Make Your Damn Bed

Julie Merica
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Oct 25, 2025 • 6min

1589 || the list for getting unstuck || throwback

ENJOY THIS THROWBACK EPISODE FROM DAY 751, BEFORE THE NEW SERIES DROPS ON MONDAY - Make a list of all the shit you're good at + a list of all the good shit in your life + all the shit that bothers you about your life.Using the first two lists, attempt to solve the last list and bingo-bango you've got yourself a lil action plan template.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.
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Oct 24, 2025 • 10min

1588 || why learning sucks

Curiosity is fragile. Learning is difficult as hell. Our brains are built for efficiency, not thinking. We can trick our brains into motivation by worrying about the difficulty of the challenge, rather than the topic or the content. We rely on our memories more than our thinking brain. According to Daniel Willingham's book, "Why Students Don’t Like School?" "Thinking occurs when you combine information (from the environment and from long-term memory) in new ways. That combination happens in working memory." SOURCES: Read Daniel's article for yourself, here: https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/WILLINGHAM%282%29.pdfCheck out his website + other work: http://www.danielwillingham.com/books.htmlOr read this synopsis of the book: https://classteaching.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/why-dont-students-like-school/Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.
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Oct 23, 2025 • 9min

1587 || a silly + true teacher story

Some of the lessons I prioritize, still: Stop being so hard on yourself when you’re struggling to learn or master or understand something new. You’re actually doing a great job as a learner. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, trying, messing up, learning. If you knew already, you wouldn’t be learning anymore. Learning is impossible to mess up, unless you give up. It’s supposed to be challenging - but that doesn’t have to mean frustrating. Take your time to be a learner. Tests are hard for some of us, but that doesn’t mean you’re dumb. Judge a fish by ability to climb a tree, and all that. Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.
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Oct 22, 2025 • 8min

1586 || some of my teacher stories || birthday episode

And that’s the beauty of math, right? There are many ways to get there, but there is one answer.It’s tidy, if you’re tidy. It’s also why I hate math - because I am not the tidiest worker. I try to be, and am training myself to be so I can enjoy the process of things more, and actually invest in the process as much as the outcome, but when I was younger and sometimes still, I really don’t have time for poorly worded instructions, and I tend to rush through shit if I don’t see the point in it.Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.
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Oct 21, 2025 • 9min

1585 || dirt in a cog

Dirt in a cog is a way to embody resistance. It focuses on slowing down, jamming up, creating little bits of friction that make it difficult to keep attacking our citizens effectively. We need all types of resistance, don't think there are limits to your modes of resistance. Make fascism hard. Don't normalize the violence we're seeing. Keep showing your community + your country that you aren't going to lie down and watch it burn. You don't have to wait for one big act of revolutionary change to start pushing back. You can push back against the shift in everyday actions + choices, if you know where to look. THE "DIRT IN A COG" ZINE: https://invisiblehistory.org/dirt-in-a-cog-zine/Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.
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Oct 20, 2025 • 9min

1584 || the next best choice

Joy is part of the practice. When you can't find it and don't know where to start? Start small. Start by reminding yourself that joy still exists, and it's a frequency vibrating right above our heads, and if we can just poke our heads out of this damned hole, we can find it - tap into it, and use it like the resource it is. Pay attention to the glimmers that make you feel seen. The goal is to make the next best choice. Reclaim your agency by starting with fun, whimsy, and joy. Inspirational stuff that has helped to pry me from my funk lately: DIRT IN A COG VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyU50dserEYCHAOTIC GUIDE TO MAKING STUFF INSTEAD OF DOOMSCROLLING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n8W6CBxc64&t=102sRADICAL NEIGHBORING VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dynQV-oKM0EResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.
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Oct 19, 2025 • 10min

1583 || tactical frivolity (joy is our way out)

Tactical frivolity is what happens when you use humor, whimsy, and joy to make those in power look ridiculous. It flips the script and reclaims agency. The optics matter, the message matters, and how the message arrives matters. So get involved, stop leaning into despair, and flip that damned script. Get some joy in your resistance. It's exactly what the world needs right now. Threads: https://www.threads.com/@eorlins/post/DP8wkOgDfyt/have-you-heard-of-tactical-frivolityits-one-of-my-favorite-forms-of-protesttactiLeeja Miller's Video on Tactical Frivolity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGiEhbaa8KoResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.
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Oct 18, 2025 • 9min

1582 || mental gymnastics (and how to stop)

Beliefs require faith, rationality requires flexibility. Unless your belief is rooted in rationality, these things can conflict.Refusing to acknowledge or label something doesn’t make it go away, but it does take your power away from being able to confront or address it.Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.
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Oct 17, 2025 • 9min

1581 || analysis paralysis

Our brains have a tendency to over-value the effect of TINY inconsequential differences when comparing options. Distinction bias is a cognitive bias that causes people to overestimate how different their options are when they compare them to each other rather than evaluating them independently, against some absolute standard. This bias often leads to an exaggerated perception of the differences between options. - ClearerThinking.orgDistinction Bias effects: https://www.clearerthinking.org/post/distinction-bias-definition-examples-and-effectsDistinction Bias Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinction_biasNir's take on Distinction Bias: https://www.nirandfar.com/distinction-bias/Reddit's solutions: https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/1ig89cd/anyone_else_agonize_over_decisions_and_then_end/Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.
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Oct 14, 2025 • 9min

1580 || contrast effect

The contrast effect is a bias where the perception of something is distorted by being compared to something else, making the differences between them seem greater than they are. SOURCES: BUSTER BENSON'S MEDIUM POST: https://medium.com/@buster/cognitive-bias-cheat-sheet-55a472476b18Contrast effect: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrast_effect#:~:text=%5Bclarification%20needed%5D-,Domains,The%20checker%20shadow%20illusionAnchoring Bias: https://medium.com/illumination/anchoring-bias-how-your-mind-tricks-you-into-wrong-decisions-c60b1ef8728eMore biases here: Bizarreness effect, Humor effect, Von Restorff effect, Negativity bias, Publication bias, Omission biasAnchoring effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_effectResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The 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.

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