Jessica's Friday Five: why you're tired (it's not what you think)
Published about 10 hours agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Hi Reader,
It's been a weird week around here - the less-than-fun part is a root canal that did not go as expected and has resulted in a lot of lost sleep, pain, and three different antibiotics to get it under control. No fun at all. π¦·
The good part is that, between that nonsense, I got to make a lot of progress on The Joyfully Managed Life Society (I can't wait to start welcoming the first members - stay tuned, and a special surprise for those on the waitlist!). One aspect of this membership is going to be occasional Get-It-Done weeks, where we create space, accountability, and incentives for you to implement what matters in your work or home life. I've got tons of ideas for the topics of these, and I'd love to get your input - which should be the first Get-it-Done Week topic we do? See the poll below and vote for your favorite.
Let's get to your Friday Five!
Why you're tired: I thought this short tip from Scott Clary was so prescient. My tip, if this rings true after you've read it, is to just jot down what's stressing you out. Decide what you'll do. Write down that decision. The open loops of unmade decisions are exhausting.
My go-to picture approach: I've been a Chatbooks subscriber for years and years. I occasionally use the app to drop recent photos I like from my family's life into the next "book", and once I have 60 pictures in there, it mails me the book for $10 (shipping included). We love pulling out the books to scan through our recent life or what we did years ago, and there's just something about knowing we have a version of these memories we can hold, not just in an online cloud account somewhere. Also, they're simple - just a square book of photos (I don't have to decide layouts or add in clip art, which works well for me personally). I saw you can now get 6 books for $6 (I wish they'd had this deal when I joined!), so check it out if that sounds like something you'd enjoy. β
Podcast on rest: I, along with many others, shared practical tips for creating space for rest in our lives in this episode of The Lazy Genius podcast. You can listen here. My tip is especially helpful if you've got a job with tons of meetings during the workday. Here's a playlist of other podcasts where I've shared tips. β
I wish this event were tomorrow - it looks so relaxing and nourishing. 75% of US adults experience symptoms of stress (headaches, etc.) daily, but only 24% identify them as stress-related. We don't even fully realize that we're stressed as a nation and as a planet. Chronic stress fuels many of our self-destructive habits, like overshopping and overeating. Stress also causes relationships to deteriorate, fueling isolation since 70% of US adults stated they needed more emotional support than they received. With that, my friend Fi (with some incredible collaborators on board, too - what an impressive group) put together a 2-hour online Spring Equinox Revival featuring many remedies for chronic stress. True science underlies each of these restorative methods, and we'll share more education during the event. At their Spring Equinox Revival event, you'll experience a sound bath, a guided meditation, movement to help you learn non-violent communication, Indigenous Animal Spirit Medicine messages, all within a conscious community. To learn more about this event, visit their Instagram. Tickets are $36 with the FRIDAYFIVE code (thanks, Fi!). They also offer financial scholarships if needed. If you invite a friend, you both get 50% off the current sales price. You can purchase tickets here. β
Bonus Sponsor Resource: Arena β If you've ever felt the pull to do something but weren't sure where to start, Arena is worth knowing about. They run hands-on training sessions and connect people to real opportunities in campaigns and political organizations β for people who want to make government work better for all of us. Getting on their email list is the lowest-pressure first step: you'll hear about upcoming trainings, job openings in politics, and ways to get involved at whatever level makes sense for you. Scroll to the bottom of their homepage and drop in your email. That's it. This resource is from one of our Friday Five sponsors - thank you to them for keeping this newsletter free for readers!