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The more I practice forgiveness the more my healing expands. I have witnessed growth in the midst of darkness, healing where I was unaware of need and change in places that I believed had reached their ceiling. Through these and other practices…
H’opono’pono is a 4-line Hawaiian prayer that uses the forces of repentance, forgiveness, gratitude and love to bring forth healing and change. While the order of which may not matter, the process I use states in order: I Love You, I’m Sorry, Please Forgive Me, Thank You. I have two primary….
Mantra: Forgiveness is a process and a practice. Though it sounds a bit cliche. What I’ve found is that oftentimes the very things that I’ve thought I’d forgiven find their way back to me. Old wounds and outdated feelings. Unresolved pain. The shards and shrapnel from hard…
I’m thankful I’ve lived long enough to know the beauty of forgiveness. I remember the first time I wrote down a forgiveness list. It was December 27, 2016. I had decided to do a 5 Days of Forgiveness Challenge...
One of the biggest things I’ve ever had to forgive was the perceived betrayal and abandonment of a former lover. We had been together for years, simultaneously wounding, vicariously living in and off of each other’s misery. Him unable to forgive me. ..
As I sat there, I realized that I had never really called my first real relationship abusive. I mean it was abusive and I knew this but to actually say out loud, verbally, with my mouth, my voice, my words that “I was in an abusive relationship when I was 14” was new…
Unfortunately, grieving is a part of life that is inevitable. For most individuals, the first time we experience grief is during our adolescence stage of life. As an adolescent experiences grief for the first time, many parents worry that their child is not displaying the proper signs of grief…
Loss is a natural part of life. It is also natural to experience grief when processing loss. Grief is something that everyone will experience, and that many find difficult to process. “Everyone reacts differently to death and employs personal coping mechanisms…
According to WebMD.com, “Grief is a natural response to losing someone or something that’s important to you. You may feel a variety of emotions, like sadness or loneliness. And you might experience it for a number of different reasons. Maybe a loved…
When I attracted a narcissistic relationship in my past, I was in a state of blind awareness of myself. As a naturally hypersensitive personality, I’ve been described as kind and know that I truly care for people. He needed a person like me to help make…
Everyone deserves healthy relationships. It is important to understand that, “All relationships exist on a spectrum from healthy to abusive, with unhealthy relationships somewhere in the middle,” (Domestic Violence Hotline, 2020). It's important to be knowledgeable…
When I first heard the term “healthy relationships,” I immediately thought about romantic relationships. However, there are so many different kinds of relationships that we interact with on a daily basis that can be considered healthy…
Do you believe that we are all wired to connect? Do you view connection as a true extroverted need? What if you discovered that those that are more introverted, also are wired to connect?
America has faced many unknowns in the last few years, to highlight, 2019 with Mass Shootings, and 2020 that brought political race wars, tornados, pandemic, and bombs. We are all experiencing this eerie fear of the unknown. This feeling can manifest…
Finding Your Path to Self Love by Briera Nix
Has a family member or friend ever said to you: “You have to learn how to love yourself first before somebody else can love you.” It’s easy for our friends, family members, and even famous influencers to encourage and promote self-love, but how many of them actually took the time…
On the surface it seems obvious that currently the pandemic is the source of our disconnection, but what really is? What is really driving our disconnection? Here are 3 viewpoints to consider when exploring feelings of chronic disconnection and thoughts on what you can do to address it…
Self-love is...
Making time for yourself every day.
Loving yourself for your personality.
Honoring your boundaries.
Standing up for your values.
Taking a break.
and Compassion for your mistakes.
Occasional anxiety is an expected part of life. We have all been anxious before a test, going to a job interview, or even making an important decision. This type of anxiety is normal and will eventually go away. However, there are some of us who experience anxiety constantly.
Financial well-being is absolutely a component of a healthy sense of self love. Now in addition to addressing financial challenges within a traditional therapy encounter, there is more tailored help for individuals needing more intensive support…
Anxiety is defined as “’an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure’” (Adam Felman, 2020). Although anxiety is a disorder characterized by the DSM5, it is not always classified as one…
Have you ever told yourself, “I love you?” Do you cater to your needs and happiness? Do you appreciate yourself and make decisions that will positively support your growth and development? If so, you are experiencing self-love…
The year 2020 produced a pandemic that no one saw coming. One in which we have been challenged, tested and tried. No one has been exempt and the end remains unknown. However, COVID is not the only pandemic of 2020. With it has come a silent…
Imagine being in a room full of people, yet you still have a deep feeling of alienation. This is one example of what it feels like to experience chronic loneliness. We are living in a time where social distancing has become the norm…
Ashley McGirt, Activist and Licensed Professional Counselor states, “There are things I do not need to necessarily explain to the black community when I am having a conversation with them, just because these are concepts…
“To be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.”
— James Baldwin
The ancestor’s sentiments permeate deep into my psyche. The relevance…
Racial Injustice is an issue faced all around the world. Millions have marched, protested, rallied, and too many have died in order to fight for basic human rights. As a Black woman…
When I hear the term, “Impostor syndrome,” I hear a term that people all around the world, from different backgrounds can relate to. Being a recent graduate from a four-year university…
At the very moment I hear my name, I feel my heart drop to my stomach. Though I have a confident and unwavering knowing of my calling to this space, doubt and fear bust in the door, bombarding the room with their dark heaviness….
Have you ever felt like you were the “Only One” in the room? In this moment, did you feel stereotyped and caged by your age, gender, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability? Competition and toxic achievement can lead to high levels of anxiety…
Buried deep inside your subconscious
Planted safely within your womb
I witnessed the omnipotence of GOD in your heartbeat
In collusion with Source
YOU called me forth
Equal parts stardust and salt water
The alarm goes off at 4:00 am. Eyes slowly blink to awareness. Wide yawns welcome another day. Yet instead of the usual rising that eases me out of bed, there’s a familiar pain–a heaviness that arrests me to immobility.
Deep breaths offer no relief. Rather, they only confirm the grip of weight that aggressively shoots across my back.
On Sunday I danced in my sports bra, leggings and heels.
I guess I should start by saying I’m on a dance team. A ladies SALSA dance team with some BADASS Bitches!!! Let’s not forget to mention I am the oldest member of the dance team in my WELL seasoned, RIPE like a PEACH ripe, age of 43. I won’t leave out that I am the mother of 1 and a possible teenagers not for sympathy or pity because MY BODY is BEAUTIFUL…
I spent a number of years “collecting data” on how to live. Figuring most things out by trial and error. Making my way the best way I knew how...barely. As I started to get more deliberate about my healing journey and try new things, processes and techniques began to show up and many have proven to be effective in bringing forth clarity and optimizing healing.
She is a 30 (something) y/o AA female. She enjoys working out, going to concerts, live sporting events, and spending time with friends including happy hours, brunches, dinner, traveling and girls’ trips. She considers herself well rounded but doesn’t necessarily have a hobby nor is she really clear about what she does that gives her life. She likes to read but isn’t always able to make time for it…
I don’t think I’ve ever been in a relationship where I could exhale. Honestly both in and out of love, I think I’ve spent the better of my life holding my breath. Waiting for the next not so great thing to happen. Expecting the worst and perhaps preparing for it in my expectation of it...being human. Cultivating through every perceived rejection, disappointment and abuse the resiliency of a rubber band, the tenacity of a sponge. Especially in love...
I recently had the honor and privilege of visiting with my Dad and both my Maternal and Paternal Grandmothers ages 85 and 89 respectively. My Dad who is 65 years old, had been in the hospital for several days experiencing some issues with digestion, a complication we think…