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 focus on the basics: eat well, exercise, and go to bed on time.
I believe in self-care. I’ve pushed myself without regard for my own well-being at times in my life, but I do it less and less, especially for work. As my wife has said many times, the things we do in technology usually aren’t “saving babies.” We’re pushing bits around for profit, and we don’t necessarily need to go above and beyond constantly.
Balance is important here. I try hard to take care of my physical body, my mental health, and my relationships, with efforts to reach out and touch base with those I care about. Each of those takes work, and in 50+ years, I’m still working out how to do this.
I’m better at taking care of my physical body. Not great, as my diet isn’t anything special. I’m a comfort eater, and I like food. However, I am working through being better more often than not.
For me, as I write this, I had a good day yesterday. Cooked some food at home, making reasonable choices for ingredients, limiting portions, and balancing different types of food. I drank lots of water, and I hit the pool for one of the last times this year. I didn’t stay up late, relaxing with my wife and watching a little TV and getting to sleep at a reasonable hour to let me get 8 hours of rest before work.
I’d like to think I do this more often than not, which is good enough for me.