Share
Make Your Damn Bed
1177 || field guide to rotting (how to disconnect with intention)
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 yourself get desperate for a break. Make a list of meals and snacks that make you feel better, things to do, or watch, or listen to, or play to help get you off of your phone, or people you can reach out to - even if it feels uncomfortable.
A strategy that has worked for me is to imagine I am a kid with a cold, and then imagine how the best parental figure would take care of me to make me feel better. Think comfort foods, comfortable environments, and comfortable vibes.
If this is tough for you, remember that relaxation is an investment. Your brain is a vital organ that benefits from rest. Rest is productive. It may help to change the language around it and call it recovery rather than rest. I also remind myself often that it is an act of rebellion to indulge in rest. But if you feel guilty or ashamed, remind yourself that is societal conditioning talking and not something you need to validate.
Remember that it’s normal to want to disconnect from an overconnected world, and it can be healthy if we’re doing so with the knowledge that it’s not forever. That said, it is essential we address the need to escape at it’s core, in a healthy way. Needing to constantly detach and disconnect can be a sign of a deeper issue, such as anxiety, depression, dissociative disorder, and more, and it can lead to dangerous and unhealthy coping mechanisms like excessive screetime, and substance abuse. The real problem with chronic detachment is, like most things, the effects can be cyclical. These can further your feelings of despair/hopelessness and keep you from resetting - which is a natural part of the ebb and flow process of life.
You can and must disconnect once in a while, but don’t get too lost and forget that the feeling of reconnection after a well deserved break, is often the best part.
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. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
More episodes
View all episodes
1643 || how's your scholastic disposition?
10:30|Here are the learned dispositions that coincide with education + critical thinking: Comfort with abstraction Willingness to defer gratification Belief that your questions are legitimateEase with formal language Patience with hierarchal structuresWatch MaisonRichie's tiktok on educational disposition. Read scholarly teacher's article. Read Know Atom's article. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.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. I1642 || frustration tolerance
11:23|Kids are losing their tolerance for frustration, and it's showing up in their education. Have you noticed a change in your own?The school system is broken, but that means we should invest MORE into it, not less. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.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. I1641 || how to deal with the constant flow of negative news
10:41|"Everything will seem like a world-ending crisis if we don't know what has/hasn't happened before. If it has happened before, it's can be hugely comforting to know how it was resolved and/or what might happen next." - Cindy OtisToo much negativity leads to complacency, the inability to act, adopting a crisis perspective, depression, and PTSD. So we need to avoid overindulgence, accept your limits, set boundaries, take action where you can, be reasonable with yourself, pick ONE thing at a time, take some sort of action, and stop putting so much pressure on yourself to solve everything at once. Read Cindy Otis' post on how to handle the deluge of neverending bad news.SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.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. I1640 || live for the next cup of tea
09:41|Being dysregulated is actually a sign of a healthy nervous system. You don't need to focus on staying "regulated" but instead, learn to listen to the signals that arrive when you do become dysregulated so you can focus on the root cause, instead of the symptoms. When we learn to listen to our feelings as information, we can decide which ones we need to address in real time. It's not about avoiding discomfort altogether, but getting curious about the causes + feelings associated with it so you can start aligning your actions with your values + find comfort in that, instead. We have to learn to see the value in planting seeds for trees you'll never know the shade of. Read Janelle's Medium Post titled: Live for the next cup of tea. Read the article on hope + resilience from Chris Johnstone + Joanna Macy. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.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. I1639 || 10 ways to connect to your purpose
11:14|Today I share 10 scientifically backed ways to connect with your personal (subjective) sense of purpose. You can watch the original video that I quoted in today's episode here. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.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. Iyou're not running late (rerelease)
08:09|You haven't peaked. You haven't plateaued. You aren't "cooked" or "spent" or "done". You may actually be suffering from something called "hurry sickness" and it can be managed with some conscious effort. Psych Central's Hurry Sickness ArticleHealthline on Hurry SicknessSUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.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. Ithe end result of chronic stress (re-release)
08:51|Originally posted on day 1375Stage 1 – HoneymoonInitial commitment and excitement to engage in tasks. For example, when you first start your journey in a new activism group.Stage 2 – Onset of stressCommon symptoms of stress start being felt, such as fatigue, lower productivity and sleep disturbances.Stage 3 – Chronic StressLack of motivation + more intense symptoms felt on a very frequent basis. At this stage, bad habits such as smoking, drinking etc may beginStage 4 – BurnoutDifficulty even to cope with the minimum of daily tasks. Everything seems dull and ugly, and the person starts feeling either numb or else always overwhelmed.Stage 5 – Habitual burnoutSymptoms of burnout become incorporated into normal life and person experiences chronic fatigue, depression and apathy.The Resource: https://commonslibrary.org/activist-burnout-guide-with-videos/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.1638 || breaking up with your phone
08:56|Instead of trying to get rid of dopamine, focus on stepping away from habits and behaviors that no longer serve you.Read the Harvard Article on Dopamine Fasting here. Read the Cleveland Clinic's: Dopamine Detoxes Don’t Work: Here’s What To Do InsteadRead Can the ‘Dopamine Detox’ Trend Break a Digital Addiction?SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.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. I1637 || how to stop scrolling so damn much
09:59|How to stop scrolling. Start from where you are. Recognize what is a systemic issue. Practice "deciding" with intention when scrolling. Practice staying focused and catching yourself when you get distracted on your phone.Decouple your association of "dopamine" with "scrolling. Practice the standard addiction coping strategies: Make the desired habits more accessible + attractive. Make the habit you'd like to change less attractive + accessible. Practice mindful breathing work while you scroll. Practice ENGAGING with what you consume, instead of mindlessly consuming. Remember problem isn't the dopamine, it's typically the source... so make the sources you'd rather engage with more accessible + attractive for yourself. You don't have to climb out of the hole today - but you can celebrate the fact that you finally stopped digging. Watch the Newel of Knowledge video "SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.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. I