This week's guest writer is Nina Hersher, CEO and Co-founder of the Digital Wellness Collective.
Welcome to Together Apart, a community effort to establish mindfulness, connection, and presence, even when we cannot be physically together. Each week we will feature guest writers from various careers, places, and moments in life to discuss how they are Living More in the time of COVID-19.
It was a Monday morning and my fiancé texted me asking me to give him a call. I was living in Santa Cruz and he was commuting to and from San Diego for his job. I could tell it was something serious so I hopped on the phone and he told me that Santa Clara County—right by us—was activating a shelter in place ordinance that evening beginning at midnight.
I immediately understood why he seemed worried. It was quite possible that he would not be able to fly back-and-forth each week (both in the legal and safety sense) for the foreseeable future. This also meant that we would be apart for an undisclosed amount of time.
So we made some hard choices. I packed up our valuables, clothes, and my work supplies, closed up the house, and started the 7-hour drive to San Diego where he was staying with his parents. Better together was our motto!
That was 6 weeks ago.
For the past 6 weeks, we’ve been sheltering in place with our in-laws, and my brother-in-law, who is home from college.
Most of the time I am so in awe of the precious quality time that these extenuating circumstances allow us.
But I am only human. Sometimes, I feel myself getting angry at the situation, specifically missing my oasis: the house and the redwood forest of Santa Cruz and the peace of mind that my local routine brought me.
I like to think that the best way out is through and that this experience will teach me more than ever to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and to be every bit more resilient. That being said, my heart goes out to all the college kids and people around the world who have moved in with others and are missing their autonomy. That feeling is real and I am here sharing that experience with you, far apart but connected through this golden thread of sharing.
Living more has so many meanings to me but one of the biggest is how living more is expressed in times of extreme adapting.
While being in San Diego, I’ve had to find a way to establish a routine and be OK with the fact that the routine here simply cannot be the old routine I had grown so accustomed to. From the places I went to the self-care practices I pursued, there are many more restrictions and limitations on what is currently doable. The bath products I ordered on Amazon still haven’t arrived, and I can’t go to the beach; it is so very surreal to have it so close but yet so far!
I am absolutely the kind of person who recharges through accessing big, raw nature. But what I have been able to do is wake up, have my 30-minute unplugged routine, take a walk around the block, wave to some new temporary neighbors, and schedule breaks throughout my day.
One afternoon last week, I suited up with my mask and gloves to brave the Walmart supercenter and get a set of kettlebells and an inflatable pool to make myself a different type of oasis in the backyard of the suburbs. This is how I personally have found a sense of grounding and routine during this tumultuous time.
As we evolve in the digital age, it is up to each of us to determine and implement the practices that best support us and make us feel like we can live to the fullest in each moment, and each day.
By sharing these authentic and vulnerable stories, we are opening the line of communication during COVID-19 and modeling behavior that can activate hope and inspiration for those around us.
Nina Hersher is CEO and Co-founder of the Digital Wellness Collective, a global trade association of Digital Wellness experts and organizations collaborating to enhance human relationships through the intentional use and development of technology. Hersher is an international speaker and leading expert in Digital Wellness, holding a specialized MSW from Washington University in St. Louis in Norms of Connectivity and Reconceptualizing Human Development in the 21st Century, additional credentials as an Oasis in the Overwhelm Facilitator, Teen Outreach Program Facilitator, and Meditation Teacher. Hersher specializes in Digital Wellness seminars, retreats, and advising tech companies. Hersher is also the founder of Evolving in the Digital Age™ Consulting, dedicated to best practices in mental health in a fast-paced world. Most recently, Hersher’s work was featured at Spotify and in publications including The Stanford Social Innovation Review, Al Jazeera, and Voice of America.
For more about the Digital Wellness Collective, click here.
