Make Your Damn Bed

Do the prep work, then forget about it. You’re more likely to be able to handle whatever the universe throws at you if you’re already ready to handle what was expected.  It’s less stress to prepare for a mess than it is to be surprised by one.Most of the time, I am proud to be the prepared friend. My official @MYDBPodcast tote bag is never lacking on snacks, lotions, hot sauces, or pens. I carry a sewing kit, and I’ve typically mapped the place and scoped the menu a few times before we arrive. If they do reservations, I will call them on the way to make sure we’re not forced to wait any more than we have to. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SPECIAL EPISODE: Evening wind down guided meditation. Take and adapt this lil wind-down to fit your needs! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SPECIAL EPISODE: this is an adaptable guided meditation to help you wake up in the morning and recharge with positive, warm energy for the best possible start to your day! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

if you’re like me - and you have ever felt resistance or a sense of overwhelm with trying to convince yourself that you need to meditate and seem to struggle sitting down for three to five minutes at a time, and cant quite understand why? I get it, bc I’ve been there. Quite a bit. And in my experience, the best way around that resistance is to remind yourself that meditation is not a time to DO meditation and all the other pre-assigned definitions of the word - you’re kinda defeating the purpose of the damn practice in itself, which is to release expectations.So, instead of stressing out finding the right insight timer, or worrying about how hard it’s gonna be to clear your head, or how much you don’t feel like focusing on your breathing, drop all that shit and just focus on showing up as you are. Switch from “damn, i should get up and go meditate” towards “I love the time and peace I get to create through taking time and space for myself by doing and being nothing for a few moments every day.” For me, personally, when even the idea of meditating is off-putting, i don’t tempt fate by wrestling with finding the right guided voice - I simply turn on the timer on my phone and breathe. If I struggle to focus on my breath and it’s not a good vibe - I toggle between two mindfulness strategies that my friend Casey introduced me. Because typically if I am unable to focus on my breath for more than a minute it’s a signal for me that it’s a good time to either release something or fill my cup up a bit cuz I am running on empty. Depending on what I need more of in that moment, I kinda vibe with an internal guided monologue which I want to encourage you to listen through the one I will be sharing with you so you can create your own version that feels right.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In my opinion, the only true, long term solution to not wanting to stay in bed all day, and that is to create genuine motivation to get your ass out of bed and begin your day. Obviously knowing you have to do taxes wont get you out of bed but knowing you have a zoom friend date with some grocery store sushi and a bestie from middle school this evening is far more likely to get your ass amped for making moves. Focus on the parts that sound good. I don’t like making my bed but I love having a tidy space, so I focus on that. I don’t like showering but I like feeling clean and smelling good, so I focus on that. I don’t like making breakfast but I love housing it. So I focus on that. Figuring out what truly gets you going, isn’t easy. It’s a lifelong journey of trial and error and a bit of discomfort for most people - but a good place to start is anywhere. So just start looking, figure out what works and try to have a bit of fun in the process. Life is not meant to be all work and no play. But if you’ve ever done too much play and not enough quality work - you know you can also get burnt out with that too. Find your balance. Ideally you can work towards creating work and play that suits you in a way that makes it easier to get out of bed and get your day started. When we create a good mix of both fun and purpose, we feel more balanced in general and less resentful that one isn’t the other.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it’s time to start moving there are a variety of tactics I find myself cycling through to effectively get myself off my ass and in a better energetic mindset for the day. Some ways to help you get out of bed: MYDB PODCAST: Listen to the Make Your Damn Bed Podcast + practice associating it with starting your day.PLAYLIST: Put on a hype up/game day playlist and blast it. BLAST OFF: count down 3-2-1 and bounce up on the 1. BUG DROP: Imagine bug on you, get up with a jolt + scream. SHAKE OUT: Start shaking + wiggling until your energy rises. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you want to participate in discourse get educated if you’d like to have opinions. Ideally you are only listening to multiple Reputable sources from different organizations and areas and are as unbiased and unsponsored as possible.  then - if you have the capacity to do something to help in any way - which I have to be honest, I don’t know that writing our alderman is really gonna work on this one so if you have suggestions, I’m all ears and down to do what I can to fight the good fight - but once you’ve researched, educated, and done what you can to be of support, you gotta set it down. That shit is heavy and will weigh you down in ways you don’t even know if you aren’t careful. If you are safe, currently, and have the privilege to set it down, please do so.  Get to know when you’re starting to burn out. Recognize signs of obsession, fatigue, burnout, fear, anxiety, and take breaks. Schedule and stick to times you will and wont research and discuss this shit, etc. and so on. Whatever you need to prevent burnout so you can be the most well rounded, protected and accounted for version of yourself is always gonna outweigh being the the most profoundly educated or motivated. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I believe, in general, if bad news or even just the idea of news genuinely incapacitates you from life and you cant deal with learning or knowing or watching or doing anything that makes you feel heavy, fuck it. You are under no obligation to learn or know or watch or cater to anything heavy for a while.  Nobody is checking you to ask what you know or what you don’t know about current events. Don’t feel guilty if you need to sit this one out. Maybe check in with the real world once in a while because if you want to function and also sustain boundaries in our society it’s always helpful to be informed, but if you really do need to sit a couple weeks of news cycles, do that shit. If you never need to look at the news again, great. Boycott it. People survive in this world all the time without knowing a damn thing about a damn thing and we are none the wiser. Do whats best for you. That said, if you are more on the cusp of this concept and, like a lot of people, see the value and maybe even like to know what’s happening in the world but still struggle with how and how much and when and where and all that shit, this is for you. And if you are like the person above that really does believe learning about the current conditions of the social and environmental climate is genuinely not worth your time, I encourage you to listen anyway because I may have snuck in a few nuggets of wisdom for you, too. Lemme start by saying, there are a lot of valid reasons to want to avoid the outside world. Maybe You’re like me and you are a very sensitive sally and when everything sucks and hurts out there, it also sucks and hurts in here. If this is you, too. I’m telling you, I get it. That said - we really gotta learn boundaries so we can feel safe when life happens and not feel like wee have to hide all the time. Because we really gotta know the bullshit so we can better understand the bullshit if we want to have any chance of figuring out how to how prevent, stay out, and help others out of the bullshit if we do have ANY window of control, which most tragedies don’t allow for but regardless, knowing the basics of whats going on is typically something that makes me feel slightly more in control. So, whatever your thing is - find your motivation to learn about shit way we can continue to feel in the loop but not bound by it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be raw when you can because it shows others they can be raw too and it also shows the world it’s okay to need shit, to not be perfect, to have blemishes, and make mistakes. Life is nuanced - what you compare yourself to should be too! Don’t get stuck in echo chambers of single minded, neutral looking, straight sized bodies. Diversify, branch out of your comfort zone, and be more objective with the content you’re digesting and letting into your baseline of comparison. Whatever your passion is, keep doing it. Don’t waste time chasing after success or comparing yourself to others. Every flower blooms at a different pace. Excel at doing what your passion is and only focus on perfecting it. Eventually people will see what you are great at doing and if you are truly great success will come chasing after you. - Suzy Kassem. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Had a great revelation during the recording session of the relative comparative baseline series and wanted to share it with y'all! I am spending a lot of time findin' the right balance that works best for my style and preferences and most optimized results. With trial and error, I find more and more things that I find surprising to admit they genuinely bring me joy. Who would've thought bringing a broom to the workspace could make a girl so excited to work?Back to the finale of the series for relative baseline comparison, tomorrow! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.