Waking up positive I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that I’m going to be positive and not wake up feeling desperate - Billie Holiday There are times when we are in such a funk that we literally have to shake it off and just plunge into the day. Now please if you are feeling depressed or one who suffers from clinical depression this includes you. The reason is that at some point you have to decide to seek out help. Call your counselor, take your medication if you are on anything, get out of bed, shower, and push yourself. Even if it is one little thing. One little step. One little thought that keeps you in the light. Do that.  Sometimes, a lot of times, we will not know what the future holds. It could be that very thought of not knowing what is ahead that is causing us anxiety, depression, and discomfort but what we do know is that we cannot give up and we have to get up and get moving.  Pscyh Central has 7 tips on how you can get out of a depression slump.  Overcomin

I am a big fan of journaling and have way too may journals to count. Journaling should be a part of your stress mamangement tool kit because it is a great way to help process emotions. I will provide regular jounal prompt for you when you do not know what to write or where to start.  Write a letter of encouragement and support to your future self. Remind yourself of your worth and capabilities. Sometimes we can forget how wonderful we are. We can let negative thoughts sneak and and kill our joy. Be encouraging and come back and read what you wrote especially on a day when you may not be feeling your best. 

Stress and your Respiratory System When people ask about stress and the body, they are almost always thinking about stress in a negative way. However, as a reminder, there is such a thing as good stress and purposeful stress. Actually, any change that the body has to react to is considered a type of stressor. Does stress have an effect on our body? Of course, it does because something has occurred that we have to react to.  One form of stress that affects our respiratory system is exercise. Regular exercise should be included as part of your stress management program even if it is as simple as taking a 30-minute walk a few times a week. Exercise helps to strengthen and improve your lung capacity. This is a good form of stress for your breathing because by engaging in regular exercise you are training and strengthening your respiratory system.  Conversely, exposure to chronic stress symptoms can take a toll on your body’s immune system as well as exacerbate underlying respiratory issues

Jonathan Majors is back in the hot seat So I have been biting my tongue on this whole Jonathan Majors thing since the whole drama happened with him getting arrested for alleged domestic abuse with his ex-girlfriend. In the meantime, I have thoroughly, when I tell you thoroughly, I mean thoroughly enjoyed his acting skills in Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He was phenomenal in both roles. As far as Antman, he was the highlight and I had been waiting to see him in that role ever since watching the Loki series on Disney+.  Therefore you can imagine my disappointment when all this drama came out about him getting arrested. I did not want to believe it because, frankly, I was not interested in witnessing another brother’s downfall. But when his lawyer put out those terrible text messages which she thought were supposed to make him look good and they absolutely did not, I was like wait a minute. This is fishy, but I’m going to wait.  Then … and then, he started popping up w

Squid Game Season 2 Teaser Trailer Okay, I am not going to lie to you all, I watched season one of the Squid Game series by complete accident because my son and daughter were watching it, and I was curious. I think they were on the third or fourth episode, and I got hooked. It seems so long ago and came at the right time. I have been waiting not-so-patiently like everyone else for season 2. Well, the teaser trailer was dropped, and I am here for it. We have some returning characters and some new players that make it look pretty interesting to watch. The problem is the release date is reported to be November 2024. I would have rather you kept this teaser to yourself. Bombastic side eye! Check out the trailer below

  The Difficult Things All the things. There are just so many that we juggle on a regular basis. To be fair most of them are on cruise control. Our brain does most of the heavy lifting behind the scenes and consciously we are left with maneuvering the more complicated and thought-provoking aspects of our lives. Sometimes, we let our thoughts get carried away, get distracted, and lose focus on what matters and how we are moving through life. But for the most part, our autopilot brain allows us to position ourselves so we can actually live and enjoy life.  All things are difficult before they are easy. -Thomas Fuller Why is it that, in this current age, it seems, most of us are not enjoying life? Recently, I have taken a focus on the simple things that we take for granted, like being present for each other. Another thing we seem to take for granted is our freedom to be. It seems that we pigeonhole ourselves into fulfilling expectations that do not fulfill us or our inner being. It seems

Chevalier  Chevalier, starring Kelvin Harrison, Minnie Driver, and Ronke Adekoluejo, is on Hulu y'all! I dragged my daughter to watch this in the theaters with me and she was not feeling it. She told me that she was expecting to go to sleep. Sleep she did not because the movie was captivating and kept our interest. Honestly, the man was captivating and the way the story was told and the film was paced kept us interested.  Chevalier follows the life of a real person who was born to a slave and a nobleman. Joseph Bologne was brought to London by his father to learn and be great because even as a young child, his father recognized the greatness in him. Among his many talents, being an accomplished violinist and formidable fencer were the most popular and widely known.  There is romance, drama, tension, foolish choices, and tragedy that kept the story going. I cannot imagine the confidence, arrogance, and boldness, he must have had to accomplish what he did in such a time. The acting w

  Be Present: Show Up We convince by our presence. -Walt Whitman There are times when someone is going through something and I wonder what can I do for them. How can I help them get through this tough time? I think of those times when someone has passed and there is obviously nothing, I can do to help with their pain or ease their emotions. In those cases and in many cases, we lose sight of the importance of our presence can be in easing someone we care about through stressful situations.  Sometimes, many times, probably most times, it is enough to be present. It is enough to show up. Sometimes all someone needs is for us to show up and support them by just being there. I find this is especially important when your loved ones are going through a milestone and they extend an invitation for you to participate. You may not think it is a big deal, or feel you won’t be missed but your absence would be felt just as much as your presence would be noticed.   Do not discount your ability to imp

Starship Troopers released in 1997 and I cannot count the amount of time I have watched it. Alien bugs, huge alien bugs, have invaded and only cares about destroying earth. A group of young soldier are sent on a mission to destroy them before they completely destroy humans.  It is beyond cheesy and by today's standards, just terrible. But that doesn't matter. I love it! It's on Netflix for now. A young Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick Harris, Clancy Brown, Micheal Ironside, Patrick Muldoon, and Seth Gilliam are some of the more popular faces you will recognize.

Recently a TikTok post has gone viral for talking about the benefits of heavy metal music. But really music itself is a wonderful tool to add to your stress management tool kit.  The links to the articles discussed are below Doctor Explains That Listening to Heavy Metal Lessens Stress, Promotes Thinking + More   The Power of Music to Reduce Stress Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness. -  Maya Angelou    

  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Let’s Talk About it I am so upset with this movie and that is most likely because I had no idea what I was getting into. I watch one teaser trailer. One. I also did not realize that there were no post-credit scenes and I actually understand why but man on man am I so mad. I will let you know why but it will be in the spoiler section because we have got to talk about it.  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is killing it at the box office. Over the weekend alone it made over 120 million with great critic reviews. The raves are well worth it. I am not upset with the movie because it was bad. The animated film featuring Mile Moralis as the newest spider-bitten superhero is a great movie. The graphic design, especially in the beginning, was gritty and raw, making things feel more organic which was a great way to open up. I enjoyed the opening scene before we really dove into the story. There was a build of intrigue as to why are we going in this direct

  ICU by Coco Jones Music Musings Music and sound can be very helpful tools in our stress management practice. I have a “Feel Good” playlist that I listen to whenever I need a mood boost. It is filled with songs that just make me smile or give me a confidence booster. Then there are songs that make me smile because they remind of me someone or an event, or they are just nostalgic.  I happen to be a romantic at heart and beautiful love songs to equally beautify melodies get me every time which is why we are featuring Coco Jones ICU.  I have watched Coco Jones as Hilary Banks on Bel Air and had no idea she was also a singer until this song was released. The song is beautiful to me for several reasons. The first one is that the melody is just pleasing to my spirit and plays so smoothly over my ears. Her voice accompaniment makes me sway and reminisce. The lyrics are everything as well.  I love love. I have experienced love that is all-encompassing and just makes you feel wonderful and gid