Jumpstart Your Healing Through Color Therapy
Often, the idea of conventional therapy isn't an option for us; either because we're uncomfortable with the concept of talking to a random stranger, or simply because the way our bank account is set-up, it just won't work. However, we all need some type of assistance on this journey we are taking through life. More and more millennial women are seeking nontraditional methods for healing, so color therapy shouldn't be too far off the spectrum to help assist us back to the road of being whole all by our lonesome.
Sometimes having an alternative to turn to outside of your friends, family or bae is necessary. We know through meditation that each chakra is associated with a different color and all have different healing properties. My spiritual girls and hippies agree that balancing your chakras is damn near just as important as keeping that pH balance in check, honey. They are both very necessary in order to keep the peace, literally and figuratively.
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Contrary to what most may believe, color is associated with literally everything we do. Rather you're describing the way you feel, visualizing a moment, or expressing a mood, we use color to identify a variety of different things. We are unconsciously identifying our moods with color. The color we describe correlates with how we think it matches our mood.
Color therapy, also known as chromotherapy, dates back well-beyond Western civilization's use of it, or shall I say, lack thereof. It's dated back as far as 2000 years ago with usage in places like Egypt, Greece, and China. It's a natural healing agent that can bring balance, stimulation, peace and harmony to an array of areas, including but not limited to our psychological state of mind, physical elements, home, work environments, and of course, good ol' sexual healing.
There are various ways to incorporate color therapy into our everyday lives. Try these easy techniques that you can use on a regular basis to help you on that healing journey, Queen:
- Candles: targets two of our major senses, scent and sight
- Lighting: using colored light bulbs/filters are good for changing your mood and great for meditative visualization
- Crystals: can be used as a form of protection; they can be worn, carried, or placed in a special spot to bring about alignment in certain elements of our life
- Colored Flash Cards: great for mantras, setting intentions and visualization techniques that can help with staying in check
- Bathing: colored baths are great for cleansing and balancing your chakras and aura
- Food/Water: pairing the right things to eat are great for clearing/healing our energy centers
Knowing what colors correlate with what elements in our physical, mental, and spiritual realm could really help us in the areas of our life that are often blocked, feeling stagnant, or just plain-out need to be balanced.
And don't worry, I've got you covered below on what colors work for what:
Red (Base of Spine)
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Red is the color of stimulation. Its healing properties are good for helping with the flow of things, moving blood through the body, grounding and also alleviation of depression.
Orange (Under Navel)
Orange is the color of creativity/sexuality. If you are ever feeling blocked in these areas, this is your go-to. It's an immune-boosting aid and also a great color for assisting in unblocking stomach and intestinal problems.
Yellow (Above Navel)
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Yellow is known for its detoxifying qualities. It has invigorating properties that help with clearing your mind and body control. It's associated with having power. It's a great color to incorporate when your gastrointestinal tract is out of whack.
Green (Heart)
Green is the color of balance. It holds harmonizing properties. It's also the color associated with love and the heart. Its properties are great for creating equilibrium in all areas of your life. Your health and nervous benefits from the color green.
Blue (Throat)
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Blue is the color associated with communication. It has soothing properties and is great for calming and cooling the nervous system. If your blood pressure is high, blue can help to bring you back down to a calmer state of being. When your ears, nose, and throat are a little out of touch, align yourself with something blue to help get you back on track.
Purple/Violet (Center of Forehead)
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Purple and violet are known for their reasoning qualities. This color has strong cleansing properties that align with our higher perception and decision-making. If you have a hard time trying to understand something occurring, put some purple or violet in rotation to help alleviate that feeling. This color is great for alleviating anxiety.
White (Top of Head)
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White is the equalizer of all colors. It has strengthening powers. If you are looking for peace and tranquility, white is the color in aiding you to that state of mind. It's great for stabilizing all areas of the nervous system. This color can be used to assist in the balancing of all areas of both physical and mental.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here and check out the related reads below:
The Key To Balancing Your Energy Might Be Aromatherapy
Opening Your 7 Chakras Can Transform Your Mind, Body & Spirit
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The Power Of Connecting Energetically To Your Yoni
Featured image by Shutterstock.
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Corein Carter is a Los Angeles-based blogger, content creator and podcaster. The New Jersey native has had a love affair with words since she began penning poetry in high school and later went on to study journalism at WSSU. The self-proclaimed "Naturalista" embodies all things spiritual, plant-based, and self-care in both her daily life and through writing. You may recognize Corein's captivating voice and well-rounded perspectives from her fast growing podcast "Play on Words". Follow her journey on Twitter and Instagram @inlivingcolored.
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
No matter what it is, setting boundaries can be challenging, especially when those boundaries involve money. But if you want to sustain success and financial freedom, boundaries are important, both with yourself and with others.
Many wealthy successful women have mastered setting boundaries and prioritizing accountability so that they can ensure they remain that way. Let's face it: If you want a certain quality of life and you work hard to achieve that, you don't want to risk it by taking on habits that jeopardize your financial stability.
Be inspired to not only set money boundaries but keep them by taking heed to the common financial boundaries power women of today establish:
1. They pay themselves first.
Building consistent savings habits is important to wealth-building no matter how much you earn, and the practice is often one that continues even after you're well-booked and well-paid. Actress, producer, and philanthropist Queen Latifah has always been a proponent of this after learning from her mom to "save your money."
This is the epitome of the energy behind paying yourself first. You squirrel something away and take care of yourself by taking care of your future first, before paying any bills. You invest in yourself (within your means and with a budget in mind, of course).
2. They don't loan money without clear repayment rules and expectations are agreed upon.
It's awesome to be able to help people out by loaning them money, but when you don't communicate clearly about repayment (or what will happen if the money is not repaid) you set yourself up for a cycle of taking on other's debts and maybe even building more debt of your own.
Unless you're doing charity, set those boundaries early about when and how a loan will be repaid. And if you know you won't get the money back, rethink the loan altogether.
3. They create budgets that are realistic and reflect their current lifestyle.
In her book, What I Know for Sure, Oprah Winfrey wrote, “I hope the way you spend your money is in line with the truth of who you are and what you care about.” This is key for many successful women, especially when they're budgeting and investing.
Issa Rae told Money.com, "I don’t splurge just because. I will never have 17 cars. I will never have expensive jewelry. I don’t spend that much on my clothes, or shoes. I will spend money on a stylist, and a makeup artist, because those things feel necessary for work. But material things? No."
There's a clear indication that there are clear value systems sustained by what matters to them no matter how much they make, and budgeting is a huge part of that.
4. They consider the long-term effects of a rash purchase before proceeding.
It's totally okay to treat yourself, but if you find yourself impulsively buying things you don't really need or always living check to check because you've maxed out your credit card to take that sixth trip in one year, there's a problem that might put a damper on those financial freedom plans. (That is unless your trip is part of how you make your money, and it's a worthy investment into expanding your prospects.)
Successful women are conscious of the long- and short-term effects of purchases, small and large. They're always thinking about how one action can impact the bigger picture.
5. They are givers and believe in the reciprocity of that.
Many of us are familiar with the famous quote, "To whom much is given, must is required," and there's that undertone of service and charity that is a common thread for wealthy, successful women, especially those who run businesses or lead brands. Involving yourself in acts of service not only enriches your development and that of communities, but it increases your exposure, network, and credibility, often leading to more opportunities to make more money.
Most leading CEOs, entrepreneurs, and professionals are big on giving back, whether it is through resources, a nonprofit, money, or their time. "As you become more successful, it's important for you to give back. Even if you can't financially give back, kind words and sharing about other businesses on social media means so much. Every little thing counts. Help out your friends and family with advice, encouragement, and support," said Angela Yee, award-winning radio host and entrepreneur.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images