On
a visit home to spend time with my grandmother last summer, she
lovingly took my hand after looking at me for what seemed like an
eternity and said, "Baaaaby, that stress is gonna kill ya. You are
looking like a worn out shoe. That stress gonna turn ya ugly from the
inside out. You hear me." My vanity kicked in immediately and I replied
back with a laugh, "Mother, well I need to make some changes quickly
because we don't do ugly, right? Our playful banter stayed with me long
after I left my hometown. If my grandmother was bothered, it was not
good!
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| My son at his graduation before being deployed. |
At
that time, my family was in the middle of two deployments a few weeks
apart and we had a college graduation right in the middle. My youngest
son, USMC, and my nephew, Army, were headed overseas and I felt the
weight of the world on my shoulders. The aching in my heart had penetrated my bones. My baby boy was "chosen" for a special mission and
he needed his family support. I needed to be upbeat because he did not
need to see me falling apart.
I
spent weeks wrestling with fear and worry and tried not to show it. I
would lock myself in my closet praying for his protection and safety. It
was during this time, fellow Marine moms called me up to tell me to
"walk it out." "You got to shake this and be strong," I was told. I took
my stress levels seriously and took inventory of what was bringing me joy
and what in my life that was throwing me out of sorts beyond my son's
deployment. I also went for my annual check-up. After my exam, my doctor
voiced sternly what I knew, "Stress and high blood pressure can led to a
stroke or heart attack. You must do better." She was right!
I
immediately started corrective actions. I stepped up my game
and began walking with bolder, more determined steps to help decrease my
stress levels and to rid myself of the extra baggage in head. My extra baggage
came from many factors and I addressed them one by one. I put my
volunteering life on a diet and started managing who and what entered my
sacred space. I even paid attention to my media consumption. I could
only watch #Maddow twice a week!
In my attempts to be very radical about my stress, on Labor Day Weekend in 2017, I joined hundreds of Black women in the mountains of Colorado to stage a #stressprotest. Members of GirlTrek flew to the
Rocky Mountains from all over the world! There are no words to describe accurately the magic that happened
on that mountaintop.
We
spent the four day weekend reflecting, being nurtured, resting our
weary souls, rejoicing at the breathtaking views, absorbing the serenity
of the
mountainside and relishing in the peace and tranquility found at Estes Park'sYMCA. We vowed to take care of ourselves and to put health first.
Since my weekend in the mountain, I have traveled to meetup with several members of GirlTrek who have staged #stressprotest weekends on hiking trails
and mountains to reclaim their minds and health. For those who did not
attend the event in the mountains, they had hundreds of #stressprotests
in their own neighborhoods. The #stressprotest was covered by nation media outlets, online, print, and radio, and thousands on social media
cheering for women, Black women, wanting to take care of the themselves
by dumping stress!
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| At Living Your Best Life Radio Studio. |
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| Saturday after the show walk with Grand Prince. |
In the spring of 2018, I joined
100,000+ Black women who took the GirlTrek's Harriet Hall of Fame: 100 Mile Challenge to take charge of our
health by addressing issues that maybe self-inflicted, environmental,
work related or relational that can take a toll on our physical and mental
health.
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| My Marine cheering me on after a walk! |
I made 2018 my year to advocate for my mind, body, and soul, first, and to partner with others who are determined
to be change agents in our community for our sisters' health and well being. #stressprotest
This story was previously published in February 2018.
