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 if you find yourself rushing, make an effort to slow down a little.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. “ – Ferris Bueller
I think life starts to move really fast for me some times. If there was one good thing during the early part of the pandemic it was that life slowed down a bit. I cooked more, relaxed with family, and enjoyed not having a schedule.
That got a bit boring, and while things have opened a bit, and life is busy again, I’m trying to remember to slow down and relax.
This year, it’s just my wife and I, and the house is a bit quieter. We have less commitments, overall, and I’m trying to take advantage of that. When I’ve had a busy time, and feel rushed, I’ve tried a couple things lately.
First, I enjoy guitar, and I’ve tended to play a bit before bedtime, but I’ve started to bring one into the office and I’ll take 5-10 minutes of a break to strum a little, maybe learn a few song, and just reset myself.
The other thing I’ve start to do is prep dinner early. No particular time, but often when I feel stressed or so busy that I can’t think, I’ll walk to the kitchen and start to chop vegetables or gather things for a few minutes. I don’t get too far along, but it let’s me slow down and relax.
Exercise is always good, but that sometimes feels like more work, and more rushing rather than slowing down, so I’m trying to find new things that help me reset my stress or busy mind by slowing down.
I am looking forward to warmer weather when I can walk outside and watch my wife teach a bit for a few minutes.