my body moves, and my brain grooves.

I had to make a conscious effort to write this morning. As the days have all started to become a blur during this quarantine, it’s been a challenge to get motivated on some days when life has become incredibly routine, and not necessarily in a good way.

There are a great number of people who are alone during this quarantine. Depression and anxiety has increased because of the unknown. We’re fortunate that we have the technology to still have human interaction, but that still doesn’t replace the feeling of truly being among friends and family.

Everyone has their own set of coping skills…it’s been very inspiring to go online and see people posting workouts, performing music, and offering encouraging words. We’re all in this together, one day at a time.

Although I don’t get out and walk every day, walking for 60-90 minutes each time has really helped me in ways I would never have thought of. I’m aware of the physical and emotional benefits, but I’ve also found this to be a tremendous boost to my creativity. Whether I’m listening to music and getting ideas for songs for future gigs (hopefully before 2021 or later), or just walking in silence and just taking in the sights and sounds around me, this has helped me to find new creativity and clarity. I also feel like my anxiety has gone down tremendously over these past few weeks.

I’m making it a goal each and every day to use Facebook Messenger for reaching out to friends both old and new. It’s my way of touching base with people who may feel forgotten as they self-quarantine by themselves, and this interaction helps me from putting my brain on ‘autopilot’ during these incredibly repetitive days each and every week.

One of my friends posted that “reaching out to friends and family on video conferences is the best thing right now!” They’re absolutely right! My company has been doing a “Virtual Happy Hour” every Friday afternoon, and on each call, there’s a genuine feeling of connection, as we all talk about how we’re doing, and people are focused on keeping everyone in good spirits. It’s fun to crack each other up with funny stories, and break the monotony of each day of working in our sweatpants in our living rooms. We truly appreciate being together ‘in the moment’ for these 60 minutes each week.

To my friends and family, please know that you can reach out to me anytime during these unusual days. If any local friends want to get together to do “socially-distant” walking, just ask. If you want to chat, just holler at me. The opportunities for exercise and communication are keeping me happier and healthier.

My body is movin’, and my brain is groovin’.