Take Care

The world seems to be proceeding through some stuff at the moment. IT and our industry as a whole, equally seems to be going through some stuff. As such, allow this oldster to offer some advice: Take care of yourself.

I know, I'm the same, you may have responsibilities for others. You need to take care of family, whether it's aging family members (Hi!), or kids or grandkids. You're in a management role and have team members that you look after. So putting yourself first seems either wrong or impossible. In some circumstances, at some times, it may well be. However, if you're literally not there, due to sickness, injury, or worse, then you're not meeting those responsibilities anyway. So, you must take of yourself in order to be able to take care of others.

When I say to take care of yourself, I mean it on multiple levels too. First up, emotionally and mentally. All the stuff going on around is draining. I know I feel it. So, you need to find those things that get you recharged. It might be a good night's sleep. Maybe for you it's some time out on the water. Visiting a museum? Heck, seeing the therapist. Whatever it might be, make sure you carve out some time to get your brain reset.

Next, physically. I'm not great at it (oh, my wife can tell you), but I try to get in three workouts in a week. Plus, weekends I'm frequently doing physical labor. And again, I know because I've got (new) hard limits on what I can do, you may not be able to exercise or do hard labor. Do what you can. Physical fitness and exercise has been proven, time and again, in replicated studies, that it not only improves your physical well-being, but positively impacts your mental and emotional wellness. See point one. Again, carve some time out for whatever physical exercise you can do.

Finally, safety. Stuff is happening around us. Personally, I'd suggest taking a self-defense class or three if you don't already study it. No, I don't mean "I know Kung Fu" classes. Find classes in your area that teach situational awareness, things like that. None of us is John McClain. We're not going to karate chop our way to freedom. No, in terms of safety I'm talking about the biggest self-defense technique there is: don't be there. Avoid the situation entirely. When you hear the chants coming down the street, head the other way, even if it's going to make you late to work. Keep your head on a swivel. Know your surroundings and respond accordingly. Learn to recognize escalating violence, both in groups and individually. Learn to deescalate, or better still, just walk (or run) away. Keep yourself safe.

Yeah, I know. Kind of a depressing topic. Still, it's something to think about. Don't obsess over it, but have it in mind. In order to take care of others, you must take care of yourself. Neither of these is mutually exclusive in the long run. Please, take care.

Grant Fritchey

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