Make Your Damn Bed

Your goals don’t always have to be productive or capitalistic or important at all. In fact, I think it’s healthy as hell to have ridiculous, goofy ass goals - just for you. If you want to watch every show or film that Melissa McCarthy has touched, set your eye on the prize, pull up that IMDB resume and write yourself up a lil bingo card. If you want to travel to every pizzeria within a 12 mile radius and rank them so you can pull out your educated suggesties at any given moment - start that list. They made a whole ass movie with Meryl Streep on this concept - you can’t tell me baking your way through Julia Child’s cookbook isn’t a silly + adorable ass goal turned side-hustle. Do you want to learn every lyric to the first Weird Al discography? Go for it. Life doesn’t have to be a constant hustle and a good way to remind ourselves of that is to interject the challenging accomplishments with the “unnecessary” ones. You’re allowed to chase the shit that calls you - even if the thing that calls you is not deemed “lucrative” by our society. There’s something charming about finding out your accountant knows every local species of tree or your barista has been to every Marvel Movie premiere in their lifetime. So yeah, if you know how to solve climate change but today you would rather listen to every prince album, maybe you can do a little of column A and a little of column B for the good of humanity - but if you never give yourself a chance to chase the silly shit that calls you, you’ll be less likely to accomplish the “quality” shit in good time anyway. Let yourself enjoy the spice of life, even if the spice you choose doesn’t sound good to people who don’t have your refined palate. When we give ourselves the space to enjoy the goofy shit, we get better at enjoying the not so goofy shit. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastThe opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Truly, if you get into the practice of giving yourself a few conscious seconds at the end of each “segment” or “task” you approach - just to restore everything to its original state - you’ll realize how much weight and power you were giving to things that didn’t deserve them. Take control of your space by ensuring it functions for you. Set up systems to help you create practices that make tidying less dreadful of a task, and more of an integral part of the system. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One way to feel less bogged down by cleaning - is to integrate it into your process. Instead of viewing the “clean up” as it’s own chore, or a separate activity, begin integrating it into the last stage of whatever activity you’ve just completed. Often, we don’t feel up to confronting our clutter because the idea of “tidying” is a distinct, intense, dreaded process that can be put off. The thing is, clutter and dust compound, so I don’t advocate for letting it pile up - since that will create even more resistance to the idea of tackling it. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

next time you find yourself in need of validation and would like to receive that sense of deep connection within your own headspace, try getting out of yours and into someone else’s. When we share, share, share, we naturally hesitate as we await a response of some type. Depending on that response, we feel more or less connected to the people we were aiming to connect with. Which ultimately means we’re putting our well-being and value in the hands of others who are ill-equipped to handle it. This is why I encourage you to find ways to connect with them in a way to make them feel understood and seen; instead of solely depending on others to do all the understanding for you. Basically, it’s easier to see than to be seen. Plus, by taking the time to really see and hear others, we model how we’d like to be seen and heard in return. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I know for me, when I fall in love, it’s so easy to want to share every little aspect of my day with my person, to let them see me experience fully, and keep me company throughout every second of it. That said, no matter how well I share my experience, it doesn’t guarantee the other person will understand fully - as it’s not their own. So, when I am craving a deeper connection with my partner, instead of offering the same information as a way to let them in, I put offers out to them to encourage letting me in, instead. I ask questions, I listen, and I allow myself the space to join them where they are. This practice not only helps me understand my partner more clearly, but it also puts the ball in my court - when it comes to feeling more deeply connected. When they show me them, it’s my choice to volley back with interest + respect. By making the choice to lean in and return the ball - it encourages them to continue sharing with me AND it makes me feel more aligned with them. Surprisingly, this fulfills that deep desire for connection in a way that doesn’t feel as challenging as asking others to fully understand every aspect of you in your current space. We are able to take control of the connection by digging deeper where it feels right and aiming to understand and love more fully - which is the whole damned point of connection in the first place. By letting people show you their worlds - we are able to see them more clearly, as three dimensional, well-rounded human beings - rather than trapped in whatever boxes we created for them. By choosing to join them in their world, we connect more deeply with their values. This makes it easier to show up for them. It makes it easier to see them. And it makes it easier for them to feel seen by us. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Understanding that movement is a tool meant to help us feel at home in our bodies can alleviate stress on our minds. By using a form of intentional movement, you let your intuition guide you towards what you need. If you need to get your blood flowing with a little cathartic high energy movement, follow your heart and see how the perception of the situation that got you there changes as you finish. If you just need to lie down and stretch, slowly integrating deeper breathing into your body, that works too. Every day, every situation, every nuance in our mental state may demand slightly different reactions. Start small, change it up if you need to, and don’t put pressure on how you do it, how much you do it, or how well you do it. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Andrew Huberman from Stanford University on his podcast, Huberman Lab, coined a breath work exercise a “physiological sigh”. These Physiological sighs are two quick inhalations followed by a slower exhalation and we can do it voluntarily to trigger the physiological response of regulated, calm, and balanced in a very efficient way. By using this technique, we offload more carbon dioxide which triggers the brain to bring alertness and stress down quickly and provide a state of calm almost immediately. RESOURCE: https://www.lifehack.org/928179/what-is-breathworkWATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one is something we have access to all the time, and with it, we can quickly elicit various desired physiological responses based on how we choose to focus our attention. Today we’re talking about the magic of our breath. According to lifehack.org - “Breathwork is an umbrella term that relates to the practice of consciously manipulating the depth and rate of breathing to achieve a specific outcome.[1][2]RESOURCE: https://www.lifehack.org/928179/what-is-breathworkWATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are some pretty dope ways we can hack our minds that can help us avoid some of that pain and suffering - if we learn how to do it. Our brains are like computers and some rewiring will take a long time, while sometimes all you needed was a quick program update. One of those is through cold water therapy. Whether you completely immerse yourself in a cold shower/bath/lake, or you dip your face into an ice bath for a few seconds, cold water can activate your parasympathetic nervous system - that default mode network that kind of puts us on auto-pilot and moves us into a more conscious, calm, and regulated state. Research suggests that a program of short cold showers, two times per day, decreased participants (who were diagnoses with depression) depressive symptoms. I’ve heard cold water plunges work for hangovers, as well. RESOURCES:  https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-science-behind-cold-water-plunges + https://menprovement.com/benefits-of-cold-showers/ WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being able to condense intimidating things that I’ve been dreading to a post-it note has reinstated a sense of control over these tasks. Plus, it made me realize I was trying to overlap some things that were meant to be two different sticky notes all along.WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comBUY SOME MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/make-your-damn-bed-podcast?ref_id=27657TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.