"I alone cannot do much. I am powerless as an “individual” in isolation. There is no effective organizing I can do alone. The most I can do is unlearn, seek community, radicalize enough to know in my soul that it is on US to struggle together & be open to an never-ending uncomfortable but liberating evolution of my political beliefs & ideas. The rest of the answers will gradually come to us in the process of figuring out how to get free in community." - AYESHA KHAN PH.D RESOURCE: https:/...
Aug 05, 2024•10 min
Sometimes I feel guilty about seeking happiness when I consider the state of the world. Apparently, this is a fairly common thing for people who are: lonely, anxious, depressed, perfectionist, experienced childhood trauma, etc. I hit quite a few of those checkboxes so I feel especially attacked. As a way to improve the maladaptive response, I am focusing on gratitude and exposure therapy. Addressing the feeling when they arise and allowing myself to sit with them. RESOURCES: https://onlinelibrar...
Aug 02, 2024•10 min
Today's episode is a preview of an hour long extended episode I have available on Patreon. I have been wanting to talk about Project 2025 since I heard about it, but to say it's dense would be an understatement. This is my sincere attempt to make it more digestible. According to Wikipedia : Project 2025 , also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project , is a proposed plan published by the Heritage Foundation , which aims to promote conservative and right-wing policies to reshape the Unit...
Aug 01, 2024•14 min
a lot of us struggle with identifying plants + relating to them, despite how important they are to sustaining us. in 2016 a study found that children were able to identify 1000 corporate logos and less than 10 native plants + animals. it's our job to become intentional about our attention to plants. RESOURCE: https://lithub.com/seeing-green-why-we-should-all-be-paying-attention-to-plants/ https://perfectinnerpeace.com/nature-deficit-disorder/ DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Br...
Jul 31, 2024•11 min
If you become intentional about viewing your experience as a physical process, it can help you control how you perceive time. You can physically slow time or speed it up, depending on how you approach the mental process within each experience. RESOURCES: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210518205451.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240718205236.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210526085053.htm DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branc...
Jul 30, 2024•9 min
Relationships are difficult because we all have cognitive biases we're dealing with on a constant basis. It's important to implement personal and relational boundaries so we can ensure we're approaching our situations with thoughtfulness + clarity. There are some tips to make that easier, but it takes practice to find the right balance for you and yours. RESOURCES: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/intentional-insights/202407/mind-games-unmasking-the-biases-sabotaging-your-love-life AND: h...
Jul 29, 2024•10 min
Resource: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/intuition https://lithub.com/gut-feelings-how-does-intuition-work-anyway/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202407/3-ways-to-harness-your-intuition-to-make-flawless-decisions 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 O...
Jul 25, 2024•11 min
Highly sensitive children's deep processing makes them more likely to have a pessimistic outlook. They keenly analyze everything, which can take them to a dark place, wondering and worrying, "What if...?" Helping them reconsider their perspective - Claire Lerner LCSW-C RESOURCE: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/zero-to-six/202407/how-to-support-children-who-have-a-pessimistic-outlook AND https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/highly-sensitive-person DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: O...
Jul 24, 2024•10 min
Psychology has historically focused its research on adverse childhood experiences. There is growing research on benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs). BCEs are correlated with flourishing and the light triad. A positive childhood environment influences the development of human flourishing and personality. - Scott Barry Kaufman RESOURCE: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beautiful-minds/202407/why-we-should-focus-on-positive-childhood-experiences DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operati...
Jul 23, 2024•9 min
"A person's past can direct what they think, what they feel, how they behave, and how they interact.The influence of one's past self can often be unhealthy for one's present self. Empathy, embracing humanity, forgiveness, and acceptance can help people make peace with their past selves.Taking ownership, making amends, being the best version of ourselves, and living our best life are our future." Jim Taylor Ph.D. RESOURCE: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-of-prime/202407/8-steps-...
Jul 22, 2024•9 min
today we revisit an older episode that felt really relevant about reframing + escaping survival mode. 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 Merica and Make Your Damn Be...
Jul 19, 2024•7 min
Tides change every day, and so can you. It’s never too late to change your scenery, to change your routine, to change your vibe, or change your perspective. You have some control, and even when you feel like you’ve lost it, I promise you, it’s within your grasp when you’re ready to pick up the reigns again. I wrote a “healing handbook” a long time ago, and never finished it, but I wrote this as the opening: WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING YOURSELF OUT OF A FUNK - START SMALL. BE PATIENT AND REMEMBER TH...
Jul 18, 2024•8 min
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Jul 17, 2024•12 min
for me, it starts with getting more comfortable with doing rather than getting it done. i'm a creative and imaginative person, so if i were to plan for every potential experience, i would never stop planning. delegating tasks to myself like a manager has helped me put in perspective how much extra rumination and over-planning i have put on myself, and it's also helped me stop the cycle of over-thinking that often leaves me wanting to skip the "doing". DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation...
Jul 16, 2024•10 min
it makes perfect logical sense that we choose to disassociate when we're feeling overwhelmed. if you've been in a perpetual cycle of overwhelm, it may help to focus on creating more space between you and the things that trigger that anxiety. it also may help to focus on one of the pillars of mental health: social connection, boundaries, time in nature, movement, mindfulness practice. in general, it's the endless "to-do list" that sends me back into my hole, so approaching those "to do's" with re...
Jul 15, 2024•10 min
Disassociation is a standard responses to the trauma we experience from living in a wildly intense society - but, like most things, if we're not careful, we may get caught in a cycle of disassociation and hopelessness. I wanted to offer some reassurance around it + some ways to break out of the cycle with ease. RESOURCES: https://wokescientist.substack.com/p/capitalist-colonial-origins-of-disassociation?utm_source=publication-search DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spre...
Jul 12, 2024•9 min
Jenny Odell wrote the book "How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy" + much to my surprise, it's not just any old 'self help book', this is the real deal. Today, we discuss the concept of "usefulness" and "worth" based on two very different perspectives. Jenny Odell's writing: https://www.jennyodell.com/writing.html BUY THE BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600671/how-to-do-nothing-by-jenny-odell/ DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + L...
Jul 11, 2024•8 min
Disconnecting is an essential practice that I think a lot of us overlook the value of. For me, if I don’t take time to intentionally disconnect once in a while, my body will disconnect for me, without warning - in a way that is not easy to reconnect from. Of course, everyone’s experience with dissociation and disconnecting will be different. But - Here’s my personal field guide on how to rot with intention: It’s better to set yourself up before you need it. Listen to your body. Don’t let yoursel...
Jul 10, 2024•8 min
Constant exposure to information and crisis can reduce our ability to react, respond, or move forward with hope. It's incredibly overwhelming to know everything without knowing what to do with it. You must take action in your own life, in your own community, in your own ecosystem - if you want to shed that feeling of hopelessness. Our investment in things we have no control over is exhausting + debilitating. The ripple effect of small changes is real. So take some small changes + see how much mo...
Jul 08, 2024•11 min
My life is now divided into 2 parts: the pre-Ayesha Khan version of me and the post-Ayesha Khan version of me. I truly started to feel like I was screaming into a void and though people "understood" where I was coming from, nobody seemed to know what to say about it. Ayesha Khan not only "gets it" but her hopefulness + intentionality has renewed my own hope. Today, we discuss the reality that our purpose IS community. It is connection + the rituals within those connections. We've been robbed fro...
Jul 05, 2024•11 min
Today we revisit an old nugget: low power mode. 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 Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only...
Jul 04, 2024•8 min
Sometimes I’m painfully reminded that hope is really all we have. When I am suffering most from the effects of grief, the hopelessness becomes overbearing and all-consuming. It feels impossible to avoid and it typically makes me feel like that’s how things will “always” be. This is why, I often encourage myself (and others) to take action as a reminder that there is more than overthinking and dwelling in despair. The “touch grass” advice is always so funny to me - because that’s really all it ta...
Jul 03, 2024•10 min
"Hopelessness is often most pervasive among the privileged who are more insulated from from overt violence." - Ayesha Khan SOURCE: https://wokescientist.substack.com/p/how-do-we-keep-hope-alive-in-our 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 O...
Jul 02, 2024•11 min
There are four main roles to play (when it comes to creating social change) and those are the citizen, reformer, rebel, change agent. Where do you feel the most natural? MAIN SOURCE: https://commonslibrary.org/bill-moyers-movement-action-plan-and-four-roles-of-activism/ Another resource: https://creaworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/All-About-Power.pdf More resources: https://commonslibrary.org/ DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Links GET AN OCCASIONAL ...
Jul 01, 2024•9 min
Yesterday I rambled on about power structures and today I want to clarify some of those thoughts. Primarily when it comes to the definition of Power. When a concept is this abstract it carries a different meaning for different individuals - based on our experiences and situations. There are so many words that carry different meanings for people: power, democracy, equality - but the more we can discuss the different meanings and narrow down our definitions, the easier it is to communicate effecti...
Jun 27, 2024•10 min
Empowerment starts as a personal experience, then grows to our close relationships, and eventually becomes the collective. Today, we dig into the concept of power as discussed in Jo Rowland's 1997 work: Empowerment Examined. THE COMMONS: https://commonslibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-Make-a-Difference-5-Stepes-to-be-an-Effective-Change-Maker-2022_Commons-Library.pdf VIDEO RESOURCES FROM THE COMMONS: https://commonslibrary.org/9-videos-from-key-thinkers-on-how-to-change-the-world/ JO ROWLAN...
Jun 26, 2024•10 min
If we become curious about ourselves, we'll start to realize what parts of our identity are really ours vs. what we think other's expect from us. 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 exp...
Jun 25, 2024•9 min
just getting back from a trip and a delayed flight means a re-release of a classic. 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 Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are inte...
Jun 24, 2024•7 min
Humans are animals and I can’t tell you how hard it is for me to remember that fact. This is why it feels like, every time I am reminded of that fact - that we are all just big dumb animals - there’s a part of me that is humbled but there is a bigger part of me that is relieved because it feels like my failings are less of a personal attack and more of a common symptom of what happens in the life of a human animal. One thing in particular I feel VERY conscious of my humanness in is when it comes...
Jun 20, 2024•9 min
It’s not about giving someone the world, it’s about making them feel like they are an important part of yours. Which means, it’s hard to do properly. It’s a ton of cognitive load to pay attention to, remember what, and constantly hunt for things with a perfect discernment. It’s really easy to fuck it up, and that’s okay too. I think,, fucks ups are easy to overlook if your intention is genuinely pure, and probably why we should be a little more socially conscious of the things people give to us....
Jun 19, 2024•8 min
