Self-Sabotage: It’s an Inside Job

A Self Care & Wanderlust Journal ― Candace Aliké Smith, Founded 2015

It wasn’t until recently that when I, Cherise, really began to look at the notion of self-sabotage, that I realized I may not know as much as I thought I did.

In a Facebook group discussion, we were attempting to determine why we felt stuck and not achieving our dreams. The question was asked if we were sabotaging our success? To make sure I was answering honestly, I first looked at the definition for sabotage.

Sabotage: To deliberately, destroy, damage, or obstruct.

Once I saw the word deliberately, I immediately dismissed this as being a personal issue and then questioned if I had been using the word incorrectly in the past. Deliberate? That was a game changer.

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At 61, I’m Yet Alive!

Repost by original author as seen on CandaceAlikeSmith.com

A Self Care & Wanderlust Journal ― Candace Aliké Smith, Founded 2015

Mental Health and Aging

Hi there. Cherise here.

Just eight months shy of reaching her 100th birthday, my grandmother made her transition from this life to her eternal rest. Months later, I still find myself saying, “She really did die.”

Not that I thought she would live forever, but I did think she would live to see the 100th birthday she very much wanted to reach. Already the oldest living relative in our family, Grandmother dealt with diabetes, beat cancer, was wheeled away from COVID at the age of ninety-eight, and maintained perfect church attendance despite a pandemic and losing her eyesight. Grandmother outlived four husbands (three exes and one current) and two of her children. Death just didn’t seem likely when it came to Grandmother.

Grandmother’s death came a year after the loss of one son and less than two months before the passing of her youngest daughter. During…

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Solar Powered Wellness

Reposted by Cherise M. Young.

A Self Care & Wanderlust Journal ― Candace Aliké Smith, Founded 2015

The Sunshine Vitamin

Many will attest that there is nothing quite like being outside, head thrown back, with eyes closed as the sun pours over our bodies. Over the past 20 years or so, we have been constantly warned about the ill-effects of too much sun. I now wonder if our heeding those warnings have created other problems. Problems like…

• Joint pain
• Skin irritations and hair loss
• Increased depression and anxiety
• Immune system issues
• Fatigue…

One of the reasons we need sunshine is because we need vitamin D, aka the Sunshine Vitamin. As weird as it seems, we get vitamin D from the sun. The sun turns a chemical in the skin into a form of vitamin D, D³. This then travels to the liver and kidneys and is transformed into what is called active vitamin D. While it is possible to get vitamin D from food, much of what…

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month

A Self Care & Wanderlust Journal ― Candace Aliké Smith, Founded 2015

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Working in the mental health field for over 20 years has given me a front-row seat to many of the struggles those living with a mental health diagnosis endure. Whether clinically diagnosed or not, many contend with societal stigma, problems locating culturally competent providers, or finding affordable services. Often, I’d find myself listening to stories that could only be described as traumatic; leading to a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD.

What is PTSD?

The PTSD diagnosis is given to those who’ve endured a life-changing traumatic event. Let’s imagine there is a horrible car accident. For that one event there could be four types of individuals subjected to trauma: the witness, the victim, first responders, and later the therapists who may experience vicarious trauma due to assisting any of the three previously mentioned.

Depending on the individual, PTSD symptoms can be…

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When I Say I’m Tired

When I say I’m tired Please don’t get it twisted, don’t misconstrue I’m not tired and bowing out, no I’m tired of explaining myself to you I’m tired of holding it in, and Sucking it up And swallowing words that become Swords that cut me from the inside I’m tired of you and your excuses…

Time to Quit Your Daydream

I know, I know. The popular saying is “Don’t quit your daydream,” and here I am saying the opposite: quit your daydream. No, I am not saying to give up on your hopes for your life.  No, there is nothing wrong with wanting more and wanting to add more to the lives of others. I…