'The Grand Hotel of Feelings' is a creative children's book that personifies emotions as guests in a hotel, offering a unique way to explore and understand feelings. Each emotion, from happiness to sadness, has its own room and personality within the hotel. The book illustrates how we experience a range of emotions and provides a gentle introduction to emotional literacy for young readers. It encourages children to acknowledge and accept their feelings, even the difficult ones. By using the hotel setting, the book creates a safe and engaging space to discuss complex emotions. The narrative helps children recognize that all feelings are valid and that it's okay to experience a wide spectrum of emotions.
In this relatable and reassuring picture book, a mother tells her two children that they are all connected by an invisible string made of love. This string, though invisible, is always present and connects people even when they are apart. The story helps children understand and cope with separation anxiety, loss, and grief, emphasizing that love is an unbreakable bond that transcends distance and time. The book has been widely used by parents, educators, therapists, and social workers to support children in dealing with various emotional challenges.
Grief can be overwhelming for anyone — but for people with ADHD, it can show up in surprising ways.
Therapist Rachel Hopkins joins host Cate Osborn to unpack the intersection of ADHD and grief. They discuss how time blindness, emotional intensity, and memory challenges can shape the grieving process — and how ADHDers might mourn in nonlinear, unconventional ways. Rachel also offers some insights for anyone struggling to grieve “the right way” while living with a neurodivergent brain.
Related resources
Timestamps
(00:48) A word from Cate on ADHD and grief
(03:05) Nonlinear ADHD grief
(06:11) Executive function challenges and grief
(09:34) Emotional regulation and planning immediately following a loss
(11:03) Time perception challenges and processing grief
(15:34) Rejection sensitivity and worrying about others’ judgement of our grieving
(20:19) Balancing distraction and avoidance
(26:24) The importance of acknowledging that your ADHD will affect your grief, and celebrating your wins
(27:29) ADHD and delayed grief reactions
(29:30) Advice for neurotypical people supporting an ADHDer through grief
(30:44) Rachel’s last thoughts and advice for any ADHDer going through grief right now
For a transcript and more resources, visit the Sorry, I Missed This show page on Understood.org.
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Sorry, I Missed This: The Everything Guide to ADHD and Relationships with Cate Osborn 