The Next Big Idea How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay
5 snips
Apr 6, 2026 
Jenny Lawson, author and humorist known as The Bloggess, shares tiny, lived-tools for coping with depression, anxiety, and chronic illness. She talks about why she wrote a tools-first book, using humor to tackle hard topics, simple communication tricks with teens, ways to avoid doomscrolling, and small rituals that help you reach ‘okay’ instead of chasing happiness.
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Use Micro Hacks During Executive Dysfunction
- Favor small, idiosyncratic micro-tips over long prescriptive step lists when in crisis.
- Lawson writes brief weird hacks that she can actually use during executive dysfunction rather than 14-step programs she can't follow.
Mortification Turns Into Community
- Mortifying stories create empathy and bonding when shared publicly.
- Lawson tweeted an embarrassing plane moment and thousands replied with their own mortifying tales, which she later anthologized.
Use A One To Five Mood Scale
- Use a simple one-to-five scale to let someone signal mood quickly without conversation workarounds.
- Lawson used it with her child to track patterns; recording scores revealed triggers like sleep and walks that lifted mood.
