COVID, Wellness and the Lessons We've Learned, Part Two
In the second of our two-part series, Beck and Cathy share their own lessons from the last 12 months of navigating wellness through the times of COVID. Just as we saw in last week’s post from the ABG team, Tyke is bringing a reinvigorated sense of appreciation to the post-COVID experience, and Alicia’s insights about her family dynamics during COVID gave us food for thought on sharing (and surviving) prolonged close quarters with our closest relatives.
This week, Beck describes how she’s redefined “home” while being home, and Cathy’s got some ideas on liking the people you’re also supposed to love.
From Beck, on Making Home a Sanctuary
I’ve learned new ways to enjoy the space I live in and to be at “home” with being home. What I had seen as my travel locker storage space, a.k.a. my apartment, has become my sanctuary. I’ve learned to appreciate the comforts of small nooks and crannies in my apartment, finding new ways to travel within my four walls, taking myself on formal dates at the dining table, and finding ways for a whole lot more self-love.
My daily meditation and yoga practice is routinely, hopelessly, perfectly imperfect. I always detested online yoga videos and meditation apps for the two-dimensional attribute that never fulfilled what a group practice could offer. But this year has taught me to take solace in something that can connect me to anywhere in the world in only a few clicks. It’s a practice that shows up every time and is a nourishing place where I can lose my sh*t, cry, breathe, move, and ultimately find my way back home to my own body and mind.
Finally, I cope with crisis better when I drink less. The last 12 months have felt like a daily crisis manual that no one ever wrote, but my old coping mechanisms no longer work. I’ve learned to really look at my habits of drinking and the blurred lines of professional and personal habit. I’ve had to learn a much stricter regime of self-discipline, and find ways to resist the temptations of an apartment filled with wine 24/7. I’ve learned new ways to find the discovery and beauty of wine, and write a new relationship story with it.
From Cathy, on Liking the People We’re Also Supposed to Love
“I know you love me,” I remember saying to my Mom when I was a (precocious, argumentative) kid. “But could you LIKE me too?”
It was an important distinction to me back then, and it’s one that’s come to mind many times during COVID now that I’m in the Mom role – to twin boys, in my case, who are fifteen years old.
I love these kids more than sharks love blood.
But do I LIKE them…? If we had to, randomly, spend twelve months or more in each other’s non-stop company during a global pandemic, would the edges of our relationship fray? Even if I liked them before COVID, would I still like them during and after it?
In a very weird upside-down way, COVID showed me how to like the people I love even more. How did this happen? I think it’s because COVID gave us time, and it takes time to get to know people. When we know people, as the real and fallible humans we all are, it’s somehow easier to like each other.
It’s about time. Together.
That’s why the schedules of our COVID days at home are punctuated by group activities, like sit-down lunches together during the midday break from school, card games or chess in the evenings, reading breaks after school and hikes in the woods on the weekends. We make eye contact, and see that we are all doing the best we can. We learn why someone laughs sometimes and why they lose their temper other times, and also why they may be awake at 3 am.
This is when I come to know – and like – these kids that I already love.
What We're Reading:
Here's what has piqued our interest this week in the world of wine and mindfulness.
6 Useful Tips for Anyone Grieving Their Pre-Pandemic Life, by Stephanie Barnes for Huffington Post
Learn how COVID has disrupted our mental health, and how to manage our well-being moving forward.
The Pandemic Changed You. It Also Changed Your Brain, by Dana G. Smith on Medium.com
The toll a year of loneliness, stress, fear, trauma and loss takes on the structure and function of the brain.
Don't Underestimate the Power of a Walk, by Deborah Grayson Riegel
Walking is one of the simplest and most strategic things you can do for yourself. It takes little preparation, minimal effort, no special equipment and it can contract or expand to fit the exact amount of time you have available.
Greater Good Resources for Women's Well-Being, by the Editors at Greater Good Magazine
For International Women's Day, we gathered articles that aim to help women take care of themselves and each other, make a living, raise children, and work for equality.
Meet the Community!
Here we meet some of the talented folks who make our community and profession so dynamic.
Lisabeth Willette Danneels, Co-Founder, The Fine Line Podcast & Partner at Natural Wine Co. (Boulder, Colorado, USA)
Years in the Industry:
21 years in the industry - I moved to NYC in 1999 to work as an assistant sommelier for David Bouley, then went into wine sales for Michael Skurnik. Five years later I started my own small company, Willette Wines, which I merged with Grand Cru Selections in 2011. In 2017 I sold my share of that to move to Boulder, CO and work with Natural Wine Company. In March 2020, I started The Fine Line: Balancing Hedonism & Health with Emily Gold. We aired our first episode in September 2020 and seek to find out how the people we admire in and outside the wine business balance their love of food and wine with their physical and mental health.
My Top Three Challenges to Wellness:
Sugar! I have a big sweet tooth. I don't deny myself, but do make sure to eat a lot of healthy food around it as a base. Chocolate chip cookies are my happy place, but I keep a dark chocolate bar in my purse at all times (and Maldon salt!). One small square after lunch will satiate me and still feel "healthy-ish".
Wine - I love to drink but it does negatively affect my sleep, so I am keeping that at bay too. The challenge is not to overindulge when I do finally get some time with friends.
Sleep - I can usually fall asleep but then I wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing when the sugar hits and often cannot fall back asleep. My sleep routine includes powdered magnesium and a 20-minute Headspace meditation to help calm my very busy mind.
How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:
Exercise. I am like a dog who needs to be run in the morning, and that is my saving grace. I will sacrifice sleep to get a workout in, I can't function without it. I actually don't literally run very often. I hike out my door (very lucky to live in Boulder) with my dog every morning.
I also do strengthening work. For years I did Tracy Anderson, but lately am super into Melissa Wood Health. She has new workouts of varying lengths a few times a week that combine pilates and yoga, and also have taken The Class by TT since 2012. They now have a digital platform which has been a godsend. It's an incredible workout but also great for the mind and the soul. Through the method you tap into the thoughts that arise and observe them, much like meditation. We also scream sometimes in that class, which feels amazing.
What Inspires Me:
Lately the incredible network of women I have gotten to know through this podcast who are using their spare time to push the cause of racial and gender equality in our business (eg: Batonnage Forum, Lift Collective). I was in such a bubble in NYC that I wasn't not aware of all the activism around me. It's nice to feel a small part of that now.
A Quote I Love:
"Everything in moderation, even moderation"
You can connect with Liz on Instagram @lizwillette Facebook @lisabethdanneels and online at finelinepodcast.com
Shop our ABG Merchandise
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Let's Get Connected!
Sharing Events from our Global ABG Community.
Lift Collective Virtual Conference(formerly Wonder Women of Wine)
March 23 and 24, 2021
Formerly Wonder Women of Wine, Lift Collective launches its second conference, committed to dismantling the status quo and rebuilding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive industry for all identities.
Coast-to-Coast: Rethinking Fair Wages & the New Restaurant Paradigm
March 24, 4:30pm PT | 7.30pm ET
Join LDEI-SF and your hosts, Restaurateur and Founder of the Heart of House fair wage model, Dame Jesse Cool, Chief People Officer at Union Square Hospitality Group Patti Simpson, and Dame Kimberly Belle of Salt & Roe, as we discuss the coast-to-coast rethinking of wage equity in the changing restaurant paradigm.
Pen2Paper Project - A Focus on Health & Spiribam Collaboration
March 25, 5pm PT | 8pm ET
After exactly ONE full year in isolation, we thought it would be a healthy idea to scribble a little about how our homes have become our own private islands. Did you find an Oasis or were you desperately seeking SOS? Join us for a fun evening that includes cocktail making and a bit of easy scribbling designed to help you create a few healthy new habits.
Engaging the Senses: An Exploration of Flavor and Sound
March 25, 2021 5pm PT | 8pm ET
Join wine pro Devin Parr and Toronto Symphony Orchestra musicians Clare Semes and Kelly Zimba -- AKA Sonority Sisters – online, as they pair beautiful wines with beautiful music. This 90-minute tasting and music session will invite you to indulge in a total sensory experience that is a feast for the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Tickets in link.
Have an event that our ABG community would love? Email to events@abalancedglass.com for consideration.
