HEALTH

and Buck’s out of town, so I draw the assignment of escorting my childhood hero through the museum. My all-time favorite baseball player! l was nearly 12 years old when he broke Ruth’s record in 1974 and, as I shared the story with him, when he hit homerun 715 and was circling the bases in Atlanta, I was in my mother’s living room in Crawfordville circling them, too. The old couch, first base. TV, second base. The other couch was third. Our recliner was home plate. The only time that I’ve ever been starstruck and I’m still starstruck is when I’m in the presence of the great Henry Aaron. We’ve had presidents, first ladies, generals, movie stars, and athletes here, and I mean no disrespect to any of them, but none of them is Henry Aaron.” The museum is about more than baseball, isn’t it?

“This is the story of America at her worst and at her triumphant best. You will never see a greater example of love the game. They had to love it in order to endure the things that they had to endure. Go into a town, fill up the ballpark, and yet not be able to get a meal from the same fans who are just cheering for you. This is not a woe-is-mine kind of story. They went out and did something. You won’t let me play with you? I’ll create my own. So, while America was trying to prevent them from sharing the joys of her so-called national pastime, it was the American spirit that allowed them to persevere and prevail. That’s why I say: What’s not to love about this story?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joel Nichols has been interviewing fascinating people from Kansas City and around the nation for 35 years. Today, he does freelance work for a number of area organizations, as well as emcee events in our town. Please, visit Joel Nichols Communications, online.

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How Do We Feel? What Have We Learned? What's the Impact We Still Must Unravel?

Important life questions go unanswered far to often in the rush of day to day living and working; and, suddenly, for most of us, as we follow the guidelines of quarantine, there is time to examine our quality of life – raising those questions that typically only surface in reflective minutes grabbed on vacation – a long weekend – perhaps even while being stuck in bed with a bad cold.

Today – with the fear of serious illness that is constantly in the news and in the foreground of our minds – our thoughts and our questions can take an exaggerated turn, escalating and creating unnecessary stress. Consequently, I’m sharing the basic questions I hear in my private practice … and my best efforts to help answer them.

DO NOT believe all the things you THINK. Our minds typically “distort” facts, and right now it’s easy to think life is “awful, terrible, and I can’t stand it!” Writing the thoughts down helps you see the distortions and, hopefully, regain perspective.

IS WHAT I’M FEELING NORMAL? AND HOW DO I KNOW IF MY ANXIETY AND/OR MY DEPRESSION ARE SERIOUS?

Most of us define our “own normal” based on “how different” we feel from time to time – and usually when there’s accelerated stress at home or at work that must be confronted and managed. Today, because this crisis is quite different, the best thing to do to reassure yourself – much like taking your own temperature – is to construct a simple measurement for what you are feeling.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being low or almost nonexistent and 10 being high/intense, first rate your level of anxiety, then your level of depression. Write your numbers in a notebook or on a calendar. Do this daily so you can clearly remind yourself of ups and downs or inconsistency in your feelings. If your numbers stay on the high end of the scale for several days in a row, take that as a sign you need to talk about what you’re feeling with someone you trust.

While anxious and depressed feelings are normal in times of stress and crisis, the persistent feelings that do not quiet down, but accelerate, are what to pay attention to. Anxiety typically exhibits with racing thoughts, difficulty sitting still or concentrating and maintaining focus, rapid changes in what you’re doing/feeling, and trouble relaxing. Depression is expressed in feeling overly tired or low energy, loss of interest in what you normally do, poor concentration and failure to start or complete tasks, and negative thoughts about life in general.

When you can, talk about what you’re feeling, because, for most of us, it truly does relieve the intensity of feelings. However, if you simply can’t talk, write down