To Perform Well on the Job, We Require Both Physical and Mental Maintenance

Years ago, when I was a naïve young woman, I didn’t take seriously that vehicles required regular maintenance. I had driven my Pinto Wagon for months without an oil change. Eventually, the engine seized, and I had to have it replaced.

Needless to say, I learned that vehicles need maintenance.

People are like that too. We require both physical and mental maintenance. My daughter and I learned about the physical maintenance this past week.

We had decided to take a break from staying home. Our visit to Pedernales Falls State Park in Texas was a delightful escape to the outdoors. The hillside trails with steep rocky steps down to the river were challenging. Going up from the river was even more difficult. On the way back after visiting the river; I had to stop several times to catch my breath because I hadn’t been practicing any significant personal maintenance since March.

Mental maintenance is similar: If you don’t practice, you aren’t as good. For example, do you remember quadratic equations from high school? I vaguely remember what they, look like – for example, a2 +4b2 = 3a x b – but I have no memory of how to solve them. Fortunately, it isn’t something that I need. But there are things I need to know that if I don’t practice on occasion, I lose the skill.

As a software trainer, I need to know how to develop meaningful courseware, use the software that I’m teaching and be considerate of my students. Over the past six months, I was at loose ends for a while and have done little teaching, nor had I used the software materials for a while. I had to review all components before going into the online classroom.

Physical and mental maintenance is good for all of us. Think of ways that you can exercise your body and your mind. If you aren’t able to go to a city or state park, exercise in your home. Follow instructions from one of the many online or televised exercise programs, put on dance music and move your body. Make up your own physical maintenance program. You can also find numerous exercise programs on YouTube.

If you aren’t working and want some mental exercise you can look online for opportunities. Again, YouTube has numerous fun mental exercises. YouTube is also a source of software or hardware training that might be useful to you. Or perhaps you are interested in craft activities.

The alternative is that you can consider your own mental exercises. Write a novel, create a new game, manually work out the cost of your groceries, work on your budget.

It is good for our well-being if we work on both our physical and mental maintenance. Perhaps you can create a mental exercise after reading this article by focusing on additional ways to maintain yourself properly. I’ve only mentioned two maintenance considerations, but there are other useful maintenance activities as well that will help you and your family.

Roxy works for Texas Workforce Commission as a Training Specialist. Pre-COVID-19, she traveled throughout Texas teaching staff The Workforce Information System of Texas (TWIST). Development activities include TWIST, WIT and SharePoint courses and online versions for TWIST.