Quesion?
Is the idea of wellness relevant to Black People? Or are we so jacked up, have so many issues (i.e. poverty, mental health, trauma, post traumatic slave syndrome, etc)that we can not even think about the word "wellness"? I was in a discussion today, where a white woman brought up the importance of Wellness in the AA Community ( and i agreed) but another sister disagreed (very strongly) stating that the idea of Wellness, rejeuvanation,renewal, etc. is not possible with Black Folks cause we got soooo much other stuff to deal with and that even the idea of "wellness" is an insult that seems to ignore all that Black folks have to deal with. What do ya'll think?
Peace and Blessings, Aishah
http://www.muhsanacenter.blogspot.com
http://www.aishahart.blogspot.com
i agree, plenteous
a lot of ppl also seem attached to the idea that "wellness" is for the erykah badu/ultra natural set and not for them. but you hit the nail on the head.
"it didn't kill us" or "this is the way it's always been" can also be barriers...
prevention needs to be stressed as well, i.e., what can we do BEFORE the world comes crashing down around us? what norms around survival, child rearing, etc. are still working for us, and which ones aren't?
but it's definitely possible. soooo many black folks are breaking the cycles and patterns they've grown up with and internalized, and much of that includes getting psychological help, pampering, self-care, etc.
~~
the universe is interested in your success.
you were put here to live in abundance.
your desires are sacred.
Breaking the Cycle!
A-men, sis! My mother died almost 15 years ago at 46 years old. Do you know the doctors/medical examiner could not give a definitive cause of death? Nobody had to tell me...I know it was from too much work and too much worry. People talk today about the "sandwich" generation like it's something new. But caring for children and parents (and sometimes grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, and uncles, too!) is nothing new to black folks. My mother cared for her elderly father and mother in her home...the mother that abused her for years...along with taking care of her family, but it would have been "dishonorable" for her not to have done so. At least now, we're talking about these things (like on this blessed site!) and the fact that it's TOO MUCH and trying to get rid of the guilt and feeling like we're not enough when we give so much that there's not time or energy left for ourselves. I know I'm working on it! It's not a legacy I plan to pass down to my daughter.
PEACE,
Plenteous
sounds like my grandmother...
my mother always said she simply willed herself to go...she was not ill, and there was no reason she should have passed when she did.
ase (power, grace) to you for realizing and not being willing to pass it on! i think my mother felt the same way...
peace
~~
the universe is interested in your success.
you were put here to live in abundance.
your desires are sacred.
Ironic
Good question sis. I'm guilty. Short on time, money, patience...you name it...I'll think to cancel a doctor's appointment or skip exercise. Ironically, probably the best way to successfully deal with the issues you mention is first make a real commitment to wellness. I've heard our folks say that they can't get involved or caught up with issues involving the environment because of the same kinds of concerns you mention. However, environmental racism is one of the key factors that has given rise to the health disparities in this country. It's all so interconnected. I do think sometimes it's the messenger that poisons the message, and sometimes it's the semantics that's used. Simply, to some, "wellness" equals "white" and/or wealthy. Or we hear the word in the context of another "program" designed by "them" to help "us." I wonder, too, if "wellness" just plain sounds like it takes up too much time and probably costs too much money. I image if you ask a sistah working 2 jobs during the week and bartending on the weekends, while raising her kids alone and trying to keep an eye on her mom who's getting on in years, whether she's incorporating wellness into her life and you might get your feelings hurt! Maybe, if you ask whether she needs some pampering...you might open the dialogue. So, yes, sistah, I think wellness is extremely relevant to black folk but how to communicate that it can be done--it must be done--in order to succesfully meet personal as well as community challenges...without squeezing out another hour in the day or another dollar out of the budget?
PEACE,
Plenteous
Absolutely, and i love how
Absolutely, and i love how you broke it down so simple. That is exactly what i was thinking. It all depends on how you define "wellness." Thank you for your response, this really nailed it down.
Peace and Blessings,
Aishah
http://www.muhsanacenter.blogspot.com
http://www.aishahart.blogspot.com
Thank you!
I visited your websites. Beautiful! There's so much there, I'll certainly be back again. Thank you, sis, for what you're doing. Be blessed.
PEACE,
Plenteous
and thank you
and thank you for your comments. I think it is important that we have these conversations, online and in our everyday lives. and most importantly, try to implement small things in our lives that can bring us "wellness." Whatever that means to us...
Peace and Blessings,
Aishah
http://www.muhsanacenter.blogspot.com
http://www.aishahart.blogspot.com