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. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to let go of something small bothering you and focus on something going well.

Most things that don’t go well in my life are small things. I am very blessed and I try to remember that on a frequent basis.

One small thing that’s bugged me lately is the struggle to get to a number of projects around the house and ranch that keep getting delayed. My wife has no shortage of things to do, and I have a number of projects that I want to finish, especially before winter.

An example is replacing a couple of posts that have broken and are (barely) holding up a gate. Started to dig out out, but paused since I wanted to cement both replacement posts in, and bad weather stopped me. I couldn’t get back to the work the next week, with too many things during the day and a few commitments at night that got in the way.

It’s hard, dirty work and just running out there for 15 minutes isn’t easy to do. I could go back to my desk in dirty jeans, but I’d prefer not to. As a result, this post is semi-replaced for over a week. Being out of town last weekend didn’t help. I started walking out there this weekend, but then it started raining. Just my luck.

I had a small medical procedure this week and I can’t exert myself for a week. So the posts are sitting there for now, while I heal. I’ve let this bug me, but really, I shouldn’t think this way. I should be pleased that I did get one post partially dug out, and I took a bit of time when I got home this weekend to do some chores for me daughter, who wasn’t feeling well. I did get things done, and this isn’t critical. The gate is rarely used, and I have gotten some more important things finished.

Ranch chores are going well. I need to remember that, even as I know there are other things yet to do on the list.

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. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to find fun ways to distract yourself from unhelpful thoughts.

I’ve had some worries about things in my personal life lately. Nothing really wrong, but I can let negative thoughts or experiences get me down or upset me. At times, I struggle to keep focused, or even be upbeat.

My wife often helps, but when she isn’t available, I have to find my own ways to cope. Recently, I did a couple of things that helped a bit after seeing this tip.

First, I took a break from life and read a bit. I’ve had an interesting book I’m working through (The Man Burned by Winter). I spent a few minutes reading, which distracted my thinking.

I also took a different break and worked on a small ranch project. Work helped me, especially physical things, so I took a few minutes to install a wheel on a gate. Something that I needed to do, and the focus on a small project didn’t leave me room for thoughts.

Time helps to dampen the impact of thoughts and feelings, so distractions are good.

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. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to take a few minutes outside to breathe and enjoy nature.

I love living in Colorado, where the weather allows us to be outside on most days of the year. Today, I took a couple breaks to just walk outside for a few minutes and just be there, closing my eyes, breathing, feeling the sun, light breeze, and fresh air.

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. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to challenge negative thoughts. Find an alternative interpretation.

In general, I tend to be a positive person. Not always, but most of the time. That being said, I do get negative about conflicts and discord when I don’t get along with others. Most of the time, I do get along, which is good for my mental health.

I’ve had some concerns lately about how I interact with a new person in my life. I will deal with this person regularly across the next year (maybe longer), and I don’t know them as well as I’d like. We had some tough interaction getting started, more about a situation than us not getting along. This lingered a bit as a decision was put off.

However, it was easy for me to take the disagreement personally. I struggled a bit to not feel that something was my fault, or it was the other person’s fault. In either case I felt upset, a little angry, sad, and concerned. Not good emotions to hold on to.

In talking things out with my wife, I tried to look at things from another point of view, from the other person’s, from an independent view, as if this were someone else. I could see that there might be other reasons why we hadn’t come to a quick, smooth, easy resolution.

Finding an alternative interpretation was good for me to step back and not take things personally. It isn’t resolved as of this writing, but hopefully soon.