Crisis blogger: Maarten

When the first announcements for IkPas 2020 were published at the end of last year, I resolved to last a hundred days this edition. Last year I tried that too, but towards the end of that period I fell through the cracks. In order not to make it too difficult for myself at the start and to take the load off a bit, I started the past IkPas period on December 29 instead of January 1. On Monday, April 6, the hundred days of my personal IkPas challenge were over and the proverbial flag could be raised. When I look back on the course of those hundred days, I can conclude that the biggest challenge was definitely in the beginning. The first few weeks were clearly the hardest. I really had to switch a button and get used to all the moments and circumstances that I normally experienced while enjoying a drink. Once I got into the rhythm of not drinking, it actually went more or less by itself.

And then the corona crisis broke out and the Netherlands was almost locked. For me personally, the measures taken by the cabinet also had the necessary consequences. After all, the schools closed and so the children (our daughter is six and our son five) were home all day until further notice. Now, unlike my wife, I don't have a paid job, I'm a stay-at-home dad, so that change didn't mean much in a practical sense. Where many dual-income couples who depend on the care of their children were given a considerable amount of stress to get everything properly arranged, a major stress factor fell away for us. After all, instead of stressing about getting the kids to school on time in the morning, we could now take it easy. And all extracurricular activities such as swimming lessons and dance lessons also fell away. Very unfortunate for the children of course, but it also immediately gave an incredible amount of peace. A bit like in the summer holidays, however, with an unknown end date.

Before the crisis, my weekdays were completely focused on the school hours of the children and associated extracurricular activities and play dates. All of that fell away in one fell swoop. In addition, the children's school soon provided support for home education. Because it is of course not really a holiday, even if it feels a little bit like that. Home education built a bit of necessary structure into the day and I immediately liked that very much. Why need structure?! During the mornings the children are busy with the educational activities that they are offered through school and in which I supervise them. In the afternoon the children usually play outside. We live outside and have a lovely large garden where the children can play and explore to their heart's content. The beautiful spring weather really invites you to spend a lot of time outside. Although we are confined to our homes, we nevertheless make the best of it.

What I personally find very unfortunate is that the sports studio where my wife and I do an intensive workout every week has also had to close its doors due to the crisis. And running during the day now that the children are at home is of course no longer an issue. So I forced myself to only work up a sweat three times a week on our old cross trainer. It requires the necessary discipline, but it is always better than not doing any sport at all.

When the end of my personal IkPas challenge came into view, which coincided with the end of the IkPas period of 40 days, I hadn't yet figured out exactly how I would deal with alcohol from now on. The thought of not drinking at all for the time being was a thought that came to mind every now and then. In any case, I had no intention of celebrating the completion of my personal challenge extensively with champagne or something like that. No, actually the current crisis means that I can easily continue the period of not drinking for a while. And then decide for myself whether I tend to become a total abstainer or whether I will allow myself to enjoy a nice glass every now and then. If I decide for the latter, the key word is absolutely ENJOY. In other words, I'd rather buy a good bottle of wine every now and then at the liquor store that I'm going to enjoy with my wife, than that every weekend I habitually tap away a bottle of wine from the supermarket.

Don't get me wrong, there are supermarkets with excellent wine collections, but if I force myself to buy wine at a liquor store instead of the supermarket, the result will be that I buy wine much less often and as a result less drink. Of course I can also limit myself by only drinking a nice glass every now and then when we go out for dinner. That hardly happens, so that also keeps alcohol consumption well within limits. Anyway, I'm going to use this time of crisis to determine for myself what role alcohol will play in my life from now on. If you are curious about how things are going with me, I cordially invite you to take a look at my website www.bambobeertje.nl huhI publish weekly blogs about what I do to live a happy, healthy, smart and sustainable life. My personal experiences!