Annabel Wick: Practice Makes Me Calm

November 03, 2015

Many of our Bento customers will be excited about this one! For this week’s edition of #PracticeMakes, we heard from our superstar stylist Annabel Wick about calming routines that keep her on track.

“Practice makes me calm.”

I have a tendency to lose things—keys, sunglasses, socks, graduation jewelry from my parents. Generally, the most crucial items go the fastest, in competition only with the most expensive.

After years spent trying to rewire my brain—and a few unfortunate meltdowns I’d like to forget—I’ve come to accept that I need a few practices to keep me sane. Otherwise, I end up opening every locker at my gym (with the help of a kind staff member) in an attempt to locate my belongings.

Now, keys go in my wallet chain purse. Wallet goes into my coat pocket in the fall and winter, or the front-most pouch of my backpack in the spring and summer. I use locker #328 at the gym because 3 + 2 + 8 = 13. That number has no real significance to me, but the mental math is enough to keep my mind engaged when I deposit the clothing. I may or may not have the same password for many, many accounts (don’t tell Eric), and I have a little tray on my dresser where I try to keep my phone at all times.

As you can probably guess, the routines (or coping mechanisms) listed above are just a small sample from an ever-growing list. While I can’t always trust myself to remember where I put things, I’ve always been good at creating and following routines. Making practices for myself is the only way I can guarantee that I get out the door on time, in one piece, ready to go. My practices make me calm.

Check out the #PracticeMakes collection, and read about its creation here.