GOODBYE, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS How to ‘Shuffle’ Your Way to Restful Dreams
MIND MOVIES Another method of cognitive shuffling involves conjuring
A good night’s rest is one of the keys to a healthy life, but if counting sheep isn’t working for you, a psychology-based sleep hack can help quiet your most intrusive thoughts. Cognitive shuffling is a technique that aims to disrupt your thought patterns by focusing on random words to help your mind relax. It’s like shuffling a deck of cards — rearranging all the ideas to quiet the noise so you can sleep. Get ready to finally catch some z’s with this clever strategy to take you into dreamland. SHUFFLE OFF TO SLEEP To turn this trick into a sleep triumph, get into bed, turn off the lights, and try to relax. As you lie there, think of a non- emotional word, like “rest,” or a similar word around five letters long and doesn’t cause an emotional reaction. Now, think of three words that start with the first letter of the word — like rain, road, and rosy. Repeat this for each letter until you finish the word you first chose. As you think about the words, spell them out slowly and visualize them. This practice resets your mind as you focus on something other than thoughts or feelings that keep you awake.
different imagery in your mind to help you escape random thoughts or leftover anxieties from the day. As you lie in bed,
think of random words like “cow” and imagine them. Create visuals in your mind so you can drift off to sleep. You can also use your heartbeat as your guide. Think of a non-emotional word like “horse,” and on each heartbeat, think of a word that starts with the first letter. The trick is to keep each word random, going with the first image that comes to mind. Cognitive shuffling gently nudges your brain away from worries and wandering thoughts that cause insomnia, easing you into a calm state. When you embrace random words and images that distract you from intrusive thoughts, you give yourself permission to get the rest you need. Sweet dreams are just a shuffle away!
HISTORY’S WORST MOVIE MELTDOWNS
Whether purchasing a new home or financing a film, everyone wants to see a return on their investment. In Hollywood, however, not every high-stakes project yields excellent results. In fact, several movies lost amounts equivalent to 400 times the salary of the average American! Here’s a look at three such financial sinkholes. CINEMATIC SOUR MILK Just because a Broadway musical thrills audiences worldwide doesn’t mean the production will transition smoothly to the big screen. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” was a cultural phenomenon on stage, but in movie theaters ... well, it went to the dogs. Despite boasting big-name talents like Idris Elba (“The Wire”) and Dame Judi Dench, the CGI-heavy 2019 film adaptation failed to capture hearts, stalling at $75.5 million globally — a $25.5 million loss. WASHED ASHORE IN POOR RETURNS Imagine being handed $100 million to fulfill your creative vision. That’s how much actor Kevin Costner was given to create “Waterworld,” a 1995 sci-fi flick that was a cross between “Mad Max” and “Point Break.” The production ended up being as
inflated as Costner’s ambition, with an additional $72 million added to the budget to complete it after the departure of original director Kevin Reynolds. Another $60 million was later devoted to marketing, almost ensuring an economic calamity well before the curtain rose on opening night. “Waterworld” generated just $88 million in ticket sales, proving that no amount of star power can save a ship destined to sink. BAD CHEMISTRY, BROKEN CASHFLOW Moviegoers of a certain age may recall when seeing “Dustin Hoffman” or “Warren Beatty” on a marquee meant a star- powered good time. Then “Ishtar” arrived in May 1987 and probably made the actors’ respective agents shudder. Movie execs had high hopes for the film, which paired the celluloid legends for what was supposed to be comedic gold. Nobody laughed when the movie — rumored to have been plagued by various production woes and already infamous for its then- bloated $51 million budget — bombed in cinemas with only $14 million in ticket sales to show for all that effort. Although neither actor’s career suffered long-lasting effects from the failure, “Ishtar” showed that a supposedly great combination could work about as well as oil and water.
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