The only epiphany you need to have in a crisis is that you deserve to be happy
Your life is in flux, whether you like it or not. Over the last several months, successive lockdowns have pulled the rug from beneath our feet, plunging our work, professional, and even romantic lives into chaos. In response, some of us have fought back, trying to exercise some modicum of control ourselves via a seismic life change.
In the spring and early summer, couples moved in together long before they’d planned to; extraordinary numbers of people relocated suddenly; and professionals had come-to-Jesus moments of wanting to pursue different, maybe more meaningful or personally significant, careers. Now, in this “Great Pause”…
Monday through Friday isn’t for everyone
With many physical offices closed for the foreseeable future, the regular workweek has seldom seemed like a more artificial construct for office workers. Commutes have been replaced by a short amble to the desk, if you aren’t just tapping away on your laptop from the heights of Mount Duvet. And the “weekend,” especially for those without children, has become a rather abstract concept.
With the world in flux, it’s not surprising that the shape of the workweek is shifting too. It wouldn’t be the first time. After the French Revolution, the government implemented a radical calendar: From 1793 to 1805…
First up: mazel tov! Your little jar of beige-colored slop is the beginning of something amazing. Instagram-worthy crusty bread is now within your reach and you never need to buy yeast again.
Here are basic, somewhat unscientific instructions on how to keep your starter going and what to do with it.
Keeping your starter alive
My starter is white-flour based. It’s unfussy and robust, and it copes well with my negligent parenting.
About once a week, usually before I’m going to bake, I take it out of the fridge, and add about 50g each of flour and water. (If you…
Avoid creating emotional labor for the person you’re trying to help
Your co-worker is struggling, and you want to do something to support them. You fire up your workplace’s internal chat. “Just checking in!” you write. “Do you want to talk about it? What can I do?”
Before you award yourself the Nobel Peace Prize, take a step back.
Over the past month and a half, as millions took to the streets to express grief and pain following the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota, Black people in workplaces around the country were bombarded with awkward inquiries from non-Black colleagues about how they were “holding up,” whether they were “okay,” and…
Fear doesn’t have to be your new normal
We’ve grown accustomed to being afraid. Since the 1980s, according to the sociologist Barry Glassner, Americans have lived in a state of low-level panic. Some social scientists would even describe fear as addictive, he says. While the jury’s out on that, it’s certainly contagious: If you tell me about your fears, I get them too. Then I pass them on.
Let’s be clear: No one’s saying that you shouldn’t be afraid right now. Between a global pandemic, ongoing police brutality and institutional racism, and the looming 2020 election, there are plenty of things to worry about. But there’s a difference…
Natasha Frost
Journalist and writer.
