Changes to Make on Your Wellness Journey: Part II

Welcome to Part II of the Wellness Guide brought to you by BLK + GRN. In our first edition, we discussed one of the most pivotal things every woman must change before assuming a newfound "wellness" routine - and that was a change in your beliefs.

Your mind is the ultimate supercomputer in your world. It dictates what you will and won't accomplish; where you will and won't go. Before any sort of change can be properly registered into your psyche, you must be sure that the things you believe about that change align with your desires.

Now that you've begun working on the things we suggested during our last sitdown, it's time to address the next step in the process.

Step Two: Change Your Habits

Learn to be gentle with yourself while you adapt to new habits and routines. As we mentioned earlier, it took you years to become the person you are today. It’s going to take a while before these habits are unlearned and replaced.

Research once told us to expect to see a change in habit within 21 days, but some believe the process could take even longer. Between adapting your schedule and overcoming rigid subconscious blocks, it could be months before your journey takes root, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t making progress.

“Write it down on paper with a real pencil and watch sh*t get real.”

- Erykah Badu

LifeHacks boasts the many benefits of writing things down. Try listing the benefits you expect from this change or even writing a letter from your future self that congratulates you for making the switch.

Imagine what life will be like once you’ve reached your objective. Do whatever you need to do to encourage the neurotransmitters in your mind to abandon old pathways in favor of a road that’s more conducive to where you want to be; not where you are.

We’re not sure how we feel about the way “self-care” has been commercialized as the latest trend. Therapy for Black Girls hosted an interesting podcast on the topic not too long ago. Although it’s become the source for a series of hashtags and memes, the need to establish healthy habits is a very real thing – especially for Black women.

In time, your wellness journey will start calling you away from habits that you used to enjoy. Smoking. Television. Fast-paced social engagements. People, brands, and businesses that you used to swear by will start leaving a sour taste in your mouth.

Consider this your “awakening”. Just let it happen, there’s no need to fight your evolution.

Don’t resist as old things drift away. Release them with the confidence that they’ll eventually be replaced with something much more satisfying.

Forbes explored what motivated Christina Rice to found OMNoire, a wellness platform for women of color. Her story mirrors what encourages most Black women to become the change we wish to see; a story we’ve seen time and again amongst the artisans featured throughout BLK + GRN.

Before missions like ours, women like us weren't offered a seat at the table. We were not educated on the nuances of the world of wellness, so we continued to repeat disastrous cycles.

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Rice confessed to experiencing “entrepreneur burnout”. It was yoga and meditation that helped her regain her footing. That’s when she noticed that women of color were underrepresented in her local studios. So, she trained to become a teacher.

OMNoire was created in response to destabilizing statistics like the fact that Black women are most commonly diagnosed with life-threatening health conditions.

Heart disease impales 49% of Black women over 20. The same demographic is more likely to be overweight or obese than any other group. Knowing this, we have a personal responsibility to better ourselves, individually and as a collective.

Before missions like ours, women like us weren’t offered a seat at the table. We were not educated on the nuances of the world of wellness, so we continued to repeat disastrous cycles. It’s time to change the habits we’ve grown comfortable with, freeing ourselves of the ‘bag lady’ mentality. Only then will we start claiming the benefits we’ve been missing out on.

The change could start as simple as being mindful of the type of household cleaner you use or trusting brands like Dirt Don't Hurt to help you safely keep your oral hygiene under control.

Healthier habits beget benefits like weight control, regulated moods, strengthened immune systems, increased energy, and longevity. Even better, this change will allow you to set an example that changes the face of “wellness” and Black health forever.