Hello my lovely readers & Happy Self-Love Sunday!
I know it has been a while. I could list a million different reasons for my hiatus, but A LOT has been going on with me (which is no excuse). Like down in the dumps, needing some uplifting & motivation. So even in the midst of my busyness, I’ve been wanting to write, possibly could’ve wrote something if I made myself, however, my spirit wasn’t in it. And I don’t just want to write just to have something out there, my blogs mean a lot to me & I want them to be able to impact you all. But I am very thankful for this spirit of rejuvenation that the Lord has sent me. So I am most definitely back and better.

September is coming to a close and tomorrow marks the beginning of my favorite month, which also happens to be my birthday month, October. Therefore, I want to leave some burdens and bothers in September. I want October to be filled with lots of love, prosperity, and memorable times. And in order for me to let these burdens go, I have to be real, express how I feel, and let go of the feelings, and most importantly the things, I can not control. I must be able to withstand and/or recover quickly, I must be resilient.

Mentally, I have been so drained. Drained dealing with the constant thoughts and emotions running through my head. Thoughts of what if scenarios and situations I wish I could go back and change or thoughts of how I want things to currently go. But recently, I have been reminded to practice what I preach. And whenever I give advice to my friends, I tell them that I believe things happen for a reason. I believe that GOD orchestrates things to occur in our life for a reason, down to every little detail. So how can I reassure others that things happen for a reason, yet worry myself? Things won’t always end the way that I want them to and nothing is ever truly perfect. So, I am currently and actively practicing what I preach. I’m embracing the serenity prayer and knowing that God will provide. Knowing that the destination I have set my eyes on may not align with God’s destination for me and that what’s meant for me, will be for me. Minor setbacks for major comebacks.

It hurts to not be okay or feel like you’re living to your full potential. But you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain. Nobody is perfect and no one’s life is either. There will be low moments and there will be good times. We have to choose not to let these bad moments dictate our life or our potential. We must look at these moments as stepping-stones toward the bigger picture. We must see that we can’t be happy every moment of every single day. And that it’s okay to embrace our feelings. It’s okay to share how we feel, to let go of what we need to and keep pushing. Because how can you have a major comeback if you’ve never had a setback? And honestly, please introduce me to a person who has never struggled or had a setback in their life. Trust, I know how easy it can be to want to give up and throw the towel in BUT we are all conquerors and the joy that will be revealed to us once we overcome and endure is worth while.

Some people believe that in order for people to adequately love themselves or participate in self-love, that their lives or the lives of others must be exemplary and perfect. And I promise you, that is not the case. I believe that in those moments when we feel the lowest, those moments where we struggle and desperately seek guidance & peace, that we are able to truly appreciate who we are. Like I said, I have been drained and I have been doubting myself in every manner possible. However, I have also been able to appreciate who I am and the woman that I am becoming. I am not perfect, far from it actually. I have flaws and I have places where I need to improve. But I love the heart God blessed me with, I love my caring nature, I love my passion for writing, and so on. And if I hadn’t been so down and questioning myself, I wouldn’t have truly evaluated myself and recognized all the things I love about myself. It’s possible to love yourself even when you’re not 100% feeling like yourself, because then you’re able to see why you love who you are & appreciate yourself more.

Self-love is a journey, just like participating in a race. Some people like to rush to the finish line, while others like to take their time and are happy because they made it to the end, no matter how long it took. But see with races there will be setbacks. Some unforeseen obstacles can appear and throw you completely off track. But these obstacles don’t have to stop your journey, they shouldn’t stop your journey. Obstacles should make you reevaluate ways to conqueror them and whatever else may come your way. They should motivate you to keep going. Because after the setback is always a comeback. And I am currently conquering obstacles & coming back.

Happy Self-Love Sunday my lovely readers!

Happy September! I hope that this month is filled with blessings, prosperity, and lots of wonderful experiences. September is a month dedicated to many topics such as: self-awareness, self-improvement and one of my favorite self-care. So in honor of September and our weekly self-love Sunday’s, today’s topic is dedicated to self-care.

The English Oxford Dictionary defines self-care as “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” But how many of us actively participate in self-care? Actively means that we are taking care of ourselves even when we aren’t experiencing stress or some extreme situation. We may think that we do, but we don’t. We only address self-care when we are reminded that it’s important. I am guilty of this as well. However, I feel it’s important to discuss self-care, why it’s important & why we should all work to actively participate in self-care at all times.

I’ve previously discussed self-care, but never dedicated a full blog to it. And I was very inspired by all of the current events of the world, my personal experiences & self-love, so I figured why not discuss it. A majority of individuals would state that they take care of themselves daily. Most people participate in the basics of self-care such: going through a morning hygiene routine, eating throughout the day, and ending the night with well-needed rest. So, yes I believe participate in actions of caring for their physical self. But those few things listed above aren’t the only to care for yourself. Are you caring for your mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being every day, too?

Many factors are involved in the true act of self-care. Yes, taking care of our physical attributes is important, but so is caring for the other parts of ourselves, especially those that feel & hurt. Sometimes as humans we box up emotions and displace them, not realizing that as we continuously do this our emotions pile up and more than likely can lead to a breakdown or something worse. Therefore, just as you spend time washing your face and feeding your body with physical food, you must also ensure that you spend time on your spiritual, mental, and emotional self by mediating, reading, praying, or whatever works best for you to ensure your well-being. This can also look like removing some sort of negativity or hurt out of your life or even changing your behavior for the greater good that will follow. It’s one thing to think or even say that you take of yourself, but it’s another thing to actively do so. And I want us all to take care of ourselves, because we are all important!

Personally, I love to help others and I can get so caught up that I don’t always take care of my emotional, spiritual, or mental life. I need to work on actively ensuring that I am taking care of myself. Because sometimes I deal with battles that I don’t even speak on. I bury them in order to help others and can become overwhelmed and frustrated. But the same care I give to others, I must make sure to give to myself. And this goes for you all too. It’s okay to be that rock for your friends or others, but just make sure that you are being that same rock for yourself. And if you need some time for you, take it! Do not feel guilty or less than, because self-care is NOT selfish. Like I previously stated, we are all important. And sometimes the best person to realize your importance is you, that way you’ll be purposeful with your acts and intentions of self-care!

On this Self-Love Sunday, I challenge you all to actively participate in self-care. We can start during this month of September and continue on throughout the rest of the year, to next year, and the years to follow. Below are some nice infographics about ways to self-care. And if you feel you are taking care of yourself, but it’s not enough, PLEASE feel free to reach out to me & I will offer any guidance that I can. We all need to be on this journey of self-care. So just make sure you are ever so often consciously asking, am I actively caring for myself?

Happy Self-Love Sunday!

Last Self-Love Sunday, I attended the Beyoncé concert so I apologize for my absence. That was my first time ever attending a Beyoncé concert & it was truly an experience. But Self-Love Sunday blogs are FINALLY back in business. And I have some fire content coming your way these upcoming weeks. So stay tuned!

Sometimes, it seems as if the whole world is against us. As if we have no one on our side looking out for us. So why add fuel to that fire? Why be against yourself? People will quit on you, they will lose belief in you and what you’re capable of.  But just because they do does not mean that you have to or should. No matter what you’re going through, how hard it may seem, never quit on yourself.

I was on Instagram one day last week and came across the picture above. And it resonated with me so much that I decided to blog about it. This picture served as an unexpected inspiration for me. And I know that I can personally relate to this photo. So I am sure others can too, and I am hoping that this blog will be as meaningful to you all as this picture was to me.

Sometimes when things in our lives seem to be falling apart, it seems as if everything falls apart as well. And more than anything, it seems as if we lose support from people, as if they quit on us. And we experience these feelings, because people do quit. Everyone isn’t meant to be in your life for the long haul. Everyone can not handle the heat, so they “get out of the kitchen,” while they can. I’d be lying if I said these type of situations didn’t hurt. It hurts because just seeing others give up on you can make you want to give up on yourself. It can make you lose all motivation and honestly, question yourself, your path, and your impact. I’ve had quite a few people quit on me in my life. And I’ve quit on a few people myself. They always have their reasons and so have I. And as a result of people quitting on me, I quit on myself too. I lost my motivation & encouragement, especially since I lost support from others. But sadly, it took this picture for me to realize all of this.

Life wasn’t meant to be filled with butterflies & rainbows, there will be hardships. But one of the biggest hardships you can control is being team you. Some people will not support you simply because of who you are. Some people won’t like you for no go reason. And some people will have issues with you because they don’t like you or care for you. So why add yourself to one of these categories above? You have no reason not to support yourself, not like yourself, or have issues with yourself unless you are causing yourself harm in any manner. Wake up each day and make a conscious choice to believe in you & support you.

Honestly, I have given up on myself at times. Due to my circumstances, I began to question myself in the manner in which I described above. Since I lost the support of people, in a manner I stopped supporting myself, I temporarily quit on myself. But I vow to never quit on myself again. Each day I want to support myself, because so many people already won’t support me. I want to remain motivated, dedicated & focused on being the best me that I can. And that means showing my unconditional support for myself. Do you feel the same?

Today, I challenge & encourage you to be team you! Never quit on yourself, no matter what high expectations you have for yourself. Don’t treat yourself how others treat you. Treat yourself the way that you know you deserve to be treated. You are worthy, you are valuable & more than anything, you deserve to never be quitted on! As you go about your week, keep these things in mind: be team you and never quit on yourself!