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 is the start of coping, and the newsletter has this in it:
- Keep Calm
- Stay Wise
- Be Kind
Interesting mantras, and they’re on the front page of the Action for Happiness site. Someone at Redgate pointed this out to me, and I needed it.
It’s hard to keep calm. I’ve had people with direct contact to me or my family get sick. There are people my family knows firsthand that have gotten sick but can’t determine if they have COVID-19 or a bad flu. It’s a scary time, but I’m trying to remind myself that my family and I are healthy and doing well. This is a new reality to cope with and we need to support each other for now.
I usually try to avoid news. The world has gotten very excitable, and there is a lot of sensationalism in the news. There’s a very disturbing partisanship online, and for the most part, I think people present themselves in a much poorer way than they do in person.
However, I also think it’s important to understand what’s going on. I try hard not to get emotional, but just understand more about this pandemic and what makes sense. I try not to blindly accept things, but look for some confirmation that I am better off doing A than B. It’s hard, but I’m trying to get some limited information and make smart choices.
I do think that this is the time to be more understanding and kind to others. That includes my family, as we’re self isolating for a few weeks. Close quarters bring conflicts, and so I am trying to remember to be kind when I can.
I think this is especially important online, so if I’m less talkative, it might be that I need to take a few breaths and remember this.
I’ll continue to talk about my coping mechanisms through this, and try to keep some daily things in the newsletter to think about.