Episode 361: Cultivate a Rest Ritual

EPISODE NOTES

Update

We’ve started our new bi-weekly episode, More Happier – for any listener who wants more Happier. Every other Saturday, with a looser vibe. Free, of course, and it will appear in the same feed.

Also, the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast is now on YouTube. Watch and subscribe!

We mention the Tackle Box of sticky pads.

Try This at Home

Cultivate a rest ritual.

In episode 357, we introduced the yearly challenge of “#Rest22in22,” and we asked listeners if they had any rituals related to rest.

I mention Better Than Before, my book about habit change. Listeners suggested many rest rituals:

instead of hitting “snooze,” drink a cup of coffee and go through social media – we discuss the Strategy of the Clean Slate
put on a calming essential oil before taking a nap
use a weighted blanket
listen to a soothing sound
rest in a different bed from your nighttime bed
change into pajamas for a nap – we discussed this in the January 8, 2022 episode of More Happier
listen to the same piece of music
have “Quiet Time” after lunch
from a teacher: after lunch, students have ten minutes of absolute silence (students can journal, read, sketch, or put their heads down) followed by a five-minute guided meditation

Happiness Hack

Celebrate “Twos-Day.” A listener pointed out that Tuesday, February 22, 2022, would be the ultimate “Twos-day.”

An opportunity to celebrate a minor holiday! Maybe with your best friend, sweetheart, sibling, or whoever makes an important “twosome” in your life.

I sent Elizabeth a silly, but very Twos-Day appropriate gift, but she hasn’t received it yet.

I also sent her a Memento Keepsake Journal.

Listener Question/Four Tendencies Tip/Happiness Stumbling Block

How do you get yourself to stop researching and take action? Especially if you’re a Questioner.

This question refers to the Four Tendencies framework. If you don’t know your Tendency –whether you’re a Questioner, Obliger, Upholder, or Rebel? Take the free, quick quiz.

We also discuss the “Strategy of Clarity” and the “Strategy of the Lightning Bolt,” two of the 21 strategies of habit-change that I discuss in my book Better Than Before.

Demerits & Gold Stars

Gretchen Demerit: Even when I hear a weather report, I somehow refuse to accept the fact that the weather might be different from how it is right now, where I am at the moment.

Elizabeth Gold Star: Elizabeth gives a gold star to school administrators, who have been dealing with so much uncertainty and such challenging logistics.

Resources

Due to popular demand, we’ll again offer my 5-Day Journaling SMS Challenge in partnership with M.M. LaFleur to jump-start your journal habit. Text REFRESH to +1 (844) 934-1913.
If your 2022 resolutions involve work or productivity, you might be interested in my free one-pager “Tips for Working Better Than Before.”