WE Need YOU for A Balanced Glass Community Check-In
How are you?
Three seemingly simple words that on some days, and under these current circumstances, can seem almost impossible to answer honestly.
The relentless impact that COVID is having on our daily lives is palpable, so this week we really do want to know how you are faring. In the absence of 1,000 separate telephone calls, we are hoping to find out a little more about how people are faring. To that end, we have created a simple survey to receive your input.
The format is 100% anonymous and should take no more than two minutes to complete.
While it’s not meant to answer the existential questions of why we are here, or how the heck we got here (because let’s face it, who has the energy for that!?), we hope it’s a way to get a temperature check on the community.
We're looking for insights into topics like:
How is your mental state?
Are the exercise tools staring at you from the corner of the room, or are you managing to keep up your physical program?
What are the things on your mind that keep you up at night?
The questionnaire will be kept open for two weeks, and the results shared in follow-up posts.
Our hope is that these insights will help to identify the common struggles many in our community are facing, so that we can do our best to support health and wellness long-term. We are here and want to help.
So how can you help?
If you’d like to participate, please complete the survey on the link here: The ABG Community Check-In. If you know of other industry folk you’re not sure read this, please copy and paste to share the link too: The ABG Community Check-In
On a final note, the gnome in the header image? His name is Gary. Or in Aussie slang, “Gazza."
Gazza is here to remind us that we all need a little time to sit, close your eyes, and take a breath. With a smile.
Take care of yourselves, and each other.
Namaste,
Beck
What We're Reading:
Here's what has piqued our interest this week in the world of wine and mindfulness.
A Guide to Exercise at Every Age, on ExperienceLife.com
Your body evolves as you age and your workout program should, too. Here's a guide to staying active through the decades, with a persistent focus on strength, coordination, cardiovascular fitness and mobility at every age.
“The Real Threat to Wine Sales is Being Ignored,” by Rob McMillan for SVB on Wine
A “public policy battle surrounding health has been quietly fought in the shadows, the goal of which is to reduce or eliminate wine consumption by painting it as cancerous and unhealthy.”
A Steady Heart in the Time of Coronavirus, by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach
In this two-part video series, Kornfield and Brach offer powerful practices and teachings that allow us to meet whatever arises with presence, courage, intelligence and love.
What Back to School Might Look Like in the Age of Covid-19, in The New York Times
A typical American school day requires proximity. This year, nothing about school will be typical.
4 Helpful Financial Resources for Restaurant Owners, by Elizabeth Gore for Inc.com
“Think of all the chefs, servers, suppliers, delivery workers, and countless others who make this sector hum. Not only is the small-business owner at risk -- so are all those whom their business supports, a workforce largely composed of people of color.”
Older Adults Coped with Pandemic Best, in Science Daily
"Our findings provide new evidence that older adults are emotionally resilient despite public discourse often portraying their vulnerability. We also found that younger adults are at greater risk for loneliness and psychological distress during the pandemic."
Meet the Community!
Our community is only as strong as the company we keep, and here we meet some of the folks who make our profession so dynamic.
Helena Nicklin, Freelance drinks writer, TV presenter and co-founder of The Three Drinkers, Amazon Prime TV show (London, UK)
Years In Industry:
16 years. I cut my teeth selling wine in a London indie and learned the ropes there, watching my boss run tastings and drinking great stuff with customers. After that, I moved to ad sales at Decanter magazine where they put me through most of my WSET exams then worked on the commercial buying team at Corney & Barrow and got my diploma. It was here that I had the chance to design my own style of wine course in house and the response was so incredible that I left and set up my own tasting business, Winebird. The old actress in me loved having wine as a script and after years of trying to find TV shows to be in, I decided to create my own with the help of two other journos. Within 8 months, we'd gone from an idea to the launch of our pilot show for The Three Drinkers in 172 countries and 39 languages.
My Biggest Challenge To Wellness:
My biggest challenges fall into three areas:
1. Thinking that if people stop drinking, the party is over, even if the party is just me and my husband. I am working on challenging that belief at the moment.
2. I have time challenges with small children who need me and my busy job, so I find it hard to prioritise self care, especially fitness.
3. Always having wine and spirits samples land on my doorstep. We never run out, and we love hosting. It gets messy.
How I Keep It Together To Stay Well:
Recently, I've tried to keep 4 days a week without booze and have started meditating again. I find it is slowly helping me to know when to stop once drinking has started and affords me that moment to remember to pause and drink water. I'm more careful of my diet than I used to be too. On a really busy day where my mind is all over the place, I do a 10 minute guided meditation with deep nose and belly breathing. If I get more time, I aim for a 20 minute TM using my mantra once a day, though it's not as often as I'd like.
Keeping wellness with young kids in COVID, it is hard. When home schooling was happening, I had to get up super early and go to bed super late to get my work done. It was exhausting. What I did do was reduce my intake of alcohol, caffeine and take more care with my diet. I also had a great CBD bitters that I used in my (decaf) coffee in the morning which really did seem to help. One big thing that I still haven't quite mastered however, is accepting each day that I will achieve less work-wise and stop beating myself up for it. I'm better than I was on that front and my new morning affirmations seem to be having an effect when it comes to that and relishing this extra time with my children.
You can connect with Helena on Instagram @HelenaSips and @TheThreeDrinkers , Twitter @TheWinebird , @HelenaSips and @The3drinkers or find Helena on helenanicklin.com and thethreedrinkers.com
The Shoutout:
Spreading the love for those people who support A Balanced Glass in our endeavors in their own special way.
From the simple idea that by putting pen to paper we can reconnect, create community and stimulate self-love and kindness the Pen2Paper Project was born.
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