Author
Marion Wilkens, Alpha1 Germany eV, as published in Alpha1 Journal 1/2022.
Dear Alphas, dear family members and dear Alpha1 enthusiasts,
„"Start – Stop – Continue" is the title of this year's workshop at our group leader conferences. It could also be my own personal motto, and perhaps you'll consider it as a theme for your own work.
After a long period of hiding and caution, we've missed out on a lot and forgotten many things. What I miss most is spontaneity—simply visiting someone, taking a trip, or just popping into a restaurant. Although I shouldn't really call it deprivation, because the extra pounds on the scale show that a little more restraint would have been good in some areas. Things I should STOP doing come to mind very quickly. I don't think I need to tell most people what I'm talking about. STARTING is more difficult: How about more exercise, simply enjoying the good weather, going for walks, swimming in the lake? Spontaneously doing everything you can do outdoors, because the risk of infection is so low there. But somehow, the pandemic has made me forget how to do that; I feel rather lethargic. It's fortunate that Ms. Tempel writes about physical activity and also about our avoidance strategies on page 18.
I've already discovered a trick to outsmart myself. When I'm in a particularly active phase, I fill my calendar with appointments, dates, and fun ideas – and what's in the calendar gets done, and appointments are kept. This gradually brings my daily activity level back, and I'm even scheduling workouts in my calendar now. You can read why this is important on page 28, and also why doing things together is simply more fun.
We should continue with the protective measures that we have all clearly internalized. Wearing a mask whenever many people gather, washing our hands frequently, and getting vaccinated. Personally, I find it easy to think about continuing: I want to keep working towards a better everyday life with this illness – not only for you, but especially for myself – and that's why I'm going into the garden now to get some exercise. I hope you find some good ideas for your daily life.
Her
Marion Wilkens
