How to Find Work You Love (and Stop Dreading Mondays)

Collage: on the left, a girl at home in a pink sweater, smiling with her laptop and toys; on the right, the same girl in a formal office suit, serious face, surrounded by papers and tech. A contrast between home and office work vibes.
From office life to doing my own thing: my story

Does work feel like pure suffering to you? Wondering how to find something you actually enjoy and stop burning out? This is a full guide on how to find yourself.

When I left my office job and started working from home, most people I knew thought I was nuts. “Lazy, wasting her time,” they’d say. Blogging? Freelancing? Remote work? For them, that wasn’t a “real” job. But I’m not mooching off my husband or binge-watching Netflix all day—I’m building my own projects and earning my own living. In this post, I’ll share how I found work I love and stopped suffering at work (even if nobody believed I could).

Continue reading “How to Find Work You Love (and Stop Dreading Mondays)”

Why do I feel envious when scrolling through social media?

Envy on social media, a woman with an envious expression on her face
Emotion: “Envy”

Why do I feel envious when scrolling through social media? From a young age, we’re taught to compare ourselves to others — who gets better grades, who has cooler toys, who’s faster. And when your self-esteem wobbles, those flawless photos and polished videos online can throw you off balance. Filtered beauty, love frozen in a perfect frame, wealth flaunted next to a rented car. They’ve got it all, and here we are — breaking our favorite mug.

Other people’s lives look like an ad, while ours feel like bloopers. It’s a carnival over there — and we’re stuck in a swamp of “should” and “don’t want to.”

So we purse our lips, feel angry, maybe even cry. But we’ve simply forgotten that we made up their life stories in our heads. Everyone’s playing this game… Continue reading “Why do I feel envious when scrolling through social media?”

Please!

Girl with flowers in nature, smiling at the camera
Flowers suit me. Or maybe my face just fits the flowers?

This is the era of social media, where everyone’s a god or a king. The virtual happiness exhibit is open to all — free of charge and perfect for feeding the ego. I’m so happy! My life is amazing! I’m successful — look, I’ve got a fancy car, jewelry, and tons of friends! Everyone loves me! I’m respected. I’m valuable. I’m a good person.

Please.

Just look how amazing I am. I’ve got more likes than that girl from high school. And I’m thinner — thanks to some good FaceTune. My teeth? App-whitened. My family? See this photo — everyone’s smiling, and most importantly, they *love* me. Because I meet their expectations. I’m a good one. Continue reading “Please!”

How to Finish What You Start (and Stop Feeling Like a Loser)

Shtukensia holding a pink notebook against a green wall
Jotting down my goals

“I’ve dropped everything again” — hey there! Ever found yourself feeling down, thinking: “Why can’t I ever finish what I start?”

Of course you have! We all do it. We kick things off full of energy, totally hyped, and then — bam! — the spark’s gone. Poof.

So. Today, we’re digging into how to actually finish what you start, even if you’re the self-proclaimed leader of the “Drop Everything Club.” Continue reading “How to Finish What You Start (and Stop Feeling Like a Loser)”

Feelings That Don’t Exist in Cats (and Possibly in Crocodiles)

Unlike cats and crocodiles, humans can feel more than just what makes logical sense. We have a whole bouquet of weird feelings that seemingly lead nowhere. You can’t run, you can’t hide, you can’t eat. You just sit in the kitchen, sipping tea… and suddenly feel sad about the Renaissance. Even though you’ve never lived in that era.

🎭 Two Levels of Feelings: Animal and Human

The first level is instinctive

These are the feelings every creature understands. You’re tired — sleep. In pain — run away. See candy — eat. Feel threatened — get angry or strike. It’s the basic firmware. Even a snail knows to curl up when poked with a stick.

These feelings are simple and honest, like a baby’s: “I DON’T LIKE IT!” or “I WANT IT!”. They’re almost impossible to control. Even if you’re a Zen Buddhist, you’ll still flinch from a loud clap behind your back.

The second level is social and imaginative

This is where our signature human surrealism kicks in. Human feelings can not only arise on their own — they can be triggered by thoughts and images, often made-up ones.

1) Socially-learned feelings

(cue dramatic music)

You weren’t born with guilt. It came later — from parents, school, TV shows, and of course, the internet. As a kid, you broke someone’s toy and just walked away. Then someone said, “Aren’t you ashamed?!” — and bam, guilt appeared.

These feelings — shame, duty, guilt, pity, embarrassment, pride — are kind of hardwired into us by society. We learn them to fit in and avoid making people want to kick us out of the cave. Even if the cave is a third-floor office with no elevator.

👉 Philosophers call this internalization of norms — you take external rules and make them your own. Like someone uploaded them into your brain, and now you’re your own supervisor.

2) Imaginary and image-based feelings

(cue the Interstellar soundtrack)

This is the advanced level. You feel sad about the weather in London even though you’ve never been there. Or you feel admiration for an artist who died 300 years before you were born. These feelings — sadness, sorrow, grief, admiration, happiness, love, infatuation, envy — don’t come from outside stimuli, but from an image in your head.

And here’s where the magic happens. For example:

  • You look at a painting and suddenly feel like crying. Even though it’s just canvas and paint.
  • Or you read a novel, and your heart flutters with infatuation. Even though you know the character is fictional, and, spoiler alert, dies in the next chapter (sorry).
  • Or you feel envious of someone living in a Japanese house, sipping matcha from a real cup. Even though you don’t even drink tea.

👉 These feelings are not necessary, but they make life richer. They’re like spices: you can live without them, but it’s boring.

Freud would say it’s the result of the secondary process of thinking — a complex architecture of associations and images we build from experience, culture, and imagination.

🎮 Can Feelings Be Controlled?

  • Instinctive — barely. At most, you can learn not to scream in pain and pretend everything’s fine (thanks, Stoicism).
  • Social feelings — can be reprogrammed. You can rethink your morals, go through a few existential crises, and start feeling shame for different things than what you were taught.
  • Imaginative feelings — can be caught and played with like an artist. Not suppressed, but used. In creativity, self-reflection, love.

🪞 But Why Feel All This at All?

It seems like half our feelings are just extra weight. Why should anyone feel envy, or sadness about the meaning of life, or mourn a fictional breakup in a TV show? Life would be easier without them.

But these very extra feelings are what make us human. They let us see another person not just as a body, but as an inner world. To empathize, to imagine, to build relationships not just by “you have food — I’m staying”, but on some weird, almost magical level.

Thanks to these feelings, we get:

  • books that give you chills;
  • films that leave you speechless for half an hour;
  • poems you recite from memory on the subway;
  • talks that last till morning;
  • inner revelations that change us forever.

If we only had reflexes, we wouldn’t ask questions. But with thoughts and images comes existence — all the stuff that makes articles like this one possible.

So if you ever suddenly feel a random sadness or a burst of inspiration from a falling ray of light — don’t push it away. You’re just human. Your brain is working. Congrats.

💡 Conclusion

A human is a unique creature capable of crying over a commercial, falling for a fictional character, and envying someone’s life without knowing if it’s even real. That makes us weird — but beautiful.

As the philosopher might say: “A human is an animal that suffers from thoughts.”

And as I might say: Sometimes it’s sad, but beautiful. And tea tastes better when you’re sad with lemon.

Paint for Green Screen and Blue Screen: How to Create the Perfect DIY Video Background

How to Paint a Wall for Green Screen and Blue Screen: Our DIY Home Studio Experience

In this article, I’ll share how we created green and blue screen walls in our apartment. I’ll explain the difference between the colors, which paint we used, how to apply it, and how to set up lighting — all based on our personal experience. Continue reading “Paint for Green Screen and Blue Screen: How to Create the Perfect DIY Video Background”

Female Logic: Irrational, Abstract, Yet Surprisingly Effective

As strange as it may sound, female logic is also logic. Just… different. Irrational. Associative. Abstract. And, surprisingly — often effective.

What do we even mean by logic?

Classical logic is strict, full of formulas, cause-and-effect. “If A, then B.” Pretty straightforward. That’s what they teach in philosophy departments, the foundation of math, programming, and every boring (sorry, precise) way of thinking. Continue reading “Female Logic: Irrational, Abstract, Yet Surprisingly Effective”

Creative Person: Who They Are, Traits, Psychology, and Philosophy

A creative person is not just someone who draws cute cats or writes poems at night. It’s a special type of personality whose head is packed with more ideas than socks in a drawer.

Want to find out who a creative person is, what their traits are, and what psychology and philosophy say about them? Grab a cup of white tea — I’m sharing my insights. Continue reading “Creative Person: Who They Are, Traits, Psychology, and Philosophy”

Did I grow up — or did I just imagine it? Why a grown woman is seen as immature when she stays true to herself

Have you ever noticed that even the most cold-hearted people often soften up when they see children — even if they’re not their own? But even the kindest, warmest-hearted people tend to be less fond of adults, no matter how sweet they are. When you’re a child, you attract attention, people love to teach you things, give you gifts, try to impress or make you laugh. They’re kind and indulgent with you. Continue reading “Did I grow up — or did I just imagine it? Why a grown woman is seen as immature when she stays true to herself”

New Year’s Tale

New Year is a magical time!

I remember how I used to wait for presents from Ded Moroz, how I loved staying up late on New Year’s Eve, not falling asleep, eating Olivier salad, hoping to make it to the cake. Tangerines, salami, singers, comedians, the president’s speech, presents… and the Christmas tree was glowing. I especially loved the lantern — a beautiful holiday lantern with a ball made of thin threads sticking out of it, the tips glowing gently.

And I had a dog. One time, we had a real tree, and my dog jumped onto it and got completely covered in needles, breaking a brand-new shiny ornament. Oh, what a commotion that was! And grandma would always say it was a mistake to get a dog, because she had to walk him, wash his paws, and deal with all the fuss. Continue reading “New Year’s Tale”

How am I doing in Israel?

Out of the fire and into the flame. Moving again. Emergency housing switch. Left without belongings or a warm meal — suddenly making new acquaintances. Don’t have a hundred things, have three neighbors.

And now I have a hot plate, a microwave, a huge table, and four office chairs. Sitting on the balcony, it’s sunny, +25 °C, fresh mountain air. Something’s buzzing — first in one ear, then the other. They’re flying around. Continue reading “How am I doing in Israel?”

9 Years Together ✅ Our Love Story

The day of our wedding — the happiest moment
Our wedding, 2013

There’s something so comforting about revisiting our wedding memories — like a cozy little flashback for the soul. This May 9th, 2025, we celebrated nine years together as a couple and our second wedding anniversary. The wedding itself? It happened on May 7th — seven years after we first got together.

We came up with a little tradition that still makes me smile: each year, we move our anniversary date forward by one day so that the number of the day matches the number of years we’ve been together. So this year, it was May 9th for nine years. Next year? It’ll be May 10th — ten years strong. I jotted down this quirky system to make sure I don’t forget (because let’s be real, memory is a trickster). But let me walk you through it from the beginning…
Continue reading “9 Years Together ✅ Our Love Story”