Goblin Life CoachHow to embrace goblin mode (on purpose).
Goblin mode is, in Oxford's words, behaviour that's “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy” and rejects social norms — their Word of the Year for 2022. Embracing it on purpose means treating it as honest rest and self-acceptance instead of shame: you let the feral comfort restore you, and you keep it from tipping into a spiral. That's the whole move.
What is goblin mode?
Goblin mode is a “type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.” Oxford named it Word of the Year in 2022 — its first-ever public vote, won with 318,956 of more than 340,000 votes (about 93%). In plain terms: goblin mode is rest without an apology.
Sweatpants at 3pm. Cold pizza for breakfast. Dishes left where they are. It's the part of you that stops performing “fine” — and a goblin knows that part well.
Where did “goblin mode” come from? (and the Julia Fox myth)
The phrase turned up on Twitter as early as 2009, but it went viral in February 2022 on the back of a fake: a doctored headline put the words “goblin mode” in actress Julia Fox's mouth about Kanye West. She never said it. The hoax spread, searches spiked, and the phrase stuck.
We bother mentioning this because most write-ups still repeat the fabricated quote as if it were real. Goblins prefer the true version, even when it's less tidy.
Is goblin mode actually healthy?
Both, depending. Cleveland Clinic psychologist Amy Sullivan, PsyD, notes that goblin mode can help you shift out of the “sympathetic nervous system” and into rest — a real way to recharge. The catch, in her words: when it “starts to affect your ability to function,” it has tipped into avoidance, and that's when to reach out for support.
So: rest, yes. Disappearing, no. The difference is whether the cave restores you or swallows you — and noticing that difference is a lot of what the work is about. (Coaching, to be clear, is not therapy or a substitute for mental-health care.)
Am I a goblin?
You might be a goblin if you're less interested in being palatable and more interested in what's real — if there's a feral, funny, slightly-savage part of you that you keep underground because the world isn't built for it. Goblins usually know. If you're asking, you might be one who hasn't said it out loud yet.
There's no test to pass and no box to fit. If something here is quietly nodding along, that's your answer. See what this is →
Goblin mode vs. goblincore vs. gremlincore
A quick field guide. Goblin mode is a behaviour — unapologetic rest and mess, a temporary state you drop into. Goblincore is an aesthetic — a love of nature's overlooked, “ugly” bits: frogs, moss, mushrooms, shiny found things. Gremlincore is its more chaotic, mischief-forward cousin. One is how you act; the others are how you decorate.
Goblin life coaching is about the first one — the behaviour, and the part of you it comes from.
How to embrace goblin mode without the spiral
A few honest moves: time-box the feral comfort so it ends and actually restores you; let rest be the point, not a guilty pause; and stop performing “okay” when you're not. The goal isn't to goblin less. It's to goblin on purpose — so it gives you energy back instead of quietly taking it.
That “on purpose” part is most of what a session is for. See how the work actually works →
What goblin life coaching is (and isn't)
Goblin life coaching is one honest thing: a $250, one-to-one online session for goblins who want more from life. It's informed by Internal Family Systems and somatic, body-based practices — but it's coaching, not therapy, and not a substitute for mental-health care. No packages, no subscriptions, a few openings at a time.
If you're a goblin, come play.
Sources
- Oxford University Press — “Goblin mode” named Word of the Year 2022 (public vote; 318,956 of 340,000+ votes). Reported by Smithsonian Magazine and PBS NewsHour, 2022.
- The fabricated Julia Fox headline and the term's spread — Know Your Meme.
- Amy Sullivan, PsyD, on goblin mode and rest — Cleveland Clinic.