Stress Tips of the Day

I have been big talk and no walk. Literally. I haven't been active except for walking to the refrigerator, which is far too close to my office. I have to start exercising and welcome a challenge from you people here. But I‘m looking for someone lazy, who will keep at my pace (no one like a Gil Roth doing the push-up challenge and running 15 miles daily or something)––I haven’t worked out in a long time. Since I’ve had Covid, I spend most of my time just sleeping and eating (not counting all my classes, drawing assignments, finishing three books and my daily writing (please check out my breaking story on the impeachment vote).

I HAVE been very interested in long-term effects of Covid. I read Jason Chatfield's account of getting it and was going to reach out to him. Not sure if that's too invasive but I listened to Colin Quinn on a podcast share his Covid experience and it calmed me to hear he was going through the same weird symptoms: always exhausted, sharp pains and headaches that come and go out of the blue...and that it has lasted months. This is, I learned, pretty common, unfortunately. I am very lucky that I am down to a select few symptoms and it was never severe.

So yes, one of the side effects, lately, has been a ferocious appetite and I put on a bowling bowl's worth of extra weight. I have been posting a Stress Tip of the Day on social media. Now, I am not a real doctor but people have really been responding. I also received a few notes from those who were hospitalized that my new book was a tremendous help getting them through their rough time. Can't ask for a higher compliment than that. (this was in reference to The Elements of Stress written with Michael Shaw). So check on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter for the Stress Tip of the Day and just watch the anxiety pour out of your body in ways you never expected, and when you least expected it, unfortunately.

Please feel free to share your Stress Tips, both serious and silly, and take care of yourselves. I will add that I was very careful while those close to me mocked me cautious behavior. I assumed I got it from a couple of these guilty suspects but, no, they tested negative and nobody I had any contact with has been also positive, which I should just consider a positive. Sorry to be so negative. Stay well, stay funny, stay six feet back. Bob