The Black Bliss Blog: An Overview
This weekly blog should help you understand why wellness experts recommend taking specific steps to achieve and maintain optimal health. Their advice does make a difference.
I constantly research this subject but, believe it or not, many of my eureka moments occur when I go for my daily three-mile walk (weather permitting.) Connecting with nature, which offers a great display of God’s splendor, opens my mind to fresh and inspiring ideas.
Frankly, apart from the time of day my weary head hits the pillow, my hour-long walk is my favorite wellness tool.
Holistic Wellness, in a Nutshell
Holistic wellness measures—which include mind, body, soul, and the social and physical environments—can transform a woman’s openness to receiving miracles in her life. Such a change, in turn, can elevate entire communities. That’s why I included these methods in the live Ebony Jazzed course I designed to empower black women 45+.
The Blog Origin Story
I’ll be honest with you, though. I agonized over the decision to start this blog. Some women thought the premise was unrealistic.
What? Happy, mature black women living extraordinary lives? Are you out of your mind?
Nobody will want to read blog posts like that because they’ll sneer at it as naive and misled, they said. They preferred malicious or dirty gossip and bad news.
But then, their responses shifted when I asked about the value of the information I offered.
Oh, it’s important for black women to know about self-care, the power of the mind-body connection, and positive thinking, they said.
Not All Women Warm up to This Hot Topic
Naturally, one question arises: Why don’t they learn what works and take action to improve their lives?
Unfortunately, it takes time to identify the crux of the problem: Sometimes, moving forward involves a financial investment. Many of us prefer buying shoes.
And changing your perspectives, habits, and self-talk requires reflection and soul-searching work. Sometimes hard work.
It can be painful, too—until you emerge with increased potential as part of an expanded life on the other side of that self-improvement climb.
Many women think this way:
Why do all that work to cope when you can grab a burger, pizza, ribs, cheesecake, or another comfort food and feel so good eating what’s bad for you?
That’s only one example of how we attempt to self-medicate our internal pain. But wellness issues are never limited to food. While the right foods feed our bodies, self-care nourishes our emotions and our spirituality.
Resistance to Positive Change
Sadly, the anti-wellness attitudes don’t stop there, as in “I don’t feel like doing anything about anything right now. I’m just too tired. I’m worn out.”
Often, when I talk to black women about doing something significant to change the direction in which their lives are headed, I get to hear some of the all-time classic responses:
“I’m still hanging in there.”
“Oh well. That’s just life.”
“At least I’m making a steady paycheck.”
“I’ve managed to survive this far.”
As if survival were the only goal. Shoot! Rocks survive. Women want more out of life, don’t they? And they DESERVE it!
Social Epidemics Abound
I’m not surprised to encounter so many women who exhibit fatigue, apathy, or resignation. Daily struggles can kill anyone’s spirit:
- extraordinary societal pressures or threats
- disrespect
- periods of unemployment
- overwork
- underappreciation
- limited pay or career opportunities – despite advanced degrees
- minimal or non-existent relationship prospects
- lackluster existing relationships
No, these things don’t apply to all black women. But I will bet the majority can relate to a lot of the hassles mentioned above.
The Root Cause of Several Diseases
Frequently, it is stress that compromises your body’s immunity to illness.
Look at the evidence that surrounds you. Depression, obesity, and hypertension plague our community way too often. And we are more vulnerable to a host of autoimmune conditions like diabetes or lupus.
So I decided my passion for sharing knowledge—contributing to making the mature black woman’s world a safer, more empathetic, more supportive, more fulfilling, and healthier place—exceeded my fear of failure. Now I can’t wait to inform others while learning from them as they comment on various issues.
My Brief Personal Story
You’ll learn more about me, too, as we go along. Take the fact that I’m a Jersey girl living in an Atlanta suburb. And I’ve been married to the same Alabama man for over 20 years.
Allow me to explain how I got here. I do have a medical background, but that’s only part of my story. I have worked in a variety of fields.
For years, I read and studied holistic health and wellness and attended live workshops on its many aspects. It didn’t make me perfect, of course. I continued enduring my health issues, making occasional bad decisions, and entertaining self-defeating thoughts. Plenty of them. Where do you think I acquired my self-proclaimed wisdom?
In case you’re wondering, I’m in better shape now, and so is my life. But things are far from ideal. Life is still life—with its ups, downs, and unexpected radar blips that pop up somewhere in the middle.
Some Trends Are Better Than Others
For instance, many of us would do ourselves a favor by switching from the selfie craze to the self-care movement. Believe it or not, it can be gratifying and fun at times.
At the same time, you stand to reap additional benefits when you change your thinking and the actions that don’t serve you well. But then you already know what some of those things are. We need to encourage each other to take better care of ourselves. This blog is my method of doing that for you.
I’d Like to Hear Your Thoughts
Leave a comment or question in the comments box at the bottom of the page. Tell me the wellness topics (including quality-of-life issues) you would prefer to learn. That way, I can serve you better!
And stay tuned.
If you would like to communicate privately about my Ebony Jazzed course, who I am, or the purpose of my blog, feel free to leave your name and email address. Then hit “Submit.”
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