Claire Hopple

In case you haven’t noticed, food elitism did not go out with the abolishment of the food pyramid. But before you call your broccoli a power-hungry classist, make sure you know your basic facts.

Sure, happiness is too abstract a concept to measure perfectly, and it’s safe to say that a serious case of the Mondays can find you no matter what poorly drawn boundaries you’ve planted yourself within. Still, an environment can make a significant impact on your overall mood.

You don’t need to be diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder to experience the negative effects of the colder, darker days. Every year, it’s like we’re all shocked about just how early it can get dark, wondering where the sun went as if we’ve never gone through winter before. To ease into this time of year and not get wiped out by the crueler side of Mother Nature, here are a few tactics to try.

If you’re unsure of your favorite, take a look at the shades dominating your closet, the common color found in your accent pillows and decor, the paint on your walls, perhaps the car in your driveway. These can be helpful hints, but your favorite color could also just be what you’re generally drawn to out in the world.

You mention wanting to feast on a sweet stack of pancakes for Sunday brunch and the next time you open Instagram, there’s an IHOP ad star

It’s not that you don’t love the people calling you (unless you’re solely receiving spam calls), it’s just that you’d rather be with them. You think that the phone can’t replace seeing their faces, experiencing their presence in all the dimensions currently available to humans. And sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) you just need time to recharge by yourself. Why does that feel so wrong sometimes?

Good news: Festival season is upon us. Allow yourself to rock with the best of them by compiling your own crucial folk festival kit with these must-have items.

Strange, that bad mood of yours won’t disintegrate with someone shaking you and shouting “Snap out of it!” That alllllways does the trick.

Whether it’s moving to a different country, starting a new career in a completely different field, or even something tiny like how to compose that text to a friend or which movie to see, decisions big or small can wear you out before you even have a chance. Below are some questions to help you think through tough decisions. But first, keep in mind: no matter your choice, you will most likely be alive when it has run its course. And you will most likely still be you. Deep breaths. Keep reading.

Though most associate this blessed occasion with Frank Costanza boisterously shouting “A Festivus for the rest of us!” and attempting to wrestle his own son to the ground, Festivus has an even richer history than you might imagine. The list of Festivus supporters is continually growing and the event’s practices are evolving at a rapid clip.