Curating My Happiness and Peace: Bringing in 2024 with a Renewed Vibe

 When you the sun, you shine on all the Icaruses (uh)

Know my power, I know what my penmanship did (it's dope)

Drop so many jewels, I couldn't even put 'em on wrist (uh)

That's the sacrifice (yeah) when you this nice (ah)

They wanna dim your light (they tryin' to)

But never that (never that)

Never that (never, never, never) - Rapsody, Asteroid

Rapsody, my homegirl, my sis, and one of my favorite artists inspired me to curate and renew my happiness and peace. I had a dope 2023 with a few trials and tribulations with plenty of triumphs from dropping my book (Manifesting Your Greatness), launching The Fly Girl Shop, reaching my financial goals, physical goals, and mental health goals by attending therapy every month, and listening to healing, and embracing a new level of love through self-love and allowing someone else to love me. 

Despite all this dopeness, flyness, and often shyness, I find myself peeling back specific layers of complications, complexities, and vulnerabilities to the point I said, "Yo, people really don't care about you, but do you care about YOU?" Once I had that introspective thought, I had to shut it down. Shut down the inner chatter, the self-doubt, the negative self-talk, and often unanswered triggers. I remember burying my Aunt in late Feb/early March and having a complete meltdown after the funeral because enough was enough. I was exhausted because this was the third death on my paternal side of the family, grieving family members, my divorce finally being over after 2 years, and just finding myself no longer holding on to stoicism and holding everyone down. It took my significant other saying to me..."You should go back to therapy." I found my old therapist and got to work, and I am still working. I am thankful because I have evolved, cried, reached "aha" moments, discovered my inner strength, and made an exit plan in various areas of my life, and now I am curating my happiness and peace vibe for 2024. 

Turning 40 was also eye-opening because you find a liberation switch, and life begins at 40. I have evolved and am more assertive, wanting to live a gentler, softer, wiser, kinder, and loving life. I have had my ups and downs, but I hung in there and kept going. I had my ups and downs with my love life, but after a year and some changes later, I am still hanging in here. I find myself battling religious trauma and struggling with holiday celebrations. I have many emotions, but it helped me level up personally and professionally and move out of the way. 

I have found myself being fearless, vulnerable (which is a scary zone for me), and glowing up. I deserve all the great things I have received, am going to receive, and will experience. I am excited to curate my happiness, peace, and love. 2024 will be a vibe, and I can't wait to experience it. In the meantime, I am on a significant social media hiatus because that ish is annoying AF, and I often wonder if people listen, care, and apply the gems. I am at the point in my life in which I have to shrug my shoulders, mind my business, and focus on my happiness, peace, and love. I am focusing on living a healthy, whole, and healed life. Chile, my goal is to live until my 100s, surrounded by love and quality people such as my future husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and leave a lasting legacy. 

For those of you who are Day 1 or today's tribe members, I am sending you much love, light, peace, happiness, and freedom. Curate your vibe, happiness, peace, love, and a dope 2024. 

If you are interested in reaching out to me, please email me as I am on a social media detox, but my email inbox is drea@browngirlfromboston.com

Brown Girl Joy

Joy is a great feeling of pleasure and happiness. 

Joy is a choice. 

Joy is living life on your terms. 

Joy is leaving relationships and environments that are toxic and bad for our overall health. 

Joy is knowing and getting everything you deserve. 

Joy is living a life full of purpose, ease, luxury, and love Joy is contagious. 

Joy is liberating. Joy is peaceful and committing to inner peace even in the midst of chaos. 

Joy is able to get back up without aches and pains from doing this Fly Girl pose without assistance.

Joy is our birthright! To experience joy, please commit to doing your inner work. Commit to doing less and experience the joyful life you deserve.

For My Brown Girls: Move Your Body

I am not a Nutritionist, but I am a concerned Social Worker and Life Coach who advocates for health and wellness. I am not a hair guru, but I can give you some helpful and healthy tips on increasing your hair growth. Ok, do I have your full attention? I understand that women have a hair routine and regimen that they follow religiously but have you considered exercising? Now I can see some sistah-girl attitude being displayed, but do you know that exercising can promote healthy hair growth?

Exercising increases self-esteem, hair growth and provides a healthy holistic person. It also helps us to boost and strengthen our immune system, overall strength, and prolong health. One reason women of color don’t participate in exercising is partly due to our hair. Yes, you heard me correctly! We’d rather protect our hair rather than our overall health. In my lifetime, I hear women say, “I don’t want to sweat my hair out nor mess up my new style.” I am here to tell you to get over this superficial mentality and get serious about your health. Trust me, we have other important things that concern us rather than worry about our hair. Not participating in exercising is a common excuse.

Exercising Increases Hair Growth

Stress is the number one killer in people especially women. When we are stressed various things happen to our body such as hair thinning or hair falling out. Stress produce a hormone that cause hair follicles to stop growing which can result in thinning of the hair called Cortisone. Once you exercise, the Cortisone levels are reduced which will help your hair grow fuller and quicker.

Are you feeling groggy or depressed? It could be a possibility that your Serotinin levels are imbalanced. Serotinin is a chemical that helps us become balanced and happy. Once our Serotinin levels are increased we can manage our stress better.

When you exercise regularly, your blood circulation improves, slows down the aging process, increases stamina and increases our overall mood.

Fun Exercises

There are some fun workout routines that you can participate in. I recommend Zumba because this is a fun, upbeat, and energetic way to exercise. You can dance, sweat, and preserve your sexy all at the same time. You can do Zumba daily or whatever that is beneficial to your schedule. Zumba is a great cardio workout for any and everyone to do. It is also awesome for those who have a Wii because they have the actual Zumba fitness for Wii or you can purchase the DVDs.

Walking is a great form of cardio. Instead of parking your car by the door, park a mile away and walk to your destination. Take a walk in the mall during your lunch break, or walk the stairs rather than taking the elevator. Trust me, you will notice a huge difference within yourself. It only takes 30 minutes a day for a quick cardio workout. For my sistahs who want to channel their inner sexy, check out a pole fitness class. I understand some are shy but pole fitness is a great way to tone and build core strength and upper body strength. Pole fitness is a challenge because you are using your weight as a resistance. You will learn all the pole tricks and get in shape all at the same time. Plus you are guaranteed to lose one dress size within six weeks!

Hairstyles for Exercising

The next time you are sitting in your stylists’ chair ask about different products and styles that will last longer. It is their duty and responsibility to show you these things. You can also try going natural, rocking braids, a bun, or even a sleek short cut. Just be creative.

Don’t let your hair come between your health!

Coaching Question: How often do you workout? How do you feel about yourself after your workouts?

Thank you for reading Brown Girl From Boston! We appreciate the love.

Your sister-friend,

Drea