Aaah...time to relax, comfort creatures

"Casual Friday" was first practiced by Hawaiians in the 1960s. By the 1980s, the concept was an integral part of the work week, an early tell that life in general was becoming more leisure-based. The term "guilty pleasure" has fallen out of favor as more of us worship at the Church of Leisure. #EasterEggs below!

Gatoring Nothing says "comfort" like food. Kevin Costner and the cast of Yellowstone (trailer) enjoy catering -- er "gatoring," courtesy of Chef Gabriel "Gator" Guilbeau. Watch how Gator gets 'er done (video below).

Laughing Laughter is the best relaxing agent of all, don't you think? A moth visits a podiatrist. The troubled insect pours out his feelings to the foot doctor. He’s got all kinds of emotional problems. Apparently close to a nervous breakdown, the anxious moth goes on and on about his troubles and woes. Finally, the podiatrist asks the bug why it came to a foot specialist and not a psychiatrist. The moth shrugs and says, “Because the light was on.” Gossiping Local newspapers aren't as popular as they used to be. Readers have substituted corroborated, published news with apps like Nextdoor. Casual info is not fact-checked. Worse, like many apps, Nextdoor's algorithm seems to favor its squeakiest subscribers, e.g., "Have you seen that suspicious man in the neighborhood?" Some posts are from bad actors and gaslighters (video below) trying to stir the pot.

Shifting Businesses are reluctantly accommodating the shift toward creature comforts. The wide-spread resistance to RTO (Return to Office) shows how serious workers are about their terms. Bloomberg.com reports that the word "journey," hardly used on business calls in 2001, has become the fastest-growing fuzzy corporate buzzword ever. If you're in sales, you need to know about a technique called "word substitution" (video below).

Sleeping Despite our propensity for leisure, it can be hard to completely relax. If you have trouble sleeping, get back to basics. Dr. Edmond Jacobson discovered the connection between physical tension and mental well-being back in the 1920s. Use Jacobson's "progressive muscle relaxation" technique to de-stress your body parts in a deliberate sequence. I learned to do this in about two nights many years back and have used it ever since. Almost every beverage except water works against relaxation. Here's how to consume more H2O (video) below.

Don't work too hard ;-) The phrase "more than enough" is fascinating. Because enough is um, almost always enough. See you on Instagram! Note: This content was originally published in Michael's Friday5 tip sheet. Subscribe here.