The World Feels Like It’s Ending, But We Still Need Some F*cking Whimsy

Part of my job is keeping track of what’s trending, and, specifically, what people are searching for. And trust me when I tell you that the search data never ceases to amaze me. Google intel can get weird. So it shouldn’t have surprised me to discover that the word “whimsy” is at an all-time search high, or that “year of whimsy” is apparently a top breakout search in the past month. But for a minute, it threw me. After all, looking around, the state of the world is about as far from whimsical as you can get.

Yet, people are actively searching “how to add more whimsy to your life” and wondering about “whimsy goals.” Which feels… almost absurd. Also, though, completely correct?

Yes, it feels like the world is ending — but we all still need some f*cking whimsy.

With the anxiety of just existing in 2026, it makes sense that people aren’t Googling about productivity. Financial advice? In this economy? Pass. You’ve gotta have money to save money, brother.

Instead, when everything feels heavy and awful, what we’re all craving is a little lightness. Play. Color. A sense of delight during a time when delight feels like it’s on the brink of extinction.

So much is required of us in times like these: resilience, grit, adaptability. Those things are all good and necessary in the face of so much adversity. But resilience without relief eventually always turns to exhaustion, and exhaustion can make you numb.

Then you’ve got whimsy, which asks almost nothing of us. It gives us permission to seek out joy and beauty and pleasure. To do something entirely unnecessary on purpose.

Every single day, I get overwhelmed by the awful headlines. Many of us are just ramming our heads against the wall, wondering when someone will be able to right this sinking ship. Are we headed toward World War III? Another Civil War? How can people watch what’s happening and not be utterly repulsed?

When that becomes the daily baseline, it’s so easy to feel like we aren’t allowed to be happy. Like, how often any more do you catch yourself in a moment of levity — laughing with a friend, or enjoying some downtime — and feel guilty for it?

Shame for not being able to do more. Shame for not speaking up more. Shame for being happy and relaxed when so many people are literally fighting for their lives.

But one thing we need to remind ourselves is that joy is an act of resistance, too. Whimsy isn’t about ignoring reality, because we all know how bad things are. We’re seeking out whimsy as, sure, a survival mechanism, but also as a beautiful little rebellion.

The world that we knew and the lives we lived will never be the same as they were before. And if things are going to get worse before they get better, you best believe I’m going to be stealing every single second of joy I can find. I’m going to love the hell out of this life, and romanticize every stupid little detail I can. I’m going to eat on the fancy china and light the mantel candles even when no one is coming over and splurge on that overpriced dessert I’ve been dying to try.

When the world feels like it’s ending, whimsy isn’t frivolous. It’s proof that we’re still human. It almost feels radical in a society where so many people seem to have lost sight of their humanity.

So, yes, everything is on fire. But we still need some f*cking whimsy.