In this month's episode, you'll hear some words of encouragement and journal prompts to help you reflect on the past year in a way that builds up your resilience and hope for the future.
I'll be taking some time to implement some changes I have in mind for the podcast, so the next episode will go live on February 4th, 2021!
Follow us on Instagram to stay in touch @wellness4blackgirls and @tareonjael
In this month's episode, you'll hear some words of encouragement and journal prompts to help you reflect on the past year in a way that builds up your resilience and hope for the future.
I'll be taking some time to implement some changes I have in mind for the podcast, so the next episode will go live on February 4th, 2021!
Follow us on Instagram to stay in touch @wellness4blackgirls and @tareonjael
Welcome to the Wellness for Black Girls podcast, a monthly podcast that exists to help Black Women bloom while moving through the dimensions of wellness. I'm your host, TaReon Jael, a Certified Health Educator and Medical Lab Scientist. For more information, please visit wellnessforblackgirls.com. While I hope you enjoy listening to and learning from the podcast, please remember that it is not intended to be a substitute for a relationship with a licensed healthcare provider. Now let's get into this episode. Thanks for tuning in to this month's episode. I want to jump right in and share some words of encouragement and some journal prompts to help you reflect on the past year in a way that builds up your resilience and hope for the future. During the final month of the year many of us find ourselves in a reflective mood while also contemplating all the ways we can improve in the upcoming year. I have a feeling that you're like me and that you had plans for 2020. You were focused and committed to making the start of this new decade the start of some monumental shifts in your life. But when we think about our hopes for this past year and how things actually turned out, a whirlwind of negative emotions and thoughts can arise. But I wonder if we can reframe our views of this past year and look at it as a time that provided us with the opportunity to gain clarity on our values, realign our vision for our lives, and recalibrate our thinking patterns. So instead of viewing 2020 as the year that COVID-19 ruined view it as the year that you connected with friends and family with more intentionality or the year you got to slow down. And for others, it was the year where you were given the opportunity to work alongside your coworkers, to be of service to others and to help keep business going in the face of extreme circumstances. Yes, it's been difficult and extremely stressful, but stress is inevitable. It happens all day, every day. And in fact, in moderation, it's a necessary part of life. Think about this, the human body needs the stress or the force of gravity as a sort of signal, a signal that tells the body how to adapt. It tells muscles and bones how strong they must be. And in zero G, muscles and bones atrophy quickly, because the body perceives that it does not need them. Stress, as scientists understand, is something that requires adaptation and that's where resilience comes in. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as"the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. While these difficult events are certainly painful and difficult, they don't have to determine the outcome of your life. So how did you adapt to the stressors of this year? What are some things you had to do differently out of necessity? What are some habits you're going to maintain? How did you handle your money prior to this year? How did you pivot and start to make better choices with your finances? How have your views on mental health shifted? What things have you done that have helped you have a good time or enjoy life during the past year? How have your relationships improved? What creative ways have you found to connect and reconnect with your friends and family? What strategies did you use to help you experience joy and cultivate gratitude? What new concepts did you learn more about this year? How have your views on social justice issues shifted? What steps did you take to strengthen your immune system to prevent or quickly recover from illness? How did you improve your home and or office space? What things did you learn about your employer? How have your views about your career journey shifted? After taking the time to think about these questions and reflect on your responses. I'm sure you can agree that you've grown wiser over the course of this year. And with that wisdom comes the ability to accept and face the challenges that are inevitably going to arise. But you've been through adversity before and, with Higher Power holding you, you survived it and built up resilience along the way. I hope I was able to encourage you today and that I provided you with some useful reflection questions that will help you look back on this past year in a way that leaves you feeling hopeful for the future. Head to wellnessforblackgirls.com and click on episode number 14 for show notes, with links to references, resources, and a free copy of the journal prompts from the episode. I'll be back with a new episode on February 4th, 2021. I'm going to take a little time to work on implementing some things I have planned for the podcast. So I hope you'll stick around by following the podcast on Instagram@wellness4blackgirls and by following my personal page@tareonjael.