Wow, what a week it has been! Unprecedented was a word I used a lot this week. As expected, we have seen fewer than normal patient visits as everyone is figuring out how to weather this most unique storm. Probably the most talked about topic other than the corona virus is how people's plans and daily routines have been changed and altered. That's what brings me to the topic for this installment of Overheard in the Office This Week:
"Except for shoes... I don't put on shoes."
I am cheating a little bit, I didn't actually overhear this in the office, but while talking on the phone with my son Josh in Denver during lunch one day. He works in the tech industry and, like most folks in that position, he has been "working from home." All three of our kids (Josh, Caleb, and our soon-to-be daughter-in-law Claire) on some level find themselves from time to time working from home and I know for a fact they all work very hard. I was teasing Josh about his commute when he indicated that, when working from home, he actually tries really hard to stick with the same routine he would be following when working from the office: get up at the same time, shower, eat breakfast, and get dressed before going to a dedicated area to start working. He does, however, make one exception: his shoes! He does not feel compelled to wear shoes when working from home.
One of the hardest parts about the events happening right now is what to do when you can't do what you normally do! As humans, we have a strange relationship with control over our lives. Mostly, we want to exert 100% control over our own existence (and often everyone else's as well), but if we bump up against things we can't control, we often just throw out all discipline and do some really goofy things, sometimes with deleterious long-term consequences!
Here is my takeaway from my conversation with Josh, as well as some recommendations for staying mentally and physically healthy over the next few weeks:
- Keep a similar wake and sleep cycle.
- Continue to eat healthy meals at the same time each day.
- If you are going to snack, eat more vegetables. Produce aisles are still full!
- While you may still check the news and social media, try to limit it. It doesn't change much in an hour, yet your brain has to re-live it each time you do. Try twice a day for awhile.
- Limit your (and your kids') consumption of violent and scary movies and shows, especially before bed. Instead, opt for comedy. It fires up the nervous system in a good way. Remember: a happy nervous system = a happy immune system!
- Replace some screen time with movement. Go for a walk, even if it is in the house. Throw the kids a ball, yell across the street at your neighbors until they come to the door, whatever it takes!
- Consider the One who controls it all: A wise king said: "He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake." - Psalm 23. Take a few minutes a day and ask God what He might be saying to you in this time of being forced to lay down.
Finally, remember that you do have control of some things...
You don't have to always put on your shoes!
We are here if you need us: in person, following proper sanitization procedures, and by phone. if you just want some home advice.
In health,
Care Chiropractic - Lafayette, Indiana