10 Healthy Holistic Practices That Promote Mental Wellness
After spending a year on antidepressants, I was able to manage my depression through healthy holistic practices without the use of medication. I made sure that while my antidepressants were giving me the boost that I needed to reclaim my energy and help me balance my negative thoughts, I adjusted and fine-tuned a lot of my habits as well as took into account the environmental factors and lifestyle choices that I was making that weren't necessarily helping to aid my depression. I just knew that I didn't want to spend the rest of my adult life having to depend on medication to balance my moods.
Everything is a process, therefore it's important for me to share that my wellness journey did not happen overnight, it actually took years, and I had to learn how to be patient with the process and myself so that I can be where I am today: Three years off of medication and living my best life without the added struggles of depression.
So here are 10 healthy holistic practices to help heal mental wellness:
1. Cleanse Your Space
When you wake up in the morning, take a look around you and absorb the space that you are in. What does your living atmosphere look like? Is it neat and tidy? Or could you benefit from a spring-cleaning? Understand that our environment plays a role in shifting our moods. When you are surrounded by a cluttered space, it can impact your level of happiness as well as your motivation to jump-start your day.
Start small. Focus on an area in your room where you can start tidying up then go from there until your space is as clean as it can be. This practice also helps with cleansing and releasing, the act of letting go of things that are no longer serving us.
2. Cleanse Your Circle or Enhance Your Circle
Who are you doing life with? Community is essential to growth. Community provides space for us to learn how to be authentic, vulnerable, and, most importantly, find people who hold us accountable for our actions. The quality of your friendshipsips is way more important than the quantity of your friendships.
Understanding this means you need to be aware that everyone can't come for the ride and there may be some people in your life that you might need to distance yourself from or create boundaries around because they are detrimental to your spirit. However, you may also find that you have no one in your circle, you are doing life alone and you need to start learning how to create connections with others. Which category do you fall in?
3. Don't Rely on Motivation, Be Disciplined
One of the most common misconceptions that most people have when they are trying to change their habits is they believe that in order to change one must be motivated to get the job done. That is so wrong on many levels. Motivation is a feeling just like happiness and sadness is.
The same way those emotions are fleeting, so is motivation, which tells me that most people think that change can only happen when they feel good. No! What you need is discipline because there are going to be days when you don't feel like doing something and guess what, you still need to get it done. So set a concrete plan that is realistic and force yourself to get going on it as if your life depended on it.
4. Eat A Balanced Meal Once A Day
What we eat can affect our mind just as much as our bodies. Try to swap out one of your meals during the week for a healthy option. One that is low in sugars and fats or maybe a vegan meal. Starting small helps so that you don't feel overwhelmed by a sudden shift in diet. So start from there and pay attention to your mood and energy levels after to see how what you're eating might be impacting your mental wellness.
5. Exercise
Baby steps! I'm not telling you throw yourself full throttle into a HIIT class, but you can start somewhere, even in your home. Set a goal to aim for once or twice a week for 20-30 minutes. Then increase that over time.
6. Affirm Yourself
Here's my motto when it comes to self-care: "You can't do self-care if you don't honor yourself."
So, get a pen and paper in hand and start writing down daily affirmations to boost your self-esteem as well as your confidence. Watch how your life unfolds. It'll be beautiful.
7. Create A Vision Board
Manifest! Manifest! Manifest! When you set intentions and affirm what you want from the universe, you will see it come to life. Create a vision board of how you want your wellness journey to unfold and watch the magic happen when you set intentions for the things that you want.
8. Stay Hydrated
If you want to function at your best make sure your body is consuming adequate amounts of water to help maintain bodily functions and to get that glowing skin!
9. Document The Process
There are going to be days when it feels like life is beating you up. Don't worry, it happens to everyone. A journey to wellness is understanding that no matter how healthy and whole you aim to be, we are still people who experience emotions, good and bad ones, so don't ignore your bad feelings. Document your daily process so on those days when you are feeling low, you can reflect and remain inspired from all the hard work you've put in and the good that has come from it.
10. Honor The Process/Be Patient
Remember, growth doesn't happen overnight.
Take your time and be patient. Don't compare your journey to someone else's. Focus on you as well as what your needs are and honor every step of the way!
*Article originally published on Black Girl In Om
Minaa B. is a writer, author of the book, Rivers Are Coming and a licensed psychotherapist based in NYC. She is an advocate for health and wellness and uses her Instagram platform to spread words of hope and inspiration. Minaa is also a small business owner and runs an all-natural apothecary shop called Sunday Mornings. On her down time, she enjoys self-care by reading cook books, drinking black tea, and giving herself at-home facials using activated charcoal. You can learn more about her work and get in contact with her by visiting: https://www.minaab.com
Featured image by Getty Images
Black Girl In Om promotes holistic wellness and inner beauty for women of color. We encourage self-care, self-love, and self-empowerment for communities of color. Read more of our stories at blackgirlinom.com.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Rihanna Talks Shedding Expectations And Finding Balance As A Mother
Since becoming a mother in 2022, Rihanna has defined parenthood by her terms and hopes to pass that sense of autonomy on to her children.
For Vogue China’s April cover story, Rihanna shared her perspective on raising her two sons with A$AP Rocky, and how she hopes to preserve her children’s uniqueness, devoid of societal expectations.
"The most beautiful thing...is that [children] come into the world with their own individuality and sincerity, without any logic or conformity,” she told the publication. “Which usually makes you feel that you must fit into a certain group."
The “Work” artist, known for her trendsetting style and captivating persona, expressed her desire to support children in fully embracing their individuality and encouraging them to be whoever they want to be. "It's really beautiful to see and I want to continue to help them navigate that and make sure that they know they can be whoever they want to be,” she says.
She continues, “They should embrace it completely, because it's beautiful, and it's unique. I love them just that way."
From shattering music charts to shaking up the beauty industry, Rihanna has forged a path that has since created the “dream” life we see today. One that she says has made her parents proud of.
“I’m living my dream,” she continued. “My parents were very proud of that because they just wanted me to be happy and successful. So, I think the key thing is to find some kind of balance. Yes, balance is important. Do this and you get the best of both worlds. You can write your own life the way you want, and it will be beautiful. Sometimes, you just need to let go of everyone’s expectations and start living your own story.”
Rihanna, who shares sons, RZA, 23 months, and Riot, 8 months, with rapper A$AP Rocky, recently shared her vision for expanding her family in the future in Interview Magazine.
When stylist Mel Ottenberg asked about the number of additional children she hoped to have, Rihanna replied, "As many as God wants me to have.”
"I don't know what God wants, but I would go for more than two. I would try for my girl,” she adds. “But of course, if it's another boy, it's another boy."
Featured image by Neil MockfordWireImage