Tag: life

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

In the newsletter today, I wrote this: Share what you are feeling and be willing to ask for help.

This is a tough one for me. I’m fiercely independent and hate asking for help if I can do something. I should be able to handle this myself. I’m not sick, my family isn’t sick. No one I know is that sick, and only a few are a little sick. I only personally know of two people that have lost their jobs.

However, this pandemic has affected me. It’s all over the news, it’s heartbreaking and maddening.

I am sad for those that have lost someone or are suffering.

have sympathy for those losing their jobs, especially low income workers.

I’m maddened by those that haven’t taken this seriously.

I’m sharing here, and I’ve shared some of this with my wife and kids. We commiserate a bit and get things off our chests. I also have learned to ask my wife for help, to listen, to hold me, to just be there. It’s helpful, though this is still hard.

I’m working to close off from news, but not from people, which is a challenge. I’m working to keep my temper and emotions in check. I’m asking you to help me do that. If I’m upset, I’d appreciate a gentle reminder that things will be OK.

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

Today’s newsletter said: Contact a neighbor, friend, or family and offer to help.

My wife and I live in a neighborhood of large ranches. There are about 18 of us, and a few years ago we all got together to address a few issues. We don’t have an HOA, but we worked together to take care of some legal things for our area.

We sent out a note to others offering to help if they were struggling in any way with this pandemic. So far, no takers, but we’ve put this out there.

I’ve also contacted some family to check on them. Not much we can do to help, but we are available if someone needs some supplies, shopping service, etc. for those nearby.

Honestly, I feel like this didn’t help me cope a lot, because nothing came out of it. I know that likely means people are doing OK, or feel they are, but the inaction and inability to do anything is tough.

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

Today I published: Get active, even if you’re stuck indoors, move and stretch

That’s an easy one for me. I like exercising, but I like a variety. My challenges during the first two weeks of March:

• Yoga class: cancelled
• Weightlifting at the gym: closed
• Snowboarding: resorts closed

However, I have no great excuse. I let some down feelings get in my way and I struggled to move. I did some yoga on my own, and did some stationary bike riding, but not enough.

The plan for me now:

Move every day

I’ll take a few exceptions if I’m really busy, but not many. I ran every day for four years, so finding 20 minutes a day to take care of myself should be easy.

Yoga

I assume the gym will open again, but who knows when. Even when it does, I can’t always go, and I can’t use that as an excuse not to take care of myself.

My goal is to practice yoga 4 times a week during lunch. Without a class, I’ll be on my own, but there are a few things to make this easier. I can get my wife or kids to participate. They will sometimes, and that’s useful. We can go through some flows together and help each other work.

I like Yoga with Tim. It’s not for everyone, but I’ve done these when I’m on the road at times. I need to get used to doing this more. If you like him, consider supporting him. One of my co-workers, Annabel, likes Adrianne, so check her out as well.

I have a stationary bike, and that’s usually my “I’m too busy, stressed, or unfocused to do anything else” choice. I’ll use this a couple times a week to fill things in. As the weather gets better in Denver, I’m going to try and ride outside with my wife more.

I need to keep weight lifting. I think that is one of the keys to keeping a healthy body as I age. We have some weights in the basement, so I’ll try to get down there twice a week.

My boss swears by floor Pilates, and does it when he travels. I may give some of these a try.

Otherwise, I have a standing desk, and I am trying to remember to move it up and down a few times during the day. I also do some light yoga stretching when I am consuming some content (reading, watching, etc.)

Health matters, and I urge all of you to move more. We sit too much as it is to not ensure this is a part of our lives.

My

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

Today’s item from the newsletter is “stay hydrated and eat well”.

I usually exercise regularly and try to have a decent diet. Food certainly is a weakness for me, and I’m definitely a comfort eater, especially when I’m stressed. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to change.

That being said, I’m trying to be more cognizant, since I can drink too much coffee and diet soda. I’ve started to make it a habit to fill multiple water bottles and leave them on my desk. Less counting, and this reminds me to drink this much at a minimum.

This is 80oz, which isn’t a gallon, and not really enough in Denver, which is a high desert. I’ve been good about emptying these three each day and then getting at least into most of one more, if not two.

For food, we purchased a bunch of food from a few restaurants the first week to support them. Good in that we supported a Mexican place with a bunch of small burritos and a Chinese restaurant. Not so good as it wasn’t too healthy and I ate too many. This on top of my wife swinging by Krispy Kreme while buying horse food.

I’m making an effort this week to cook more. I enjoy cooking, and it’s slowly wearing off that this isn’t an immediate crisis and instead I need to get back to normal for the long term, even if that means fewer grocery trips. I am working to do more vegetarian meals, as my wife and son try to avoid meat. My daughter is gluten sensitive, so this forces me to be more creative and careful with cooking. Falling back on my youth of easy casseroles and lots of ground meat is easy, so I’m searching out new recipes and experimenting with more vegetables.

I’ve been taking daily vitamins for years, and I’m working to ensure I keep doing so to stay healthy. Ultimately I feel the more I exercise, the healthier I am. That’s been my experience, and it certainly helps my mental health. As a result, I’m trying to ensure I do something every day for at least 20 minutes, but hopefully 30, that raises my heart rate.

Those are my goals for this new normal, as I try to cope with this world.