" my husband and I both agree that this world is only going to get tougher, more harsh, violent, and challenging to live in "  

Please study more of Doreen Virtue, and learn that positive thoughts are essential to the healing of the planet.  That is why 'we' are here...those of us that are earth angels, Adult Indigos, fairies, pixies, and generally the enlightened.  Think of yourself as being here with purpose...to help the world heal, and reawaken...become more enlightened.  You're a healer!  Hold the world and yourself in positive thought, and light of love, so this can happen.  Putting the above words 'out there'..brings that negative energy in.

I truly believe we have more to do than become aware of our gifts & strengthen them.  Discussing these talents on this board is very good, but we also need to discuss more..how we use these gifts to heal this planet.  It isn't odd that the more 'violent' the earth has become, the more enlightened people you meet.  We're here for a purpose.  We are healers.

I send you hugs and positive thoughts.  You are in my prayers and I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your journey

Hi there earthwriter
I do not have much advice for you except to send you love. I would like to share a poem with you too. I hope that you will like it.
             To Women
Daughters of the Universe,
Your Essence gives form to the World:
You are not the Sacrifice, but
The divine Source of creative life.
In the Womb you determine Destiny.
History is made by the Words of your mouth:
Be not silent for the World implodes on itself
And the Earth cries out in pain.
Free now your Passion: Let Joy gurgle up
From your belly, through your throat,
And into all wretchedness.
Kundalini, the Divinely Feminine, dwells within.
She slumber- coils at every vortex base.
See her in the surging tides and in the
Cyclic phases of the moon.
Her ascent brings forth regeneration
And creative change.
Whenever her sleep is too long unbroken
Siva Consciousness turns perversely on itself;
Corrodes, corrupts, order sickens and decay
Seeps insidiously into all values that govern
Life on a blighted Earth.
She watched your flagging spirit and your
Shrinking forms, and wailed from mountaintops,
Whispered in every cavern, spoke to your brothers In the Womb to affirm and to inspire the feminine
Within them, urged the Earth to echo her song;
Sought to raise the tempo of the calling drums.
Hear her voice: Rise up from the dust, reach to
The summer skies, dare to touch the Sun.
Rise to the rhythm of the pulsing drums.
Let your feet beat a tattoo.
Dance in the circle of Sisterhood.
Twirling, leaping, let your chains slip loose,
Step free into the light taking your sister with you.
Sound your song into all of your life,
Let your voice ring out into every dark place
Where sisters oppressed and shackled
Seek freedom and light.
Too long your voices have been silent.
With laboured breath struggling to sustain your
Gifts of Nurture, Change and Growth
You did not hear her call when full of Love
You donned your girdles, bound your feet:
Limiting the Power of her Gift –
Divine and healing Womanhood.
Fail not her pulse in your blood.
Rise for when you rise, she rises with you.
Rise to the Councils of Decision- makers.
Breath your Wisdom into deliberations that
Foster wars, and poverty, and pain.
Infuse them with the quest to still the rage that
Sweeps this World with the violence
That once brought floods upon the Earth.
Daughters, the Ancients have spoken:
In soft hums on the wings of the Wind their voices
Come to you breathing a vision of light dancing
In gentle hues off sparkling waters where
The lion and the lamb together feed and sleep
And men and women seek to live the dream.
Rise to the fullness of your Womanhood.
Dance to the thrumming pulse, sound your song
Until the echoes fill Eternity and the Sun is
Dulled by radiant Serpentarius, the Androgyne,
Reborn in the great eclipse of Sakti’s rise to
Tepheret and the World renewed by all people:
Man, Woman, and Child  
Aspiring to their Personhood dancing with you.

Jeanius

The Faeries, Goddesses and Gods are always sorrunding us, inside and out. Spirit, that's what they and their environment are. And what is spirit? Spirit comes from Greek's Spiritus, while the original English word for it is Gast which now becomes Ghost. It is also known as Ru'ach(Hebrew), Ruh(Arabic), Jiva(Sanskrit), Monad(Tibetan Teachings), and many others. Spirit is something that exists, but can't be seen, heard, or touched by us. Is there anything like it in our daily lives? Of course, Mind! What is inside our mind is real, but only for us, not to anyone else. Maybe you have learned that to see the world of Faeries we just need to close your eyes and see the space in your mind just before any thought shows up(I would suggest Hugh Mynne's The Faerie Way as a good reading book).
So, Faeries actually are what create the reality. Spirit are what modern science called as ATOM. Like Goddesses or Gods, Faeries  too have attributes like Faerie of Love, or War, or Healing, or many others. Have you seen or perhaps already experienced what is it like to be fall in love? There's something so great that conquers us which we're absolutely unable to refuse or fight--something called Love, or I would preferably called Faerie or Goddess or God of Love. When you are sensitive(easy to get angry), anything trivial could trigger the anger inside because The Faerie of Anger is conquering you. That's an example what Faeries/Goddesses/Gods are. When I am sad, then I would say that Goddess of Sadness is conquering me. When happy, then I am conquered by Goddess of Happiness. You can change the title Goddess with Faerie or God if you like.
Because what we feel or think are inviting Faeries to us, it is important to invite the good, not evil Faeries. Your problems and hardships comes from evil Faeries that surrounding you. The only way to get rid of them is by calling the good Faeries. This can be done by many kind of rituals. Select one ritual that suits you most and persevere on it 'till you get the results. Perseverance is the key, because the evil Faeries are already strong and it would take quite a long time to make the energy of good Faeries strong enough to defeat them. Me myself am using mantra as the way to inviting my two Goddesses, Dana and  Liberty. I had experienced darkness in my life too, and it took a lot of Japa(Chanting) accompanied by patience and tears before I finally--or to be precisely:before Dana & Liberty were finally--overcome it. It took about 2-3 years with about 10 hours a day of Japa(Chanting) for me to achieve that.
So, don't give up! Keep on fighting! Side by side with the Light Faeries, you would finally overcome the darkness and see the light!