WEBVTT - Second Cup: A surprising lesson from Mr. Rogers

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is an unexpected lesson from Mr Rogers. Neighborhood

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<v Speaker 1>use a transition ritual to get yourself ready for what's next. Now. Obviously,

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<v Speaker 1>we all love Mr Rogers, the children's television actor, for

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<v Speaker 1>what he taught us about kindness and managing our emotions,

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<v Speaker 1>things we all need in these anxious times. But we

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<v Speaker 1>can learn a thing or two from him about making

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<v Speaker 1>intentional transitions too. If you grew up watching Mr Rogers

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<v Speaker 1>like I did, you can probably conjure up the image

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<v Speaker 1>of him walking through the door to his house, taking

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<v Speaker 1>off his sports coat and putting on a zippered cardigan,

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<v Speaker 1>trading his dress shoes for sneakers, all the while singing

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<v Speaker 1>an invitation to be his neighbor. The opening sequence helped

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<v Speaker 1>young viewers anticipate a calm, hope filled adventure. We can

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<v Speaker 1>do something similar in our own lives, even if our

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<v Speaker 1>neighborhoods are a little different from Mr Rogers. You may

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<v Speaker 1>experience multiple transitions in a single day, at the start

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<v Speaker 1>of the work day or sitting down to dinner at kids, bedtimes,

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<v Speaker 1>just to name a few. These are often moments when

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<v Speaker 1>people feel especially harried or frenetic. Transition rituals can help

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<v Speaker 1>you intentionally in one phase of the day and inaugurate

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<v Speaker 1>the next, preparing and setting the tone for what's ahead

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<v Speaker 1>so you can be fully present and keep anxiety at bay.

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<v Speaker 1>You may already have some transition rituals. For instance, many

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<v Speaker 1>people light candles, clink glasses, or say grace before eating.

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<v Speaker 1>Particularly nice when we're all eating at home, these rituals

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<v Speaker 1>kick off a shared meal. They let you know that

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<v Speaker 1>the bustle of meal pre up evening chores and arrivals

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<v Speaker 1>and departures have stopped for a bit. All you need

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<v Speaker 1>to do now is enjoy each other's company and consume

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<v Speaker 1>your food. Sometimes, though, it's easy to feel the pressure

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<v Speaker 1>of what's behind us or ahead of us and never

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<v Speaker 1>really arrive. We all know people who really do like

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<v Speaker 1>and respect their colleagues, but back when people were still

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<v Speaker 1>working at offices, they'd blow past them without even smiling

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<v Speaker 1>because they were so preoccupied with being thirty seconds late

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<v Speaker 1>to a meeting. Or maybe a phone call with a

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<v Speaker 1>friend doesn't end up being the rest bite you hope

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<v Speaker 1>for because the opening exchange of how are you busy?

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<v Speaker 1>Me too? Unleasha's a litany of complaints. So how can

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<v Speaker 1>we use transition rituals to be more intentional? For one,

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<v Speaker 1>the language we use really does matter. It's powerful instead

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<v Speaker 1>of the stressed out chatter. Better to take a deep

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<v Speaker 1>breath and say to ourselves, now I'm here, slow things down,

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<v Speaker 1>narrate what's ahead. Now I'm working. I'm ready to do

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<v Speaker 1>good work with my colleagues. You self talk to help

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<v Speaker 1>you arrive where you are, As Mr Rogers showed, Songs

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<v Speaker 1>can also be helpful for transitioning. If you've ever been

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<v Speaker 1>in a preschool class, you've likely heard a song used

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<v Speaker 1>as a queue to shift from one activity to the next.

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<v Speaker 1>It's amazing to see a dozen three year olds cheerfully

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<v Speaker 1>clean up just because they hear the cleanup song. Songs

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<v Speaker 1>can help adults make transitions too. Maybe you have a

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<v Speaker 1>psych up playlist to build your energy and confidence before

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<v Speaker 1>a big day at work, or maybe there's a special

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<v Speaker 1>song you listen to as you make dinner and unwind.

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<v Speaker 1>A morning playlist can provide kids with cues that it's

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<v Speaker 1>time to brush teeth. Music can let us know wordlessly

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<v Speaker 1>what's ahead. And finally, just like Mr Rogers, change of

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<v Speaker 1>clothes and shoes. Physical cues can help with transitions. If

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<v Speaker 1>you wear a lanyard with an I D card again

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<v Speaker 1>when people go back to work at their workplaces, you

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<v Speaker 1>can start momoniously remove it as you leave work. Taking

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<v Speaker 1>off the lanyard means you're just you, not a teacher.

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<v Speaker 1>For the moment, you can narrate the wardrobe change to

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<v Speaker 1>amplify its impact. Dr Williams has left the hospital, you

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<v Speaker 1>say as you change out of your scrubs. Even if

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have special gear for your profession, changing clothes

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<v Speaker 1>or shoes at the end of the day can let

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<v Speaker 1>you know that the work day is over too, as

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<v Speaker 1>long as you do it mindfully, acknowledge what you're doing

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<v Speaker 1>as you're trading your shoes for slippers, or putting on

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<v Speaker 1>yoga pants or taking off your tie. And finally, one

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<v Speaker 1>last reminder, leave yourself some margin. All the transition rituals

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<v Speaker 1>in the world can't keep you from feeling frazzled if

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<v Speaker 1>there's not enough space in your days. Transition rituals can

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<v Speaker 1>help us be present for each phase of the day,

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<v Speaker 1>but we have to make sure it's actually feasible to

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<v Speaker 1>get to each phase without drama for transition rituals to

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<v Speaker 1>have maximum impact. If you used transition rituals to help

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<v Speaker 1>you get prepared and be present for what's ahead, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear about them. You can write me at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all

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<v Speaker 1>the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying

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<v Speaker 1>in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.

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