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.