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Little Black Girls Are Killing Themselves. Does Anyone Care Enough to Figure Out Why?
When I was 4 years old, I told my mother that my nursery school teacher told me to “stop acting like a baby” because I had gotten a boo-boo on my knee. According to my mother, she asked me what reception other little kids received when they got boo-boos. I told her that a little…
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The Doctor Is In: Reframing the Christmas Blues
Full disclosure: I love Christmas. Like, in a frenetic, maniacal way. I love all the glittering, sparkly, tinsel-covered days leading up to Dec. 25. But glancing at my timeline across social media, I’ve begun to notice a trend: Not everyone shares my sentiments about the season of joy and cheer. And while I understand that…
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Simple Changes to Your Diet Can Help With Mental-Health Issues
The link between the immune system and the worsening of certain mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, has been shown, though not fully understood. The link between the mind, the gut and your immune system has been long established. This is due to the presence of serotonin—the chemical found in the brain, decreased levels…
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How Your Smartphone Can Help You Be the Boss You Are and Destress
Life can be hard enough just getting through your workday with your wits intact. Trying to juggle your business and personal life is hard without an assistant. And even if you’re lucky enough to have an assistant, if you’re a born perfectionist, then you know no one will get the job done better than you.…
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On the Road to Self-Care, Exercising Is One Way to Stay Mentally and Physically Fit
If you’re anything like me, the events that have unfolded over the past 72 hours have been at best astonishing and at worst exhausting. Being black in America has always been a particularly tenuous game: Show your well-earned frustration to others and you could be branded as too sensitive. Keep your legitimate anger inside yourself…
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Tips for Self-Care: When Police Brutality Has You Questioning Humanity and Social Media Is Enough
The most recent events of police misconduct and the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile are horrifying and deplorable. The temptation to join in the fray with others on your social media timelines who are justifiably angry is strong. These responses are often very necessary. Remaining silent in the face of continued injustice…
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It’s Time to Bring Eating Disorders Out of the Shadows
Most African Americans are surely aware of the worsening obesity rates in this country, especially among poorer and underserved communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans are the most overweight racial group, with 47 percent classified as obese—defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher. But less often…
