How Do You Unwind?
October is National Poppin' Popcorn Month, so naturally a few of us at the office decided to celebrate with a culinary nod to those explosive kernels. I went the semi-homemade route, popping a bag and mixing it up with marshmallows, chocolate chips, raisins and sliced almonds to make a sticky trail mix bar. Not my best creation.
I like to cook--no, I like to bake. Birthday cakes, cookies, brownies, no problem. Cooking, on the other hand, doesn't come so easy. Regardless, I'll spend hours browsing my favorite food blogs, picking out recipes I'd love to make but tabling them for the day I have a cabinet full of spices and the inane ability to know when meat is perfectly cooked. I've experimented with a few dishes--some good, some "eh"--but it's all part of the fun.
This weekend is also Homecoming at my alma mater (last year I baked cupcakes with school-themed icing, of course), which means my other favorite thing to do--cheering on our basketball team--is fast approaching. Alas, ever since graduation I've been banished from the student section, perched oh-so-conveniently behind the basket, to the nosebleeds. And I actually have to pay for those seats. But I take one for the team, and they usually don't fail to disappoint.
In the off-season, I get my sports fix by watching friends play Frisbee and other intramural sports, occasionally dabbling in a game myself. My disc-flinging skills are pretty weak, but I've learned I can put up a mean defense on the soccer field. More often, I'm the team photographer at tournaments. If you've browsed any of our galleries from conferences, you know--I'm a big fan of photos.
So, what does this have to do with health information? Not much, but we all have to strike that work-life balance. It's Friday, you're bound to have some plans for the weekend and I'd like to hear about them. Our "Downtime" section--now online under the "Community" tab and in print--shares what HIM professionals do when they're not running meetings, reviewing policies or grumbling at malfunctioning systems (our current post features members from our Team of the Year winner and runner-up). It may not be the most pertinent news, but having a way to unwind is important to avoid burnout at work.
So what do you do in your downtime? E-mail me at cmcevoy@advanceweb.com with your input. Do you rock climb or just like to settle down with a book? Either way, we'll be happy you shared!