🦆 CHILL THE DUCK OUT

Volume 001: A weekly permission slip to chill the duck out.

🧠 Cold Open

You’re doing great. Even if your brain is a little crunchy and your to-do list is giving you side eye.

Welcome to your weekly inbox exhale - served with microjoys, mild chaos, and stress relief that doesn’t require a Himalayan retreat.

🎉 This Week’s Microjoy: The 7-Second Happy Tantrum

Throw a tiny joy fit. Not a full-blown toddler meltdown - just a fast, fabulous celebration of being barely functional but trying.

Try one:
👉 Scream “YAAASSS” into a pillow.
👉 Do jazz hands in the mirror.
👉 Flop onto the couch like you just lost a reality show.
👉 Finger guns at your reflection because it’s almost Fri-yay.

🧠 Why it works:
Here’s the science-y magic: your body talks to your brain all day long. It’s called the facial feedback hypothesis. When you smile, laugh, or even move your body in a joyful way, your brain gets the memo that you’re doing okay - even if you’re actually spiraling inside.

And when you move big (like flailing or flopping or jazz-handing), you’re also activating your parasympathetic nervous system - the one responsible for rest, relaxation, and regulating stress. Basically, a little physical absurdity = emotional reboot.

😌 Stress-Less Hack: The Emotional Support Beverage

Pick a drink. Hold it with both hands like it’s a tiny warm animal. Sip slowly. Sigh dramatically. Repeat.

• Angry LaCroix? Perfect.

• Overpriced herbal tea? Elite.

• A cup of hot water? I’m not judging.

• Whatever’s in your work mug from three days ago? …Maybe not that.

🧪 Why it helps:
Having a go-to drink isn't just about hydration, it's about creating a ritual, and rituals are deeply calming for the brain.

Here’s why:

• Familiar, repeated actions reduce cognitive load, giving your brain a break from decision-making fatigue.

• The warmth of a hot beverage can literally relax your muscles and lower your cortisol (the stress hormone).

• And when you hold a warm drink, studies show you actually become more emotionally warm - aka nicer. (Yes, this is real.)

Plus, beverages are portable joy. They’re tiny, personal, and give your day structure. Emotional support in liquid form.

✨ Unsolicited Joy of the Week

A woman in England built a backyard pub called The Doghouse Inn - not for fun, but to keep her husband from sneaking off for a pint. It worked. He’s now grounded… with beer.

👉 Here’s the full story if you’re interested, and yes—it’s delightful.

🔥 Micro-Challenge

This week’s assignment: Do something dumb that sparks joy.

Low effort. High serotonin.

• Walk like you’re in a movie montage.

• Wear socks that don’t match.

• Wink at a tree.

• Dance while reheating your leftovers.

💡 Why this matters:
Playful, intentional nonsense activates your default mode network - the part of your brain responsible for creativity, daydreaming, and emotional regulation. It also gives your nervous system a break from all the “shoulds” and “to-dos” screaming at you.

In other words: doing something silly on purpose helps you feel more human, more present, and less like a stressed-out spreadsheet.

You don’t have to earn joy. You can just... have some. Right now. Like, on a Thursday. That’s the rebellion.

💬 Tell me what you’re celebrating

Ate a vegetable and answered an email? Please. We need to commemorate this.

Send a quick testimonial, a duck emoji, or a dramatic voice memo. It all counts.
📩 Just reply to this email or catch me at [email protected].

Even better—if you’re digging the newsletter, send it to a friend (or all of them!) and tell them to subscribe… so I don’t have to keep texting my college roommate pretending it’s going viral.

👉 www.chilltheduckout.com
More joy. Less stress. No toxic positivity.

🫶 Duckin’ Done

You survived Volume 001. Look at you go.

Until next time: hydrate, exhale, tell a squirrel it’s doing great, and - chill the duck out.

— Jason
Editor-in-Chill 🦆