Radio Active #94: Keep Calm and Geek On

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Radio Active PodcastWelcome to 2021, the year in which we try to release more than one episode every 12 months.

On this episode of Radio Active, I talk about life during the COVID-19 pandemic, delve into using exercise and meditation to stay calm, and then geek out with the Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossings: New Horizons, Roll for the Galaxy, and more.

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Keep Calm…

2020 was a stressful year. 2021 is shaping up to be more of the same. My way of dealing with it? Keep calm, and focus on what I can control.

My Approach to Staying Calm

  • Be mindful.
    • Pay attention to the here and now.
    • Don’t get swept away by what if’s. There’s an infinity of things that could go wrong. Worrying about them won’t help.
  • Stay Focused
    • Don’t get caught up in other people’s drama. It’s a difficult time and there’s plenty to worry about within my own extended family unit. Borrowing trouble from folks beyond that is unhelpful and exhausting.
    • Don’t lose sight of what’s fun and enjoyable … even if that’s just a quiet Sunday afternoon of podcasting.
    • Maintain goals … but be flexible.
  • Stay Healthy
    • Make time for exercise, even if it’s just short walks between meetings.

Bullet Journaling

  • My bullet journal is the cornerstone of my “keeping calm” strategy.
  • A bullet journal is a hand-written journal that I use to keep track of daily meetings and tasks, maintain a week-ahead view, and sketch out my months. I also use it to jot down notes about the day, from challenges with the kids to the passing of a relative to accomplishing exercise goals.
  • For the first six months of the pandemic, the distinguishing feature of each day was that it was the same as the day before … and totally different, as the virus forced us to constantly shift plans.
  • I have just as much to do (if not more) than in the pre-COVID days.
  • Everything keeps changing, but the bullet journal keeps me organized.
  • Recently started adding my team’s stand-up cadence to each day (what I did yesterday, what I’m doing today). It adds some much-needed reflection.
  • Overall, it keeps me tethered to reality and helps me avoid getting overwhelmed.
  • You can learn more about my approach to bullet journaling on Nuketown.

Meditation via the Calm app

  • Meditation isn’t often considered a geeky thing, despite the fact that many of our geeky heroes do it (e.g. Jedi)
  • My own focus is on mindfulness (e.g. being more aware of the here and now, not getting caught up in circular thoughts, not kneejerk reacting to people or situations)
  • My tool of choice is the Calm app for iOS. I liked it enough to buy a subscription, which comes with:
    • The Daily Calm – daily 10-minute meditations
    • Relaxing music and soundscapes (e.g. rain on leaves)
    • Guided meditations for beginner, intermediate, and advanced meditation
    • “Sleep stories” to help fall you asleep (or get back to sleep)
  • It helps. A lot. If I start stressing out too badly, I meditate.

Exercise at Home

  • For the last five to six years, exercise has been a critical aspect of stress management for me. The COVID-19 era is probably the most stressful time any of us have experienced, so it’s more important now.
  • For me, exercise gives me a break from my everyday worries. It lets me focus on a particular activity, and gives me a good reason to avoid thinking about COVID-19 for a while.
  • Ultimately, I treat it as a mindfulness exercise – something I do specifically to maintain a routine, focus on my own health, and make progress toward goals that are largely within my control.
  • So what’s the approach?
    • Run three times a week.
    • Walk 2-3 miles up to five times a week in the morning. Listen to podcasts while I do this.
    • Core strengthening exercises, bodyweight exercises, and a variety of stretches.
    • Once it stops raining and the temperature stays above 40 degrees F, include bike riding.
    • During the day, build in 15-30 minutes between each meeting and use that time to walk, even if it’s just running downstairs for some water.
    • Move my work area around so I’m not sitting in the same place continuously. I have a jelly cupboard that I use as a standing desk on the first floor, and the back patio makes for a good work and meeting place if the neighbors aren’t out and the neighborhood dogs aren’t barking.
  • Overall, this strategy is working. I’m still stressed, but I feel better. I lost 20 lbs with this routine, and by maintaining it, I was able to keep the weight off.

… and Geek On

  • Roll for the Galaxy
    • The dice-based version of the card game.
    • Like the card game, it’s all about science fiction empire building. You explore the galaxy, colonize planets, establish various corporate and governmental interests, and score enough points to win.
    • I got it for Christmas 2019, and NeutronLad loves it (so much so, that we got two expansions)
    • During the game, you get a certain number of dice, which represent workers. You roll the dice, which randomly determines which workers are available, and each player chooses a work phase, which determines what work actually gets done.
    • Heck of a lot of fun. And yes, there’s a lot of smack talking.
  • Nintendo Switch
    • Just before things when into lockdown in March 2020, my daughter and I got Nintendo Switches (my son already had one).
    • We knew we’d need the distraction, and we were right. Great handheld system; it’s not as easy to stash as a Nintendo 3D6, but it’s got beautiful graphics
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons
    • My daughter’s first video game – at age 4 – was Animal Crossing. Now 17, she still loves it. So does her soon-to-be 14-year-old brother. And so do I.
    • Each of us has our own towns (which avoids the mayoral debates we had in the 3DS version).
    • It’s fun to see how the kids’ Animal Crossing sensibilities have evolved over time.
      • StarGirl has a fun, comfy little town with a homemade coffee shop and tree-lined streets.
      • NeutronLad is terraforming his entire town to meet a much more structured vision of how things should be. He’s also very interested in securing certain cat-like villagers, like Bangle (the tiger).
      • My own town features a downtown and a small, dense village with an adjacent outside diner and performance center. It’s largely wilderness though (no doubt a projection of my own desire to get back outside).

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  • A few of my bullet journals, one of my favorite tools for staying calm, focused, and mindful. Credit: Ken Newquist
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