Tag: coping

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

Today’s tip is to reset yourself for the month ahead with a goal for the next 30 days.

I can’t believe it’s August and we’re still in a semi-lockdown. When this started in Feb/Mar, most people, myself included, thought we’d get back to a more normal existence than we have now by this time.

In any case, as I struggle with the longevity of this, and the sameness, I know I need to focus on myself, try new things, and find ways to cope. With that in mind, I’m going to reset a few things in life.

First, I’m going to try and build a more steady schedule that includes workouts during the day to break up things. I’m also going to do some walking as my dog heals by taking her to different places away from our property. There is a large dog park, and I think the time away will do her, and me, good.

Second, I’m doing to try the Pomodoro technique for working, focusing for 25 minutes and then taking a break. With the dog and distractions, I’m not sure 5 minutes away is enough, but I’m going to try and work on deeper focus for these times, then a break, then get back to it. I’ll set aside some of these periods to check social media for the SSC posts and to interact a bit with people.

We’ll see if this helps me reset to this new way of working.

I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

Today’s tip is to think about what you can learn from a recent challenge.

This wasn’t much of a challenge for me, but I learned something.

Colorado implemented a mask order on Jul 16. That morning I’d coached a practice a volleyball team and we had a lot of fun. When the mask order was put in place, I wondered what might happen. A few days later I learned how things would go when I went to an open gym to help coach.

After 6 girls the week before, we had 15 or 16 show up, all with masks. A big sign at the entrance noted that all coaches and players had to wear them. We took temperatures of everyone, as we have been, and then we went to work.

Wearing masks.

We ran drills, we played, and I only got a minor working hitting a few balls for them. Girls, however, ran around as they normally do, diving for balls and competing hard. A few would pull them down for a minute to catch their breath, but they wore them most of the time. I was impressed.

I learned that the mask thing, while annoying, isn’t that bad. Even for athletes working hard. The next Thursday I held my tryout prep again, this time I participated with the 9 girls while the other coach inbounded balls. I ran, and worked, sweating, wearing the mask the entire time.

It was hard, but I learned I can do it, too.

I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

Today’s tip is to catch yourself overreacting and take a breath.

I didn’t remember to breathe recently, but fortunately my wife helped me.

Our sink got clogged up recently. I cooked some breakfast, and afterwards, I threw out a few pieces of old chicken that were in the fridge as I started me cleanup. The sink clogged, and I couldn’t get it to work. I took a break, then ran to the store for a snake, which I tried to use. I ended up taking apart the lower U joint and getting all 20ft down into the pipe, but I still looking at this:

I worked on this for a few hours, doing a little work when I needed a break, but at 5pm, I couldn’t figure anything out. I was frustrated, upset, stressed as I had some deadlines at work, I didn’t get to exercise, and I still didn’t have a working sink for dinner.

My wife reminded me to breathe, to relax, and forget about it. She called a plumber for the next day, told the kids to find leftovers, and took me out for dinner and a drink to relax. It was good to just stop worrying about a minor thing and just move on with life.

I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

Today’s tip is to get back in touch with a supportive friend and have a chat.

While I was feeling a little down recently, as I wrote yesterday, I tried to get some connection with others. I reached out to a local friend, to try and schedule a lunch and get some support. We ended up talking on the phone for nearly an hour, which put me behind at work, but it was a good break and just talking through things was good.

I’m glad I did it, and while I often reach out to others to offer support, I’m glad I reached out to ask for some this time.