Then one spring day, I decided to take control of my feelings. I scheduled my first therapy appointment and from there, the healing began. My therapist, a black woman, helped me to understand my feelings and gave me the tools to control my reactions.

Summer Walker is living her dream and her nightmare all at once. Social anxiety is only a part of who we are as individuals. It’s possible to be a famous singer and also be completely terrified by crowds and strangers. We should allow Summer Walker, a young black woman, the space to be multilayered and complicated.

The earth is abundant in healing tools for almost every modern woe. Even the ground we stand on has the ability to improve our mental health.

Growing up, I was always the quiet kid at the back of the classroom writing stories and song lyrics in the margins of my notebooks. Without anyone telling me to do so, I discovered that writing was my escape. No matter what was going on around me, I could create a world of my own through language and take refuge there for as long as I needed to.

Plants! What can I say about them? The value that they bring to the human experience is paramount, and their vitality is essential to the world we live in.

It’s funny to me that others always describe me as being so calm and at peace. I typically appear that way on the surface, but inside I’m actually hoping no one sees me flailing and trying not to capsize in my own ocean of emotions and anxieties.

I’m a therapist, so people who know me think I should not have any problems or issues. I must admit it has taken some 20 years for me to get to the point where I embrace the reality that situations in my life have been difficult to deal with. The problem is I chose to suffer in silence.

Watching Mercy move is a visceral, gut-wrenching experience. When you see her perform, it feels uncomfortable and all-at-once invigorating, kind of like the thrill you’d get from stealing and reading your big sister’s diary. That’s because Mercy, in many ways, uses movement to move her experiences out of her body, releasing them back into the world transformed. It’s like a moving memory.

Traveling down the stairs in a single file line as the school day was ending, my 7-year-old body was nervous. I knew that my mother was waiting for me at the bottom of the staircase with the other parents and I didn't want my friends to see her. 

Coco Chanel famously said, “A woman who cuts her hair is ready to change her life.” Well, she wasn’t wrong. I was tired of fighting with my inner demons. I was tired of running on the treadmill, out of breath and exhausted by the unchanging scenery. I wanted something different.

Mental wellness is a topic that often gets ignored. As a culture we are quick to speak of the importance of our physical health, but when it comes to our mental state, as a collective, we have given it a back burner to everything else. This realization is unfortunate because depression is the most common mental health phenomenon affecting the post-industrial world. 

This January, my friend and I decided that this year would be the year that we finally make taking care of ourselves a priority. We chose themes for each month, wrote about our intentions, and scheduled daily activities that we could do to pamper ourselves in small ways. I was thrilled. I thought I was in for a whole year of manicures, massages and mimosas. I was wrong.

Two months. It’s been two months since I’ve graduated college. Even though this was a huge milestone, my mind was fixated on what I hadn’t accomplished. Senior year came with many anxieties and securing a job before graduation day was my biggest concern. Time had passed, and graduation had come and gone. However, there I was, unemployed and living at home. My goals seemed sidetracked and my dream remained pinned to a vision board.

Negative thoughts and emotions are something that many of us grapple with. At times, it can seem as if our minds are in a constant state of anxiety and worry. The energy we put into these thoughts push us to view our lives through a lens that can often hinder our ability to grow, learn, and generally see the brighter side of things. We get so used to these thought patterns that we forget what it feels like to experience positive thinking and the wonderful effects it has on our brains.

There is no typical day in the life of a New York City social worker, but we're lucky enough to have SBG Friend, Janelle Corrie, share the emotional highs and lows of her day with us. 

The most neglected and ignored aspect of our self-care practices is preserving our space, keeping it sacred and eliminating toxicity. When you think of self-care, candles, yoga, and quiet time, these might be a few of the things that come to mind. 

These women of color are revolutionizing the wellness world by inspiring women to take care of themselves mind, body, and soul. Looking for yummy recipes, self-care tips, or a supportive community or a new favorite wellness podcast? These ladies have you covered!

The day I realized I suffered from an eating disorder was a day of shame. Or so I thought at the time. Since when do Black girls have eating disorders? I was a strong Black woman. We don’t deal with “white girl issues.”

As I lay on the floor crying, my only thought was “What the hell are you doing?”

I probably shouldn’t have been on the floor. It’s hard and it makes your ribs hurt if you lay there too long. No one should spend any serious time on the floor without sex or yoga (or both) involved. Regardless, that was where I found myself. My mind managed to convince me that not only did I deserve to be on the floor, I should stay there for half an hour.

Transformations are messy, confusing, and beautiful all at the same time. The transition from Spoken Black Girl the blog to Spoken Black Girl the magazine has been a whirlwind adventure for me.