Let's Get Lifted

Hey Simplifiers!

What are some simple ways to UPLIFT yourself and others?

Comment below!

Simply, let your soul GLOW

Hey Simplifiers!

The weather is changing...it's getting warmer and that means more skin showing and mood glowing So, why not add simple ways of boosting both your mood and getting a natural skin glow for these warm months ahead. Two healthy food items I LOVE and would suggest to achieve both are OF COURSE... dark chocolate (less sugar if possible...) and citrus fruit. NATURAL dark chocolate helps reduce dark spots and pigmentation this, you achieve that natural glow. It also has collagen boosting properties, locks on moisture and helps with elasticity. Bounce bounce! Lol

Citrus fruit aids in repairing connective tissue, fighting free radicals, wound healing, moisture, elasticity and more. Vitamin C is your bronzer!

As Randy Jackson from "Coming to America says, "Just let your soooouuuuul glow!" #imtickled

Later Simplifiers,

THROW CONFETTI AND LIVE IN COLOR!

Have you ever noticed how colorful confetti is? Have you noticed the various types of confetti on the market? There are LITERALLY SOOOO many different types of confetti that come in different shapes, sizes and color. I LIKE the variations of mixed colors. I LIKE the variations of shiny colors I LIKE the variations of matte colors, dark colors, cool colors, warm colors, and even single colors. Well, simply put, I LOVE COLOR…. DASSIT! Nevertheless, let it be known that I DO NOT like the small pieces of confetti you have to vacuum or sweep up. LOL. Nope, I simply love what confetti represents---a party full of colorful fun!

Coloooor! Did I mention, I LOVE COLOR! So, growing up as a young child, by the tender age of 6, I was washing dishes and preparing my clothes to wear for school. My mother used to shake her head at how I would put clothing pieces together because I literally would mix and match print, formal and informal pieces and most of all---COLORS! I don’t know why but, color mattered to me. And my mother would get so irritated because she didn’t understand WHY I mixed and matched all my colors and styles. For her, black went with white, and white went with blue and blah-blah-blah. For me, red and yellow and purple COULD, WOULD and SHOULD work! Oh trust and believe, I would FIND A WAY to make it work!

As I a pre-teen, I discovered colored bangles, bracelets, and nail polish. Ohhh y’all---my eyes, soul and heart were opened to a new realm of color and beauty! I would stack my looong arms with as many colored bangles and bracelets that could fit all the way down to my wrist bone (Chile, long arms, just like Inspector Gadget arms). And on top of that, I was a nail polish queen, polishing my fingernails nails different colors by the week (literally changing the polish color, every 7 days, and that was too long of a wait). And not just one single color; OH- NO, EACH fingernail would be a different color and quite frankly, I didn’t care!

LOL. This WAS NORMAL to me. It FELT NORMAL to me. Well, once I hit adulthood (aka, the beginning of college) that all changed….

It’s something about college that will challenge your identity for the good and bad. I don’t know why we (OK, or maybe it’s just ME?) think that once we become adults, we “should” loose the childlike essence of being inquisitive, adventurous and experimenting, all while not caring. Somewhere along my early adult journey, I started trying to “fit in” and started to minimize and scale back in experimenting with colors and prints. It got to a point, where I was like nope---this is boring and painful, screw THIS! MAKE IT STOOOOOOOP (Yet, I was the only one who could—LOL).

I have personally learned via life experiences that life will INDED present a plethora of external challenges that will cause internal hardships and conflict. Adding color was NEITHR an external challenge or internal hardship, and thus, I slowly started to return back to MY colorful norm—adding color, and MORE of it (Sis had to make up for lost time and internal damage, LOL).

It’s something about adding color that boosts my mood, energy and confidence. It’s not a confidence to boast in front of others, it’s like my natural wiring of how God made me. I BELIEVE God built a part of me to be expressive with colors. For some individuals, you may enjoy math, science, teaching, plants, comedy etc. That’s a part of your natural wiring from God and how you express, encourage and give back to the world. What I later learned was there is actually a term that explains the connection between color and your mood. It’s called color therapy (aka chromotherapy; aka colorology, aka chromotheraphy).

According to Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Science (SCNM) (2021), Color and light are influential tools for your mental and physical health. And while “We can’t always change the primary colors we are surrounded by at any given moment, just becoming aware of the subtle psychological effects of color can help you adjust (or re-adjust) your well-being” (https://patients.scnm.edu/). That’s the important note, adding color has a psychological effect to help you adjust or, re-adjust your well-being. BOOM! BAM! BOP!

And get this, we tend to primarily focus on primary colors or those colors we can SEE within in our peripheral. But, oh nooo; did you know, there are colors your eyes don’t know they are even witnessing (I hear Heaven has colors that Earth can’t even compete with but, that’s another story for another day).

According to SCNM (2021), “there are many colors your eyes don’t even know they’re seeing, but your body and mind sure do” (https://patients.scnm.edu/). That’s probably why we feel a certain way (good, bad, indifferent) when we are surrounded by certain colors because of the additional colors we can’t even see that add to our mood. Just like there is an endless amount of air, I believe there is an endless variation of colors on a spectrum. So, what is color therapy/chromotheraphy? Now, disclaimer, I will not get too technical in discussing this term because I am NOT a licensed medical doctor, therapist, psychologist or physiotherapist (I am not a skilled professional in any of these areas) so, I am keeping this blog post, SIMPLE, and based on my personal experience and research.

Ok, so what is chromotheraphy?

In a SIMPLE, nut shell, “Color therapy is based on the idea that color and colored lights can help treat physical or mental health. According to this idea, they (color and colored lights) cause subtle changes in our moods and biology’” (Scully, 2020). Have you ever sat indoors all day and finally decided to get up and go outside? What did you see? Did you see the sun (hopefully, it wasn’t raining), blue skies, white clouds, grass, flowers---basically COLOR! And how did you FEEL? Sure, all your troubles probably did not disappear but, I bet your mood uplifted, even if slightly (count it as a WIN friend, count it a WIN). Haha.

More so, there is even research on how color and even colored light heal the body; but again, disclaimer reminder, I don’t want to get too technical in an area I am not 100% intellectually, knowledgeable in. Let me stay in my little lane, and YOU CAN research that on your OWN—ok!!

Ok, so you may be asking, how has adding color lifted my mood and even added to my healing journey? Well, one area is my hair. I love adding color to my hair. Listen, I have natural hair and I hate doing my hair (It is what it is). I will UPGRADE my head and scalp so fast with a cute colored wig or, colored braiding hair! Wigs are IN (not the grandma wigs though---AHA). I proudly wear them!!! When a woman’s hairstyle is ON POINT, she walks TALLER and MORE CONFIDENT. Ladies, YOU know what I MEAN, THROW THAT HAIR BACK and WALK FORWARD! LOL!

The second way I love adding color in my world is through accessories. I told y’all earlier---I LOVE bangles and bracelets. Well, in real life, I LOVE ACCESSORIES (headscarves, necklaces, earrings, rings and broaches). I am the stacking arm charm queen (At least I think so, LOL). The more the better and I gotta have a variety of colors, different charms and beads all on these bracelets and arm candy. And lastly, my food has to be colorful. When my plate is full of color, it means I have rainbow foods and superfoods on my plate and feeding my body. I am vegan so—I am loading up on my fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds and grains! Can you imagine all the vitamins, nutrients, and good stuff going in your body when you eat a variety of colorful food???! Yassssssss, honey, yaaaaaaas! You better eat good foods and GLOW from the inside out!

Enough about me, how will you add color today, this week, this year? What mood do you want to be in? How do you want to elevate your health and wellness with color? You deserve to smile, be uplifted and for your soul to prosper too! I am going to leave you with three sets of instructions you can use to hopefully color your mood:

1) THROW SOME CONFETTI UP IN THE AIR AND STAND UNDER IT (you can clean it up later--LOL). Let that color faaaaaaaaallll on ya! Yassssss, take it alllll IN!

2) Look around you. If you WANT to add color—DO ITTTT! Experiment with different colors and see how much YOU WANT TO add to your life!

3) Be bold and go for it!!! I mean, it’s that simple!!!!

That’s it for this post. I hope it was simple, fun and helpful. As always, don’t forget to transform your health and simplify the rest! Keep me posted on your color party!

Later, Simplifier!

Resources

1. Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Science (2021). “Color Therapy: Does it Work?” Retrieved from, https://patients.scnm.edu/blog/color-therapy-does-it-work~2882

2. Scully (2020). “The Mood-Boosting Benefits of Color Therapy,” Retrieved from, https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/the-mood-boosting-benefits-of-color-therapy