Make Your Damn Bed

a lil good news about music therapy, working memory, and neuroplasticity RESOURCES : https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/practicing-and-listening-to-music-can-slow-cognitive-decline-in-healthy-seniors-by-producing-more-gray-matter/ and https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/music-therapy-helps-paralyzed-man-walk-and-talk-again-w-the-carpenters/ WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: w...

Today I'm going rogue from my standard style and sharing some direct quotes from the iconic Janelle Monae. RESOURCES: https://hbr.org/2020/09/lifes-work-an-interview-with-janelle-monae WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE 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.c...

and I quote: "Isn’t this what we are all longing for, on some level? To be real with each other? To be a real person, consequences be damned? To be loved, and to love? To know what a vitally alive love-filled life feels like, and be living it, each blessed moment?" RESOURCES: https://psiloveyou.xyz/if-you-want-fulfilling-intimacy-try-subtext-free-relating-ccfc23baaf7b WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliem...

Unfortunately, we can't outrun ourselves (I tried, Confucius tried, it's hopeless) so we better get to work on the internal work before we get started on the external. RESOURCES: https://briefer.com/books/go WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON...

Experiencing hyper vigilance can make it feel impossible to relax. It's exhausting. Today, we discuss some ways to cope. RESOURCE: https://www.healthline.com/health/hypervigilance and https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fixing-families/202105/are-you-hypervigilant WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT...

I talk (often) about how important it is to learn how to read the room, but today I'm sharing "how" to practice the skill. This timely message brought to you by the realization I'm hypervigilant because of trauma not because I'm sooooo nice. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpod...

How do you fight the feeling of internal/emotional isolation? My strategy is taking any type of action - but ooof it can hurt! WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE 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 The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and...

Personal grooming is just that: Personal. Do what you want, when you want, for YOU. If you let society decide, you may end up with a long face and cat poop on your head (please listen to the episode for context.) RESOURCES : https://www.mic.com/impact/women-removing-their-body-hair-is-a-deeply-sexist-tradition-that-wont-end-16470015 AND https://rosie.org.au/blog/razors-lasers-internalised-misogyny...

If you tend to get defensive or want to negate arguments, these tools can come in handy: Ask questions  – Get things moving with questions. They show you’re interested and help others contribute. Mirror feelings  – Let others know you recognize what they’re feeling e.g. “I can hear that you’re upset about that” or “It sounds like you want to make a change.” Paraphrase to show understandi...

Have you heard of the concept of a Fool's Choice? I saw a meme and looked it up only to end up in a deep dive into a likely incredible book that I’ll more likely never read in it’s entirety called but I encourage you to do so - it’s called "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High" written by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Either way, I’ll share...

Yesterday we practiced enhancing the mind-body connection through visualization, and today we're talking about how we can create a "vacation mode" sensation for easy access. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE 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/MYDBpodc...

This may feel strange to imagine, but imagining yourself actually licking a wall can create a mind body connection that increases presence, gratitude, and our general well-being. Try it! or not. Do what makes you happy. LUH YOU. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A...

Our language matters, but what happens when the only language we have is negative? RESOURCES : https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/where-did-spinster-and-bachelor-come-180964879/ and https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220405-single-shaming-why-people-jump-to-judge-the-un-partnered https://www.slice.ca/what-is-the-origin-of-the-spinster-how-society-villainized-the-single-woman/ and WATCH:...

Less than a week ago I begged for more optimistic content and now I'm delivering with an incredible listener suggestion (and a terrifyingly good algorithm). RESOURCES : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solarpunk WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN O...

Do you workout better in a class? Or write more in a cafe vs. alone? If so, you may benefit from body doubling - or having someone sit with you to motivate you while you do a task you've been putting off. RESOURCES : https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/body-double-adhd WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CON...

People-pleasing can be manipulative because it involves trying to control how others perceive and behave towards us.  RESOURCES : https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/toxic-relationships/201704/are-you-being-manipulated WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A R...

To me, this idea that your brain can FULLY convince your body a fake treatment is the real thing is pretty fucking magical. Of course, it’s not magic and nothing is a cure-all. But that doesn't mean we shouldn’t stack the deck for ourselves as much as we can as often as we can. Improving the connection between our body and mind is a beautiful place to start as long as we remember that Pl...

Bee bonus fun fact: Melittin — found in the venom of honey bees — may prevent HIV. It’s also known that the substance can relieve pain in people who have rheumatoid arthritis. (I found this one after I recorded and wanted to include it) RESOURCES : https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Bees https://beemission.com/blogs/news/22-amazing-facts-about-bees https://petpe...

What if we practice radical acceptance through a healthy detachment to OUTCOMES so we could stay present and grateful for the present moment without dreading the "what if's" and "when will's" RESOURCES : https://stevenkharper.com/thiscupIsalreadybroken.html + https://www.marlaneainsworth.com/post/the-cup-is-already-broken + https://jackkornfield.com/the-wisdom-of-insecurity/ WATCH: www.youtube.com...

So next time your favorite metaphorical sweater rips on ya, maybe not all is lost + we can embrace the imperfections and our time we spent in it. “There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen   RESOURCES : https://visiblemending.com/ + https://www.bhg.com/decorating/do-it-yourself/fabric-paper-projects/visible-mending-basics/ + https://en.wikipedia.o...

misery flourishes in company - but so does joy.  Pity parties are meant to be short-lived. Eventually, you’ll need to start recognizing your victimhood in conjunction with your confidence. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to constantly be productive to heal, but you do need to make space for positive action if you want to get out of the rut that pity parties can often lead us into. It...

Accessibility is a human right. Resources : https://universaldesign.org/definition and https://www.washington.edu/doit/universal-design-process-principles-and-applications and https://accessibility.umn.edu/importance-accessibility/impact-people-disabilities WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.insta...

Turns out, there's evidence that physical shaking can release tension and stored trauma. TRE is a formal strategy but there are plenty of ways to improve our relaxation through intentional release methods. RESOURCES: https://traumaprevention.com/what-is-tre/ WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.inst...

This really does... change everything - if we let it. RESOURCES : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Changes_Everything_(book) WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE 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 The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and...

Listen, I like Black Mirror as much as the next guy but DAMN I am ready for a clear vision of the future with a sense of hope and optimism. WATCH: www.youtube.com/juliemerica GET A MONTHLY NOTE 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 The opinions expressed by Juli...