Make Your Damn Bed

"The constant generation of novel and fantastic apocalyptic scenarios serves to extend the horizon for the arrival of the hellish conditions contained in dystopia - if oppression is a nebulous but ever-approaching threat, it’s perpetually obscured, lifted away into a sub-fictional ether. It needs not be interrogated, not now, anyway. Which is how power prefers it." - Brian Merchant RESOURCE: https...

The dystopia isn’t coming, it’s been here, and we’re finally starting to see it. Fictional dystopias are not imaginative horrors - they are reframed versions of lived experiences for marginalized communities. It's our job to recognize the reality that "looming dystopia" is already here for so many people, and it's our job to help those involved fight against it before it grows to envelope all of u...

"We must never forget the joy of doing something slow and something difficult, the satisfaction of not doing what is easiest." - Tim Wu THE SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/opinion/sunday/tyranny-convenience.html DONATE: www.pcrf.net GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL G...

"The burnt out don't need more alone time." - Ayesha Khan Ph. D. "A world where we are isolated is a world where it is easier to pit us against each other." - Luke Allen RESOURCE 1: https://wokescientist.substack.com/p/you-dont-need-to-fill-your-cup-first RESOURCE 2: https://substack.com/home/post/p-138757510?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web DONATE: www.pcrf.net GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAI...

Capitalism + consumer culture has taught us that independence = success, but what if our culture is wrong? What if community's inconveniences are less cumbersome than the inconveniences that come from isolation? DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Links GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTE...

"That's why it's hard to make friends when you're older," she said. "Friendship is rude." Her friend's eyes widened. "What?" "Think about it! When we're kids we decide who we like and stick by them no matter what. As adults, we're taught to be polite. But, friendship is an imposition— at least, I want it to be. Call me after nine o'clock. Don't think you'll ever wear out your welcome. Overshare, s...

Jia Tolentino said "We have not “optimized” our wages, our childcare system, our political representation; we still hardly even think of parity as realistic in those arenas, let alone anything approaching perfection. We have maximized our capacity as market assets. That’s all. For the way out, I think, we have to follow the cyborg. We have to be willing to be disloyal, to undermine. The cyborg is...

Jia Tolentino said "Figuring out how to “get better” at being a woman is a ridiculous and often amoral project – a subset of the larger, equally ridiculous, equally amoral project of learning to get better at life under accelerated capitalism. In these pursuits, most pleasures end up being traps, and every public-facing demand escalates in perpetuity. Satisfaction remains, under the terms of the s...

"Slow living is a conversation inherently steeped in  privilege . “So many systems are stacked against members of our society who are, in theory, desperate to slow down, but the structure of capitalism is built around burnout and scarcity,” explains DeVos. With this in mind, let's consider some strategies for practicing slow living in your life: Take it back to the origins of the movement and...

It’s their first time being a person too. Grief distorts reality. Joy is not passive. Done > perfect. The obstacles in your path are your path. Be a good parent to you. Instead of figuring it all out become fascinated with the process. You don’t have to be agreeable to be likable. Real happiness, contentment, life satisfaction, etc. is an inside job. Most shit comes back to balan...

17. People show love in many different ways. At some point, we have to understand that just because someone isn’t capable of communicating love in a healthy way doesn’t mean they don’t love you. But it also doesn’t mean you have to put up with it.  18. Romantic love is overrated. 19. You’re not better than anyone. Noone is better than you. Being further ahead than someone doesn’t disqual...

1. You get one body. Be kind to it. Whatever sucks about it (more than likely) doesn’t compare to what doesn’t suck about it. Learn to appreciate the badass vessel that it is + honor your commitment to it. You’re stuck with it, so you may as well get along with it.  2. You get one mind. See above. 3. You get one round at this life. How you spend your days is how you spend your life, so don’t...

Here's the 2024 compilation of articles from Vox, Atlantic, Medium, Linked in, and NYT, offering their advice from 2024. Stay tuned for mine! SOURCES: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/briefing/your-best-advice-of-2024.html https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2024/12/most-memorable-advice-2024/681125/ https://medium.com/mr-plan-publication/heres-some-advice-for-2024-if-you-re-in-your-...

I'm still a little under the weather but tomorrow I'm sharing advice from 2024 in preparation for 2025 so today, I thought I'd do a little recap of last year's episode featuring advice from 2023. The source: https://www.vox.com/even-better/23989636/best-expert-advice-2023 DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Links GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.m...

Gratitude is a practice that gains momentum as we do it. Slowing down takes brain power, which forces us to remember that this is worth the extra effort. Conscious awareness can transform routine into ritual. Slowing down frees up some time and opportunity to notice the magic. Rushing adds an extra layer of stress that causes chaos to snowball. Slowing down adds a buffer of leisure that causes pea...

Another re-release for the holiday. Hope you enjoy! GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME : www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT : www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON : www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast OR WATCH ON YOUTUB E: www.youtube.com/juliemerica   The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are inten...

Another re-release for the holiday. Hope you enjoy! GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME : www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT : www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON : www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast OR WATCH ON YOUTUB E: www.youtube.com/juliemerica   The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are inten...

1. Let go of winning.   2. Share your story and invite others to do the same.   3. Ask questions to understand.   4. Acknowledge the role of emotions.   5. When possible, seek common ground.   BY: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_to_have_more_constructive_disagreements   H = Hedge your claims , E = Emphasize agreement . A = Acknowledge the oppos...

(this is a re-release) If your inner voice manifested into a human form today, would you be friends with it? I think a lot of us would have to teach our new friend some manners before going into the real world. Which is wild to think about - that the most common voice, our most reliable narrator, our internal operator is kind of an asshole? Is really sad to me. If the voice we live with, and liste...

"Perfectionism is just control dressed up in a different costume." - Seth Hughes "Perfection is just another attempt to tidy up a scruffy universe. You see what this world needs is humanity. Being rough around the edges. ANd a beautiful sustainable restorative and regenerative human culture understands how to balance poles not tries to make one ond of the polarity beat the other." - Seth Hughes Se...

You can pivot whenever you need to. Maybe you’ve been on a path that felt right for a while, but now it doesn’t. That’s okay. We outgrow shit. Goals that used to fire us up can start to feel like obligations, and that’s not failure, it’s growth. There’s no rule that says you have to stay the same person you were 5 minutes ago, let alone 5 years ago. You’re allowed to change. To take breaks. To dre...

This is a re-release. DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Links GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica   The opinions expressed by Julie M...

The real thing I enjoy about cooking and working out - is when the effort is the least interesting part about it. I hate treadmills, but give me a cocktail and a disney pass, I’m walking MILES without a second thought. I hate arm day but I LOVE rowing a boat into the middle of a water feature and snacking with a pal. I hate cycle classes but will bike for hours in a pretty neighborhood. And the sa...

"In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn't been good versus evil. It's hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing." - Dierdre Sullivan "It's so rare. It's so rare that somebody'd look out for you. Thoughts and Prayers are all they'd do." - Gigi Perez The Diedre Sullivan piece: https://www.npr.org/2005/08/08/4785079/always-go-to-the-funeral Gigi Perez's "Fable +...

One way to know if it's time to quit is to ask: "If I weren’t already invested in this, would I choose it today?" The key to quitting "well" is: Honesty —with yourself and others. Own your decision. Having an exit plan. Quitting isn't ghosting. Whether it’s a job, hobby, or a relationship, think about how you can leave things respectfully. Tie up loose ends/make the transition as smooth as possibl...