5 Ways to Dress Up Your Mental Illness for the Holidays

The conversation around mental illness is getting better and more open, but your conversations with your Aunt Tamara are only getting more strained and less fun. Since you can't Marie Kondo your family (maybe you should, though), here's a couple cute, festive ideas for dressing up your mental illness for the holidays!

1. "I'm an artist."

This way, your mood swings and outbursts are simply the results of creative energy. You weren't crying in your room while you were supposed to be helping to cook potatoes- that was practice for an audition.

2. Blame your love life.

Even if your family doesn't understand the very real effects of chemicals misbehaving in your brain, they will commiserate with you over being a star-crossed or jilted lover. 

3. Be the "Quirky Cousin"

Everyone in the family has to have their "thing". Since your cousins already have career success and fulfilling family life covered, you've got to have something. So, the new, edgy haircut is definitely not the result of a psychological break you had last week. It's a daring look to show your individuality.

4. Get holiday-themed pajamas

That way, when you don't get dressed in the morning, it'll look like you're being festive. Having a few tacky sweaters to rotate through will help the look. Also, curl up with a cozy blanket and hot cocoa. Again, if anybody asks, you're being festive for the winter season! Not paralyzed by depression!

5. As an absolute last resort, redirect the conversation to politics. Then everyone will be so angry and sad you won't stand out!

Tag urself, I'm #i'manartist.

5 Downsides of Virtual Work

Working remotely is undeniably a great gig. You can wake up late, there’s no obnoxious commute with other drivers kamikaziing your 2009 sedan, and you can pick which cafes to wander to and work like a proper millennial (or gen Z? What is my audience. All wandering wastrels are welcome).

But like any ray of sunshine, I can find some silver clouds. Here’s a few that plague me daily.


Caffeine addiction: because loitering is illegal and though Starbucks felt The Wrath of Public Opinion, nobody else gives a shit and you better buy a $6 coffee or take your techno-crap home to sit by yourself in your apartment.



Weight gain: because loitering is illegal. Yes, I’d like a coffee cake. Yes, I’d like to sit for another four hours. Yes, I’d like a second coffee cake.



Ordering your overpriced herbal tea, finding an outlet, setting up your wireless mouse, logging on to your computer, only to find the wifi doesn’t work. Now you’re just sipping your hibiscus-leaf green tea and hoping your ass doesn’t get fired for taking a two-hour lunch break.



Ordering your overpriced herbal tea, finding an outlet, setting up your wireless mouse, logging on to your computer, connecting to wifi (thank god), only to have to go pee. With no one with you to watch your stuff. Do you trust to fate, or actually speak to a stranger and ask them to watch it? Your tea chuckles at you as it worsens the situation, heading straight for your bladder as punishment for calling it overpriced.

Wow it’s really easy to take a depression nap when nobody can accidentally stumble into your napping-room. You’ve got to be quick with the nap when it’s in the office printer room. But when it’s in your own locked bedroom? How long until it’s not a nap anymore? 10 hours? 12? How long until your boss reports you missing?



Turns out your boss won’t report you missing until it’s been like, days.

Tag urself, I’m #caffeineaddiction.