S H O R T S H O R T S
time of day has a serious
downside. News outlets are
constantly competing for
attention, producing con-tent
that has become more
visual and shocking. This
can cause a serious stress
response, affecting mental
and physical health.
If consumption of news
is negatively affecting your
relationships or well-being,
use the occasion of the New
Year to make some positive
changes.
Make 2020 the year of
reclaiming your time and
decluttering from excess
news and the stress it causes.
It will be difficult at first, but
I guarantee that, like that
weird spatula no one actu-ally
uses, once it’s gone you
won’t even miss it.
— Jen MacLean
THESE FIVE TIPS WILL HELP DECLUTTER THE NEWS IN YOUR LIFE:
1Limit news consumption to one block of time per day and
avoid watching news before bed.
2Turn off sound notifications for news updates on
your phone and tablet.
3Get back into things you used to enjoy, like reading,
knitting, sports leagues, creating art or hiking.
4Go into your social media accounts and unfollow or
un-like your least favorite news accounts. An even better
option: take news out of your feed altogether.
5Unsubscribe from news and current event emails or have
them filtered into separate folders or labels that can be read
during your news block time.
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com 15
WBM
Jen MacLean is a professional organizer
and the owner of JAM Organizing, a
Wilmington-based company helping clients
declutter and live a more organized
life. “Your environment affects your mind.
Your stuff matters. Clear the clutter and
clear the way for the life you want and
deserve,” she says.
•
BUZZ
Wilmington Coffee Crawl becomes the Wilmington Coffee Fest
IN 2018, local coffee shop operators Krysta Kearney and Will Chacon founded the
Wilmington Coffee Crawl. Participants walked or drove from location to location,
sampling some of the finest java Wilmington had to offer. After selling out of tickets in
the first two years, Kearney and Chacon decided it was time for the crawl to evolve, and
the Wilmington Coffee Fest was born.
The first Wilmington Coffee Fest will be held February 1 at two downtown locations, the Hannah
Block Historic USO Building and Waterline Brewing Company. The event will highlight the local
artisan coffee culture. For those with espresso in their veins, obsessed with all things coffee, there
will be lectures, demonstrations, and a latte art competition. The family-friendly event will include plenty
of fun for non-caffeine drinkers and children, with food trucks, bakeries, breweries, artists, and artisans among the participants.
In keeping with the community focus, the 2020 Wilmington Coffee Fest will benefit two local charities. A dollar from every ticket
sold will be contributed to the Hannah Block Center, and all raffle proceeds will be donated to the Plastic Ocean Project, a nonprofit
exploring innovative ways to rid the ocean of plastics. The festival also aims to be eco-friendly. Composting will be available on site,
and each ticket will include a ceramic espresso cup and reusable tote to reduce waste.
There’s already plenty of buzz (pun intended) around the Wilmington Coffee Fest. It’s been named one of the Southeast Tourism
Society’s Top 10 festivals to attend in February 2020. — Melissa Sutton-Seng