No Seat At the Table?

0 comments Self-Care, Social Justice, Uncategorized , , , , ,

At whose table shall I sit? Is there a space for me? Well, how many tables are there? And who sits at those tables? Is that even where I belong? Maybe someone saved me a chair … Perhaps space was divinely created for me … Or does my spot remain cast aside, ignored, and unwanted? Should I force my way in and pull up my own chair? You know, shift folks so I get into position Or I could ask permission, politely with a smile Spout pleasantries, curtsey, and grin Then might they let me in? Nah, I’m not forcing […]

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Thick, Heavy Love

0 comments Mental Health, Motherhood, Self-Care

Thin love? “Love is or it ain’t. Thin love ain’t love at all.” These are the words Sethe uttered to Paul D in Beloved, the haunting novel written by the late Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning author Toni Morrison.   Thin love is shallow, fleeting, incapable of climbing hills or moving through valleys for it loses its energy along the journey. But thick love is that heavy love, its depth immeasurable, vast and wide. Thick love nurtures, creates space, speaks loudly even in silence, and always shows up. It wraps itself around itself and still makes room to envelop others […]

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On the Front Lines: Battling Mommy Burnout

0 comments Mental Health, Motherhood, Women's Mental Health , , , , ,

A version of this blog originally appeared on Birmingham Moms Collective Busy, Busy, Busy Let’s be honest, mamas. We were doing too much before COVID – hello the invisible workload of motherhood, all that other stuff we do to ensure our household runs smoothly like getting kids ready for school, baths and bedtime routines, scheduling doctor and dentist appointments, and registering for summer camp and such. Now, almost a year later from when life as we once knew it came to a screeching halt, we have even more tacked on to our already overflowing to-do list. Lines and roles remain […]

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Whose Making Self-Care Goals for 2021?

0 comments Uncategorized , ,

Irrespective of your age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, or political persuasion, 2020 was a year like no other. We cried, celebrated differently, many quarantined, some vaccinated, lost jobs, created businesses, gave birth, buried loved ones, traveled less, and zoomed more. The life we once lived became unrecognizable. Whether 2020 was overwhelmingly difficult, filled with pockets of unexpected joy and blessings, or somewhere in between, we all bear its scars. As we determine how best to move forward, perhaps crafting a “fresh start” or merely dragging ourselves out of the quicksand, I implore you to make your mental health and wellness a priority in 2021. Like, for real! No […]

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#GivingTuesday: Try Giving a Little GRACE, Too

0 comments Uncategorized

Black Friday Small Business Saturday Cyber Monday GivingTuesday The Thanksgiving holiday season is filled with clever quips to promote gift-buying, economic growth, and global generosity. Today is GivingTuesday though by the time you read this, GivingTuesday may have ended. Nevertheless, let us continue to share the spirit of GivingTuesday. According to givingtuesday.org, the GivingTuesday movement began in 2012. The premise was simple, to create “a day that encourages people to do good” – a day filled with intentional acts of kindness individually, community-wide, corporately, and around the world. For 2020, a year where the world is in crisis, a year […]

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Suicide While Black

0 comments Children's Mental Health, Family, Health, Health Education, Mental Health, Racism, Social Justice

Sound the alarm Black children are in danger. From trauma to poverty to educational inequality to racism, our children face very real threats to their mental health every day. I distinctly remember being taught during my psychiatric residency training that black people don’t typically die by suicide; but sadly, this just isn’t true. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10 – 34 years of age. For black youth, suicide is on the rise. In 2015, Jeffrey Bridge et al. discovered that suicide rates among […]

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