Stickynotes Jan 21 2021
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Details from this session
What do we do to keep our sanity in these difficult times? What can you do?
It’s been a stressful time. Pandemic, unrest, inequity. But we’re expected to carry on as usual. Or are we? Cory, Amanda, and Chris talked about what they do to acknowledge and deal with the “stuff” that stops us thinking so clearly and ends up impacting our work and interactions.
The conversation centered on
- Thinking about what you normally do that you can’t do at the moment, and finding ways to re-introduce that in some form. For instance, if you enjoy travel, what can you do locally that gives you elements of the same experience? Cory bought a VR headset and “walks” around Google Earth or other virtual environments.
- Making time for yourself by saying “No” to requests. That might be work requests, or demands on your personal time. It’s tempting to say yes to everything, but remember to leave yourself time to breathe between engagements! That also means remembering you don’t have to respond instantly to every text or email you get sent.
- Acknowledging that things aren’t normal, and that your responses might not be normal either!
- Consuming news and current affairs content in a way that works for you without stressing you out. Cory finds that he can better filter written news than TV or radio. Chris deleted social media apps from his phone and doesn’t look at news sites at 8pm.
- Using technology to measure and respond to stress. Cory used the recommendations from his sleep tracker to improve his sleep quality.
We all agreed that we don’t normally respond well to conversations about “mindfulness” or “focus” but that in reality we have found ways to create the same experiences in our own lives.
Amanda and Chris also shared a couple of resources they’ve found useful for thinking about staying happy.
- Amanda recommended a podcast called “The Happiness Podcast” by Dr. Laurie Santos.
- Chris found that Reasons to be Cheerful – a news site created by David Byrne – is a good reminder that happy things do happen in the world.
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