Embracing Legacy And Wellness | A Journey of Self-Care and Community For Black Women!

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High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle Podcast, Episode #84

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Welcome to a space where heritage and health intertwine, offering a sanctuary for empowerment and rejuvenation with embracing legacy and wellness. Here, we celebrate the profound connection between honoring our roots and nurturing our well-being, crafting a narrative that resonates with the essence of Black womanhood.

Join us on this transformative journey, of embracing legacy and wellness, where self-care becomes a communal experience, and every step forward is anchored in the rich tapestry of legacy. Dive into a dialogue that champions both individual growth and collective strength, inviting you to explore, connect, and thrive.

Mentioned In This Episode: Building a Legacy of Wellness - Celebrating the Strength and Resilience of Black Women!

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High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle Statement

Welcome to the High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle Podcast, your heart's destination for expert wisdom and inspiring stories that lead to a healthier, more vibrant life. I'm Donna Williams, your passionate host and Certified Holistic Health Coach, dedicated to igniting your health transformation with easy, mindful strategies.

At info-on-high-blood-pressure.com, I warmly welcome women of color and all those eager to unravel the mysteries of chronic disease management. Here, we embark on a journey to conquer high blood pressure together, enriching our lives with knowledge and community. Subscribe to our Overcoming HBP newsletter and be part of this empowering movement.

I am committed to guiding you to reclaim your health with thoughtfully crafted online programs designed to reverse, treat, and prevent high blood pressure. My mission is to reveal the power of mindful eating and whole-food nutrition, a path that can minimize medication dependence while revitalizing your life.

Let’s simplify your journey to health by embracing nourishing foods that balance hormones, energize your metabolism, and help you achieve lasting weight loss. Together, we’ll unlock the secrets to vibrant health, transforming this journey into a joyful, fulfilling adventure. Welcome to an empowering approach to wellness that makes living well feel wonderfully easy!

Today’s topic is Embracing Legacy and Wellness: A Journey of Self-Care and Community for Black Women!

Embracing Legacy and Wellness Podcast Transcript, Episode #84

Welcome to an enriching conversation that embraces the strength, wisdom, and resilience of Black women throughout history. As we wrap up Women's History Month, we embark on a journey that not only celebrates our past but also looks towards a future filled with wellness, joy, and unity. Today, our discussion on embracing legacy and wellness, will explore the multifaceted health issues that Black women face while emphasizing community, spirituality, and self-care.

Understanding Our Legacy

Let's begin by acknowledging the incredible legacy of Black women who have continuously uplifted their communities despite facing systemic barriers. Their stories, much like Celie's in Alice Walker's ‘The Color Purple’, remind us of the courage it takes to speak our truth and prioritize our well-being. Historically, Black women have often carried the burden of strength, sacrificing their own health for their families and communities. It's time to redefine that narrative, focusing on physical, spiritual, and emotional health for ourselves and those we love.

As Black women we are also women of color, so I also devote my energy to my Latina, Native American and Asian-American sisters, because I cannot hold on to racist stereotypes about each other when we all bear the marks of racist history. So, I urge us to take care of each other and to act on the platform of love.

Today let’s give ourselves permission to be concerned about ourselves and to look at the range of issues for physical, spiritual and emotional health facing and affecting us.

Noted in a health atlas I read some time ago of the first large gathering of Black women, motivated by Byllye Avery to organize the 1983 National Conference of Black Women’s Health Issues, to give my sisters of color permission to talk about how they felt physically, emotionally and spiritually and to know there’s no shame in being afraid and for reaching out to others, even if it was another woman’s hand for support. 

At that conference more than half of the women between the ages of 18 and 35 years of age rated themselves in psychological distress. That report of distress was rated higher than that of diagnosed mental patients at that time.

Over the decades as millions of us have torn down the invisible wall of silence, but still many problems remain, like: -

• Our breast cancer is caught later, and we are more likely to die from it.

• We are more likely to die in childbirth than any other nationality.

• We have heart disease at younger ages, with twice as many cases of high blood pressure as other nationalities.

So, what can we do to put ourselves firmly on the path of family wellness journey.  I think about our spiritual practices and homes and that includes our minds – cleaning out the cobwebs from our mind.

Our Spiritual Practices and Homes

The purpose of all spiritual practice is for you to change your consciousness on how you see things, what you care about, how you approach whatever it is that confronts you. With daily prayer you’ll elevate the heart and mind.

With meditation you’ll acquire deeper realization of truth, enabling you to act in ways that will alter the physical makeup of your life. Slowly your thoughts and feelings will transform, and your consciousness will follow suit.

Creating a sanctuary within our homes can foster healing and empowerment. It's about making spaces that reflect our identities and meet our emotional needs. Embracing legacy and wellness, we begin this journey with intention and self-love. We're breaking the cycle of silence and reinforcing the belief that we deserve wellness, irrespective of our external challenges.

By embracing our spirituality, whatever form it may take, we establish a solid foundation for healing. Whether it's through prayer, meditation, or reflection, these practices can lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and enhance our sense of worthiness and peace.

As Maya Angelou states “Take a day to heal from the lies you’ve told yourself and the ones that have been told to you.”

Health starts with intention, self-esteem, self-love and we must believe that we are worthy of it all, no matter our size and image. And talking about it, no longer participate in silence. Talking about myself took me a very long time to do because sisters of my generation were taught to be seen and not heard.

Feeling good is something we deserve and can have.

Community and Social Wellness

The power of community is immense, especially in promoting emotional and social wellness. In our digital age, staying connected is easier, yet the sense of true belonging can feel elusive. By engaging with community groups, volunteering, or simply building strong friendships, we create a support system that nurtures us through life's challenges.

Let's address our individual journeys, acknowledging that self-discovery comes in many forms. Embracing our natural beauty, as one might through the acceptance of gray hair or body image, is a significant step. It requires vulnerability and acceptance, but the reward is profound self-love and confidence.

We women of color deals with our self-issues in our own way. When I was laid off from job at first, I was still putting color into my hair like I would be going to visit clients and had to look a certain way. Until one day I decided enough!!! I stopped coloring my hair, and since it was the first time this was happening in over 30 years, I was shocked at the amount of gray hair I had. So, I started wearing hats, beautiful hats and head coverings all different kinds to cover my hair.

Then one day I stood in front of the mirror and just looked into my eyes for a good time. Then another day I stood in front of the mirror took my head covering off and just looked at myself. It took me almost a year before I fully accepted myself.

To move forward and affirm my new self I had a barber chopped all my hair off and I realized how beautiful the natural color of my hair was. It had shades of white and black like a design over my head, and people started complementing my hair. Finally, I saw my own beauty! That was a very emotional day for me.

Next it is okay to be big, if you are healthy both physically and emotionally, but it just as equally important for large women to take a hard look at their bodies if weight is causing your health problems. Or if you are hiding your pain under layers of fat, let me help you face up to it, or get help wherever you feel safe and lose that weight.

Education is your first step towards a healthy community because you must understand how to prevent and treat serious illness of all kinds so that you may life long and healthy lives.

This is where you turn to your support system whether community wise or your family. You might develop a fresh perspective on belonging and camaraderie, cultivate friendships that become a lifeline in challenging times.

Let’s come together to support one another in living authentically and healthily. Join local groups, organize community events, or start clubs that align with your interests. These efforts not only enhance personal fulfillment but also strengthen community ties.

Alternative Healing

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said “Of all forms of discrimination and inequalities, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.”

Many of my sisters and brothers of color have turned away from mainstream medicine. They are literally returning to their roots, particularly herbalists and now even midwives. In today’s world I would say almost everyone has participated in some form of natural alternative healing.

Holistic healing, like my Overcome High Blood Pressure Online Course where you gain lifelong wellness skills!

In our exploration of health, let's delve into alternative healing practices that resonate with people of color. Whether it's acupuncture, herbal medicine, or yoga, these treatments offer holistic approaches to wellness that honor cultural traditions. Exploring these alternatives can provide a sense of connection to heritage and promote profound healing.

Recreational Wellness and Family Adventures

As we talk about family wellness, it's important to find activities that resonate with our diverse experiences. While traditional camping might not appeal to all, consider exploring city parks, nature trails, or cultural festivals.

Family adventures should fill our lives with joy and create lasting memories, strengthening the bonds we share.

Reflect and Plan For The Future

A family I admire, the Parkers, make it an annual tradition to review their family wellness plan. They sit together, reflect on the year’s ups and downs, and set new goals for the coming year. This tradition started as just a fun family meeting but evolved into a cherished practice that everyone looks forward to.

As we continue Embracing Legacy and Wellness: A Journey of Self-Care and Community for Black Women let's take a moment to reflect on our wellness journey, as we take an honest look at family life. What have we learned? What steps can we take to enhance our family's health and happiness? This reflection is not about judgment but about understanding where we've been and where we want to go.

There are no right or wrong answers, and there is no specific format you need to follow. The only goal is to take an honest look at your life and see where you've been and where you want to go.

There are many benefits to doing a reflection and plan for the future. First, it can help you identify your values and priorities. What's important to you? What do you want more of in your life? It also helps you gain perspective on your choices. Are you happy with the way things have turned out within the family and your individual lives? What would you change if you could do it all over again? 

Ask yourself:

• What went well this year, and how can we build on it?
• What areas need improvement, and what small changes can lead to big impacts?
• What are our family's top priorities moving forward?

Finally, a family wellness review can help you set realistic goals for the future. All too often, we set grandiose resolutions that are impossible to achieve. By taking a step back and looking at our lives as a whole, we can identify small changes that will make a significant impact. These mini-habits are much more likely to stick than major overhauls, leading to lasting change over time.

Setting attainable goals is key to sustained change. By focusing on small, meaningful actions, we can make progress towards a healthier, more fulfilling life.

Building A Legacy of Wellness - Celebrating the Strength and Resilience of Black Woman!

Thank you for being a vital part of this Embracing Legacy and Wellness: A Journey of Self-Care and Community for Black Women transformative journey. As we navigate the vibrant and dynamic path of embracing legacy and wellness, let us commit to nurturing ourselves and each other. Together, we have the strength to uplift and amplify the voices of Black women, recognizing the unique stories and experiences that connect us.

Remember to subscribe, email this link to all you know might benefit from this podcast, including your family and friends, and send me your feedback. I read all my emails.

InfoOnHighBloodPressure.com commitment doesn't end here; it's a lifelong promise to support each other in the pursuit of holistic wellness that extends beyond ourselves to enrich our families and communities. Let's honor the incredible tapestry of Black womanhood—filled with resilience, beauty, and power—by continuing to foster spaces of love and acceptance.

As we at High Blood Pressure Wellness Lifestyle Podcast carry these conversations forward, may we be inspired to take bold steps in our self-care rituals and community wellness practices. Remember, our collective strength is a beacon of hope and a testament to the thriving legacy we are building for future generations.

Here's to celebrating Black womanhood, today and always, with courage, compassion, and community spirit. Thank you for being here with us. Let's continue to shine together!

Return from Embracing Legacy and Wellness to Having A Family Medical History!

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