Just before the clocks ‘spring forward’ at the end of March, Linda and Caroline talk about the impact this time shift has on us humans and on our dogs - why it’s stressful, and what you can do to ease that stress.
Linda starts by giving reasons why, for humans, the Spring time change is more challenging than the Autumn shift. She explains how you can ‘flow’ into the new time and experience less discomfort, creating small time shifts over a week rather than making the change all in one night, and creating reasons to look forward to getting up earlier.  She also offers listeners some useful techniques if they’re finding it difficult to fall asleep when they start going to bed earlier.
Caroline counters Linda’s explanation by pointing out that for our dogs - unlike for us - the Spring shift is probably easier to adjust to than is the Autumn time change. She encourages you to put more positivity into your (now lighter) evening walk, and to spice up those walks with novelty, including walking in new places and creating a ‘sniffari’.
Listeners are also encouraged to send in their own suggestions for coping with the time change, so Linda and Caroline can share them with everyone in future podcasts.
What's inside this episode?
00:00 Introduction, and why the Spring time change is more stressful for humans than the Autumn shift.
01:58 How to ‘flow’ into the time change with minimal stress.
03:20 Taking the change in small steps, focusing on when you go to bed.
04:24 How to use your extra morning time joyfully while waiting for the actual time change. Introducing Morning by Alan Jenkins.
05:14 How to prepare your dog for the Spring time change, and why this is easier for dogs than the Autumn shift—the opposite of what humans find.
07:42 Why it’s so important to be kind to yourself and to make waking up a time to love.
09:39 How to make your evening walk, now in light, novel and entertaining for both you and your dog.
10:32 Why strolls are better than strenuous walks in the evening.
11:10 Introducing the 'Sniffari'.
13:52 The importance of stories to help you get off to sleep when youtry going to bed earlier.
15:17 How to make use of Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 sleep technique.
16:30 Making the 4-7-8 more interesting.
17:45 Caroline’s ‘Just One Thing’.
17:58 Linda’s ‘Just One Thing’.
Sign Up for our FREE SubStack Newsletter
https://bothendsofthelead.substack.com/subscribe
Your Hosts
Caroline Wilkinson is a Certified Animal Behaviourist. She is a Full (assessed) Member of the APDT and INTODogs – as well as a Registered Training Instructor (ABTC). Caroline is also a Certified Real Dog Yoga Practitioner and an Applied Canine Zoopharmacognosist. Caroline writes for Pets Radar, as well as a number of trusted pet brands. She also speaks around the country – presenting workshops and webinars with a focus on living more mindfully alongside our canine companions.
Dr. Linda Blair is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Chartered Scientist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and registered as a Practitioner Psychologist in the Health and Care Professions Council. She trained at Harvard and the Institute of Psychiatry in London, and has offered cognitive behavioural and mindfulness-based psychotherapy for over 40 years in the NHS and privately. She has also taught various aspects of psychology at the University of Cambridge and the Open University.