, the book offers an empowering framework for healing and growth.
Dr. Arroll's guide is a vital tool for readers seeking to access more peace of mind in daily life and overcome the nuanced emotional challenges of simply being human.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I found this book and the author’s research/guidance very helpful. I plan to discuss it with my therapist.