Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1327633
18 | WINTER 2021 "When people are under stress, they look to their surroundings to identify sources of com- fort and coping," said Stephanie J. Wong, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist. "Activities of leisure and relaxation that are easily accessible, like baking a tasty loaf of bread, fuel motivation to work toward a goal and provide purpose and a connection to something other than yourself." New outlook on time Strategic programs manager Erin Beacham was one of those who hopped on the bread band- wagon. Although she'd grown up baking, she'd always been scared of yeast — but with a wide- open calendar, she fi gured now was the time to give it another go. In her pre-coronavirus life, proofi ng bread for 18 hours would've been tough to manage with her schedule. Now, that was no longer a concern. "Before the pandemic, I had a lot of plans up in the air; there was always something in play," hen stay-at-home orders began, the pace of American life slowed, but one thing rose: a whole lot of bread loaves. Social media was fi lled with photos of the wonders that can result when fl our, yeast and water are mixed in the right combination. Plus, a plethora of back-to- basics activities fi lled our time.