Tag: coping

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 write your worries down and save them for a specific “worry time”.

What am I worried about? Not much, and my worries are really small. I worry my daughter won’t get to experience college this fall, including sports, and I won’t get to watch her play. I’m worried my middle kid won’t get a job when he graduates next year. I’m worried my oldest will get sick, or stuck, in Spain this year where he’s supposed to teach. Or that he won’t go.

Mostly I worry that I won’t be able to get back to my way of life, speaking, travel, coaching, and snowboarding. This is a good way to write a few things down, and I’ll worry about these on the weekend, when I can have a drink with my wife and complain about things.

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 the basics right: eat well, exercise, go to bed on time

This is my go to coping tip, well, two of the three. Or maybe three of three, depending on how you view things.

First, exercise. This is something that’s important to me, as evidenced on my workout log for June. July is looking slightly worse, but I had a few interruptions.

I find exercise is a great break from life for me, but it’s also a good long term habit to build for your health. At least walk around regularly.

I like my bed, and I look forward to sleep. I do try to get to sleep early, with complaints from my wife that I can’t stay awake, but I have been struggling the last month to stay asleep. I seem to wake up at night, wide awake, and can’t get relaxed. Sometimes I lay there, sometimes I read a bit. I don’t feel too stressed and my diet hasn’t changed. I’m guessing I’m just getting old.

That brings me to eating. Food comforts me. While I try to cook more vegetables for the family and look for healthy alternative recipes, I’m not great at it, and I’m not great at limiting portions. I am trying to do better, and it’s on my mind, but doing better is a struggle.

Be better than me today.

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 go for a walk to clear your head when you feel overwhelmed.

I’m lucky that I have space around my house to go walk without any COVID issues. That means that when I’m a bit stressed, I can go outside.

I’m not good at that.

I do try to take breaks and exercise, but often I go to the gym, practice yoga, or ride a bike. However, a walk is a good way to clear your head.

Last week I had a dog get surgery, and while she can’t walk this week, next week will be the time I do a bit of walking before, during, and after work.

Going outside, doing something easy and mindless often resets your brain, and might even inspire you to solve some problem that you are struggling with.

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 challenge negative thoughts, find an alternative interpretation.

Recently I had a bad day. I felt I didn’t do something well and spent a lot of time complaining to myself in my head, second guessing my actions, and feeling that I wasn’t really good at that task.

After a couple days of on and off negative thoughts, I finally started to snap out of it. I looked at things as learning opportunities. I need to grow and do better in the future. My past actions are sunk costs, they’re gone and can’t be changed. I can, however, look back and realize that I didn’t prepare well, hadn’t thought of a few things (which I have learned), and needed to make decisions quicker.

In other words, I wasn’t as adept as I’d have liked, even though mentally I thought I was ready. A good lesson and accepting this helped me to feel better.