Travel Like RiRi: 4 Bad Gal-Approved Vacay Destinations To Add To Your Bucket List ASAP
At this point, Rih, we're like f*ck the album. Well, not really, but I say that to put emphasis on the fact that sis has had her foot on our necks all damn year. From adding new shades to her already inclusive makeup line to becoming the first Black woman, excuse me, the first woman EVER to create a fashion house with LMVH, Rihanna is truly about her business, but all work and no play makes Rih a very sad girl. That's exactly why amidst her many entrepreneurial endeavors Rihanna always makes time for a vacation.
In Rihanna's latest creative endeavor, a 500-page, 15-pound visual autobiography, she reveals 1000 never-before-seen images, and among beauty, style, and getting lit, travel was also a recurring theme. In a previous interview with Atlas, the singer shared that jet-setting has been the most valuable form of education that money can buy:
"There is no doubt travel is among the best education you are going to get. Opening yourself up to other countries, other cultures, how people live. There are some things you can't learn from a book – and I feel truly blessed to have seen so many different countries."
She also shared that among all of the places she's been, there's no place like home.
"I always feel relaxed in Barbados. I'm so blessed to be able to say I love what I do. But because I have such a busy schedule, I like to totally switch off when I have downtime. And in Barbados, I feel like I can really do that."
The hustle mentality has the potential to hustle you out of your peace of mind, and Rihanna had this piece of advice for women who are at risk of letting "the grind" grind them to death:
"If I am traveling for work it's different because I am working – but on vacation, it's just switching off and being at peace. No matter how busy we are, everybody needs to learn that on vacation: life can wait for a week."
In Rihanna's new self-titled book, she gave us some much-needed travel inspiration that will have you ready to book a flight on your lunch break. Here are 4 Rihanna-approved vacation destinations that you should check out ASAP:
1.Crete, Greece
According to mythology, Crete is the birthplace of Zeus and might just have the potential to awaken your inner goddess, too. Complete with pink-sand beaches, quaint eateries, and picturesque mountains, this vacay destination is known as the largest island in Greece and just might just be the low-key getaway you didn't know you needed.
2.Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Home of the Brazilian Carnaval Festival, Rio de Janeiro is the perfect place to learn the samba and get your entire life at Copacabana, which is the biggest beach in the world. While this may not be the best place to travel solo, Rio should definitely be up for consideration when planning your next group trip.
3.Oahu, Hawaii
Rihanna ate mangos on the beach with her bestie and now I, too, must eat mangos on the beach in Oahu, Hawaii with my bestie. Home of Waikiki Beach, the island is warm year-round and might just be the key to getting your seasonal depression all the way together.
4.Turks & Caicos
Another vacay destination that stays warm year-round, Turks and Caicos is the luxury getaway that you deserve. While this trip may cost you a few extra coins, opportunities to scuba dive at the territory's 14-mile barrier reef and experience world-renowned food and hospitality make the trip well worth the price.
Featured image by DFree / Shutterstock.com
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
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TW: some depictions of intrusive thoughts may be disturbing for readers.
Have you ever caught your mind drifting off to entertain the most disturbing scenarios imaginable? Maybe you can’t stop thinking of all the ways a loved one could pass away or worrying that you left every candle lit in your apartment to which you’d return to a home in ruins. If distressing ruminations like these have crossed your mind, you may be experiencing an intrusive thought.
What Are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted or distressing thoughts, images, or impulses that pop into your mind without your control or consent. These thoughts can be repetitive, unsettling, or even violent in nature, and can cause anxiety and frustration for those who experience them.
“Generally they're unwanted thoughts that come up in our head that interrupt what we're doing or thinking, and can feel very foreign,” says Adia Gooden, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and host of the Unconditionally Worthy podcast. “It’s any thought that intrudes or interrupts what you are doing. They can be distressing and upsetting for us because it feels like we are not in control of them, and they're coming up out of nowhere and aren’t in line with how you normally think.”
What Causes Intrusive Thoughts?
Certain trauma or stress can contribute to the development of intrusive thoughts, so having a challenging experience from the past or current life situations may trigger them to form. “An intrusive thought could come in the form of a flashback, image, or a thought about something that's happened to you,” Dr. Gooden tells xoNecole. “When it gets to the point where you feel like you can't function or make clear decisions, that's when intrusive thoughts become really challenging.”
While some of the 1 billion videos found under the #intrusivethoughts hashtag on TikTok would lead you to believe that these thoughts are nothing more than casual displays of our imagination going untamed. Intrusive thoughts are more than sticking your hand in a soap dispenser, wanting to cut all your hair off at 3 a.m., or having a random impulse to eat fake bread in public.
The Anxiety & Depression Association of America reports that approximately six million individuals, equating to roughly two percent of the American population, encounter intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are often linked with obsessive-compulsive disorders, but they can also manifest in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety.
Examples of Common Intrusive Thoughts
Because of the explicit nature of intrusive thoughts, they tend to cause shame and internal conflict in those who experience them. Although these thoughts can differ from person to person, these ideation can consist of:
- Violent or aggressive thoughts towards oneself or others, such as harming or killing someone;
- Sexual thoughts that are unwanted or inappropriate;
- Repetitive thoughts, such as a song or a phrase that keeps repeating in your mind;
- Contamination or germ-related thoughts or the fear of contamination and getting sick;
- Religious or blasphemous thoughts, such as questioning one's faith or having thoughts that go against religious beliefs;
- Doubts or uncertainty about one's own actions or decisions, such as fear of making a mistake or fear of not doing something right.
Intrusive Thoughts and OCD
That’s why Dr. Gooden encourages everyone to understand the difference between our fleeting thoughts and impulses and true, intrusive thoughts. “What level of distress does it cause and is it something you would never consider,” she says. “If you're finding that these thoughts are getting in the way of you living your life and that you're controlled by the thoughts, those are some signs that it would be good to get some support in navigating it.”
She also emphasizes the importance of understanding that while we may not always have control over our thoughts, we can control our behavior. “On TikTok, people are sort of blaming intrusive thoughts on their behavior, and our behavior is always a choice,” she says. “If we are in our right mind and we're not having a psychotic episode, our behavior is our choice — we are not obligated to follow any given thought that we have.”
Are Intrusive Thoughts Normal?
With intrusive thoughts, it’s natural to question whether these thoughts are “normal” to have. However, these thoughts are not meant to define who you are as a person but simply indicate that you have a functioning human mind with automated thoughts that you, or any of us, can’t control. These thoughts may come, but they don’t have to be acted upon, nor do they define who you are.
“I've worked with clients in the past who say, ‘Why am I thinking these things? What's wrong with me?’ But if you're not acting on the thought, then it's probably not a huge issue,” Dr. Gooden says. “If you are thinking a harmful thought towards yourself or someone else and you are making plans to act on that thought, then yes, we need to do something about it.”
How To Manage Intrusive Thoughts
If you are struggling with managing unwanted thoughts, Dr. Aida suggests taking these tips to help manage your mindset when they occur:
- "Recognize that it's a thought and thoughts are just thoughts. We often put a little bit too much weight on our thoughts, and that can create a lot of distress. But remember that thoughts are not facts."
- "Having a thought that's disturbing or upsetting doesn't make you a bad person, and it doesn't mean that you are suffering from a mental illness."
- "Sometimes the best thing you can do is say, 'Huh, that was an interesting thought. I'm going to let that go. That thought is not helpful for me right now."
- "Ask yourself: is this helpful? Is it helpful for me to buy into this thought and believe this thought? Asking that question can be really helpful because we are not at the mercy of our thoughts. If it's not helpful, you can let it go."
Intrusive thoughts can feel bizarre and foreign when they come up, but they aren't inherently "bad." Our minds can sometimes be filled with random and inappropriate thoughts, but that's what our stream of consciousness does: it thinks. Fortunately, we can release those thoughts at any moment; you don't have to follow through with them.
And ultimately, not every TikTok diagnosis is one that we should label ourselves with.
"It's important for people to acknowledge what they're experiencing but not run too quickly to diagnose themselves with some mental illness or disorder," Dr. Gooden advises. "It ends with confusion, and we miss the opportunity to understand the people who really do have that mental health challenge."
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