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WFH: How Do You Keep Your Mind, Body and Spirit Fit Now?
Hello AB Family!
So it's been about a week and a half since we've been working from home. I feel very fortunate to be able to do so...but it has taken some getting use to. I've set up in our little external studio where I can have my quiet for the many conference calls I take throughout the day, and get my work done.
As of yesterday, it looks like we'll be Sheltering-In-Place until April 7th, and well, since I'll be on this 2+ Week Glamping experience, I figured I'd make myself very comfortable with my situation.
As a creative I need to be just that...creative and inspired, so I've taken the most essential pieces of gear I own and made it work for my current setup.
I am honestly posting this to see how others are coping, and to share some experiences of how you are managing through all of this.
I hope that this thread serves as a thread of Light, Love, Joy, and Wisdom for us all as we move through this phase in our evolution as a species.
So here are a few gems I've discovered during this whole situation:
Some good AccuPressure Point videos to boost our immune systems:
Some Nice Words from a fellow Austinite:
My view of the world day to day:
I truly hope everyone is doing well, keeping fit in body, mind and spirit.
Blessings and good fortune to all of you.
Share your Light and Love with others here please.
Cheers!
Comments
I left Austin in Summer 2007 and have telecommuted full time since. I’ve only been back to the office twice, and the first was just to drag people out for a drink.
I’m on the iPad, enjoying a beautiful day before we get another blast of winter so I’m not typing up a lengthy response.
First, understand that working from home is very convenient and flexible (I’m assuming most of us have introverted tendencies and won’t wilt with time alone) but that flexibility makes the line between work and personal life very blurred. If you can, create a dedicated work space, if you can’t go that far, at least shutdown work computers and put them away. Otherwise an email notice or IM is too tempting to “just go check really quick” and get sucked back into work.
I find that it’s easier to be more productive working from home. You don’t get people walking up to your desk, or hallway conversations, or various other social distractions. As such make sure to break up your work day. Try a pomodoro timer or something that works for you so that you get a reset. Walk the dog, stand and do some light stretching or quick, light yoga every hour.
Also try to replace some of that social interaction to blow off steam and maintain work relationships. If your company doesn’t already have something, look into Slack or Teams. It will help facilitate work conversations but also set up a “water cooler” off-topic channel where you can have casual conversation and post cat pics. Microsoft is offering free access to Teams in light of the current situation and Slack has a free tier as well. I manage an internally-hosted Mattermost server and really prefer it to the others but we’re moving to Teams as part of our Office 365 sub. If I can offer any help on those feel free to ask.
Stay safe and sane. This will pass so worry about family and friends first and foremost.
Enjoy every morsel of your food, don’t hurry it down.
Bake a cake.
Look on this time as an opportunity to explore your inner self.
Try to learn how to meditate.
Marvel at the beauty of the clouds, then the stars.
Count your blessings.
Take some time to think of new ways to tell those you love how much you love them.
Read something different from what you normally would.
Write some poetry.
Study history.
Enjoy the simple pleasures. There is beauty all around you.
Man, that’s the most I’ve ever typed on an onscreen keyboard.
I wanted to add that this is a great time to take up a new hobby or do some online learning. I’m checking out Skillshare and it’s not amazing, it is cheap. Great Courses Plus has some good stuff but is pricier. They might run a promo to offer public support, though.
On top of my ongoing education pursuits I’m trying to get back into sketching and want to start digital painting. I also just got a banjo yesterday to learn and hopefully improve my fingerpicking. I’m also working on singing. As you might imagine my family is overjoyed to be trapped at home.
I bought a new iPad 12.9. 512gb 2017 on sale today. Making me happily anticipating! Other than that, I am almost 72 and have given up on the future. That strangely makes me considerably lighter and happier.
WFH = Work From Home. It stumped me initially and had to check the conversation to catch up.
@LinearLineman Yeah! Buy something that can be shipped to you. The heavier the box is the more calories you will burn. On iPad will really keep your mind sharp. Lot's of visual and storage capacity to improve your output.
"Honey! I found some good advice on the internet re: mental health maintenance during pandemics from Dr. Lanear-Liniment."
Power surge took out my PC, so loosened the purse strings and bought a MacBook Pro 16”. I’ve worked from home for the last 16 years so it’s strangely normal here, apart from the lad being home. Working on the laptop has been a dream, and taken my mind off....the thing.
Weirdly, after two years of hardly any work I’ve been manically busy with new jobs and support stuff, so little music and art being done.
Mind care - despite being a news junkie I’ve weaned myself off it, since it’s a horror movie, and definitely not good for my anxiety. I’m reading more books instead.
Body care - last year I damaged my back, and for the last few months have taken a longish walk every day which has helped it repair, but also making me feel a lot fitter. Today I felt really good physically, so despite being in the 50 - 60 danger zone, I reckon I have a decent chance of fighting this bastard virus off.
You have made several references to a lack of future in the past, yet it continues to arrive and it keeps on coming. Your future, our future, everyone’s future 😊
@robosardine, sorry, I did not mean I have no future. I have just given up my attachment to it. Every new moment is the future unfolding... for a moment. The pursuit of pleasure and material things kept me attached for many a decade. Losing most of it actually helped me lose interest, or, at least, self involvement with creating my own little empire. Whatever comes, including this, has its enjoyment.
And I certainly don’t mean anyone should follow my example,
Although my tune will undoubtedly change when I am struggling for breath (as I did for a day last week from a cold). Shunryu Suzuki, my favorite zenster, went on a picnic and almost drowned in a river. Returning, sopping wet, to his companions he said he had to go sit on his zafu some more ... he didn’t realize how attached he was to his breathing! Same goes for me, I imagine. Stay healthy, pardner.
Awesome feedback everyone! Thank you.
On the subject of Future, Mind, Spirit, et al, I recall this movie from the 90's that I just loved. It's a waking meditation on the human condition in my opinion. If you have a couple hours, give it a watch. It's called MindWalk:
Mindwalk is a 1990 feature film directed by Bernt Amadeus Capra, adapted from his short story based on The Turning Point, a non-fiction book by his brother Fritjof Capra, who also authored The Tao of Physics.
Thanks for that @robosardine 🙃
I think that breathing techniques like the Wim Hof method or other breathing techniques are a really good idea at the moment. Also get exercise, good sleep, practice meditation etc etc.. When you have lots of time to okay with nice apps it is tempting to stay up as late as you like, but best to get to bed early and rise early.
Yep. Hear here
Going to finally try some of his techniques tomorrow.
Wim sent out a message the other day that while the breathing exercises are beneficial, the cold water/shower things might not be wise in regards to viral infections...
Oh, that's interesting. @Krupa did he explain why?
‘How Do You Keep Your Mind, Body and Spirit Fit Now?’
Easy, I work from home now!
I can now save 48 hours a month in commute time that goes into spending time with the Mrs, taking walks, talking to my parents on the phone, working on hobbies, scouring the isles (aisles?) for food, selling weed and harvesting organs for third world billionaires on the side. The commute before wasn’t so bad as for at least half of it I was on the ipad making tunes but flexibility and options and better listening conditions (more quality desktop music time) are most welcome. Mmmboy. Better not glow about it too much of course as the situation it is coming from is pretty crappy, but heh, lemons, lemonaide. Hope no one I know dies as that would be a major buzz kill.
Donna Eden, Eden Energy Medicine, has simple procedures meant to boost immune, as well as relieve stress.
https://www.innersource.net/em/
She has several books out, easy to find YouTube videos as well https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OVP.yDuZrIGRNB4koB2R4GIzJQEsDh&pid=Api&f=1
The Four Thumps may be an easy gateway into the spirit of it all https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OVP.8fHVpTqnyK9f0UKOWkw8fwEsDh&pid=Api&f=1
As of this week, my team of 13 and myself are working from home. They are mostly developers plus a couple of UI people.
At this point it’s going very well (four days in...) but I foresee one issue and have warned them to make sure they clearly separate the work from the non-work.
Because the two states now occupy the same space we need to learn how to distinguish them clearly within ourselves. It becomes very important to know when you’re at work and when you’re not. For example, stuff they used to send me at 9am I’ve been getting at 7:30 because they are super-keen. I can also see people working through to 11:30pm.
That’s great but if they start work early they need to finish work early as well. And don’t work late without making up for it some other time (just like might happen in the office).
This is just one thing: over the next few months there will be other issues that arise, of course. Mental health covers a wide spectrum and there’s ‘team health’ to consider as well.
@qryss
Good points regarding ‘team health’.
One thing for me is that I want working at home to stick even after this hullaballoo is over so I may be actually being a bit extra keener now just to prove it. This is like an informal impromptu trial run perhaps.
That can be an indication of people benefiting from telecommuting. Granted, it's easy to feel pressured into doing 12 hour marathons, but once you get in the groove it's also easy to work two hours, realize you've got a block of time free of meetings, and take an hour to go walk, or read a few chapters, or watch a favorite show.
My favorite schedule is to start early, work for six-ish hours, then go mountain bike for a few hours while all the regular schmoes are stuck behind a desk, then come back and catch up on work, refreshed, while cooling down.
But yeah, especially when you're new to working remote and feeling the pressure to look productive it's easy to work ridiculous hours and march into burnout territory. One of the lemon -> lemonade benefits I'm hoping comes out of this is better acceptance of remote work and also better understanding and empathy as to what it's actually like. It's not just about working in your boxers and eating cereal while watching Netflix between meetings.
I almost hate posting this, but the whole "stay home" thing has been a huge boon for my business unlike so many others. All these musicians I know are home with time to write music, and then sending it to me to be mastered. I think that's one reason I feel a bit sheltered by all this too, I've been worked from home for many years. So from a mental standpoint, I feel right at home (it sucks saying that, I know).
Physically has been much harder for me. Aside from less time to be outside due to work, my main winter past-time this year was snowboarding, and that's been pretty much canceled everywhere. Having some other leg issues that keep me from biking like normal instead, so a lot of stretching, yoga, just staying mindful.
Done a lot to keep some of the anxiety over all this down as well.
@AudioGus: It's the slippers I like the most....
I hear you. I jacked my knee up once snowboarding, then again a few years later mountain biking, plus I'm not getting any younger so I've been focused on soft alternatives like yoga and very fundamental, progressive weight training to safely rebuild. But after walks or just long standing sesssions I feel my knee and it's difficult to cope with.
Nobody needs to apologise for the current situation working out well for them, this whole crisis is bad for the majority but at least some good things are coming out of it for some people. Hopefully there will be some silver lining long term for society too. Like: countries acting earlier to nip crises in the bud; global protocols for pandemics with good supply of masks, respirators etc; awareness of the benefits of a robust and free media; long term changes to working patterns etc. Far more people should be able to work from home, work flexible hours etc than are currently allowed to. There's a lot more I could say about the political ramifications of this but I don't have the time now and this is not really the place.
I've copied and pasted the relevant bit from his email here:
'Now, if you’re not feeling too well, and you’re looking to use the Wim Hof Method to fight off the infection: do not do the cold training parts of the method. When you’re sick, your immune system has its hands full just fighting off the virus. If you then expose yourself to the cold, you add another stressor, forcing the immune system to divide its capacity and fight a war on two fronts. We all know how that worked out in the past.
Furthermore, please don’t see Wim Hof Method practice as an adequate substitute for medical treatment. If you exhibit symptoms associated with COVID-19 (a dry cough, fever), seek medical attention and follow the directions of your local health authority.'
I usually don’t have a lot of time for these new agey type memes, but this one on Facebook today, struck a chord:
Thanks @Krupa. Actually the Buteyko technique gives some advice on cold showers. Basically, if you are having very short breath hold times, cold showers are not good, I forget the exact details though. So yes, similar idea....
Get fresh air
Explore Drambo
Watch movies
Homeschooling
Play with kids
Keep active
Explore Drambo
Finally get some sleep.
Some of my tendencies are to find peace or relief through: selfishness at the cost of others, Hedonism, Materialism, asceticism, control through compliance, domination, religious effort, (I have tried Wim Hof’s breathing method and Monastic meditation (meditating with a mantra), denial of emotion, thoughtlessness, intellectualism. But Jesus, his cross, remembering his salvation for sinners like me.
I was in Zoom meetings for nearly 4 straight hours yesterday.. I’m enjoying interacting with my colleagues in new ways but miss being with folks in person. I try to meditate and work out every morning . But the gym closed a couple days ago. So it’s push ups and planks at home alone which I find much less interesting than chattering with friends between reps at the gym while listening to dusties on a boom box. New normal that strangely feels like a partial vacation even though I’m still putting in full time hours.
Peace to you all in these trying times.