Pub. 1 2020 Issue 1

Kentucky Trucker 13 KyTrucking.net Exercise can relieve depression and stress. It also helps people sleep better. Every week has 168 hours. Subtract time to work (70 hours) and sleep (56 hours) and that still leaves 42 hours. Half an hour of exercise once a day works out to 3.5 hours per week. That’s not even close to being impossible. The more difficult question is figuring out what to do for that half hour. Walking, jogging, and dancing are all fine forms of exercise. Body-weight exercises require very little room. A jump rope is easy to pack. Invest some time in figuring out whether there are parks or fitness centers along the way, such as at a truck stop, that could provide a good setting for exercise. If you have to, you can even exercise in a chair or in front of a television while watching a show. Laugh President Abraham Lincoln suffered from depression for most of his life. Being president during the Civil War did not help. He fought his depression by actively looking for jokes and then telling them to the people around him. Truckers can do the same thing. Read, watch, or listen to things that are funny. That can provide a much- needed break from whatever serious problems you have. Listen to Music or Books Music can be a great way to forget about the time, especially if you sing along. There’s music to make you happy, remind you of the good times, calm you down, and give you encouragement. Listening to books as you drive is another possibility. You may not have a lot of time to read, but you do have a lot of time to listen. Turn that time into an advantage and see whether you can learn something new along the way. Find a Hobby Do something you enjoy, and make sure you do it as often as possible. Adopt a Pet If adopting a pet to take on the road is possible, that accomplishes several good things. 1. Well-treated animals respond with love and com- panionship. You can never get enough of either one of those things. 2. Pets are good excuses for starting a conversation. 3. Dogs are a good excuse for taking a walk together, even in less-than-ideal weather. Get Help Depression is a serious medical condition. If it is a problem for you or someone you know, think about who you can talk to so you can get help. It’s much bet- ter to get help early than to let the depression continue to develop. That might involve talking to someone; it’s easier to solve problems that way. Just be sure to pick someone who can help you. Johann Hari wrote a book called Lost Connections that was published in 2018. He views depression as a sign that something is wrong in your life that needs fixing. Treating symptoms won’t help because it won’t solve the underlying problem. Your job is to find out what the real problem is so that you can do something about it. If adopting a pet to take on the road is possible, that accomplishes several good things.