In this season, especially, I feel led to fall back. Even with a significantly slower paced social life, I still find myself busy, emotionally extended, and living with a chronic undercurrent of stress and low grade anxiety. Balancing home and work all at the same time, being there for others, coping with so much illness and loss, and still making the time to invest in Love, Maaden is taking a toll.
Read MoreThere's no way around it, things are tough right now. No amount of positive thinking, alone, can counteract the heaviness that we're all feeling. There's a lot of loss, and pain, and bad news. A lot of doubt and hopelessness.
Read MoreAt a time when everyone pivoting, I have decide to lean further in to what has been at the heart of Love, Maaden all along. This movement is about overcoming life's challenges by deepening relationships, and about adopting practices, mantras, and rituals that help us to strengthen those relationships.
Read MoreConnecting with people, being vulnerable in conversation, or simply being considerate of someone else has a lot to do with how we feel about ourselves. At the end of the day, how we relate to others begins with self-compassion. Here is how I am working on self-compassion in my own life.
Read MoreMost of us are confined to our homes watching the terror unfold. America's tireless cycle of murder - outrage - injustice - protest. Rinse & repeat. We watch helplessly, we say their names, we scream or cry or both, we take whatever small actions we know how, and we pray for better days.
Read MoreIt's May, the month when we celebrate mamas for all that they've done from carrying and birthing to rearing and raising, for the love, the prayer, the sacrifice, and the consistent selflessness. I salute you.
Read MoreStress, anxiety, boredom, grief, loneliness, disappointment, gratitude, hope. Whatever combination of emotions that you may be feeling from day to day -- or from moment to moment -- your feelings are valid.
Read MoreI know that the spring is around the corner and the mere thought of longer days, wet dewy grass in the morning, fresh air and open windows has me feeling all sorts of good on the inside.
Read MoreFebruary is a good month. It’s the reset after the reset. The tail end of the winter season, and the definitive end of the holiday season.
Read MoreToday is the first day, of the first month, of the first year, of a new decade. There's something I love about the fresh, clean feeling of anything new — new car, new job, new bag, new year. It's exciting.
Read MoreToo many of us suffer in silence. We’re anxious, we’re stressed, we scroll and compare, we feel down, and depression is more prevalent than ever before. Therapy is a great option, but oftentimes - and especially in communities of color - we don’t have the access, resources, or even the desire to go. The fact remains, however, that we need safe spaces and outlets to heal.
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