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mental health Archives - Just Justice

Tag: mental health

Happy/ Mental Health /

Be Present

HEYO friends. Happy new year. I hope you are feeling refreshed and excited about what this new year may bring you. One of my goals for the new year was to write more blogs because I truly enjoy sharing about my life. Also, the idea of a new year and resolutions REALLY stresses me out. So if you’re like me, and get stressed every time a new year rolls around, don’t worry, it’s normal. It’s just a good idea to think of some areas in your life where you want to grow. Maybe you want to be better on LinkedIn, talking to your grandparents more, or even making more soups this year. It does not have to be this huge life-changing resolution. Start small ?

As I am approaching graduation at Belmont, I feel a lot of stress and anxiety mostly. There is so much pressure! So much pressure to be successful and figure your life out. If you’re not about to graduate I am sure you can relate in some way. The future can be scary!

This is normal. The first thing I keep reminding myself of is to start being present. I had a friend text me this the other day. I was ranting on and on about how I was so stressed, and I am going to get cut off and blah blah. She said, “it is so important to be present in this season of your life.”  She was so right. I think a lot of us are preparing for the future, which is good, but we also need to live in the moment and enjoy where we are right now. Some of us are in the moments when we used to dream and pray about.

I also have noticed, when I start getting anxious about life/ future plans/anything… my mind starts spiraling with a million negative thoughts. This is so bad!! We must start being positive and feeding our brains happy things. If you need to go get ice cream, call your mom, or go on a walk. DO IT. For instance, you might be getting yourself all worked up because you have so much on your plate, you have no idea how you are going to get everything done. First, recognize the difficulty or stress. Next, you must figure out how you are going to overcome this. Maybe you could wake up earlier, or ask your boss for some tips on how to achieve this goal of yours. We can do hard things friends. 

The next thing I want to implement in this new year is just being really intentional in my conversations with people. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I am talking to someone and they are on their phone. & to be quite honest I am sure I’ve done this to many people. We live in a society where everything is on the screen in front of us. What would it look like if we started to implement that in our friendships? Actually listening in our conversations. I’ll be on the phone with someone while also working out or making dinner. I’m half listening, and I am telling myself I am just multitasking. LOL NO. Your friends and family deserve your full attention. 

As I was thinking about being intentional with my time, I decided to look up the definition. Intentional means that you are doing things in your life with intention and purpose (shocker) but….. in order to feel happy and fulfilled. You are actively doing things to make yourself happier. As I began to think about what I fill my days with, a lot of the time I am just doing something to please people or because I have to do something. SHOCKER!! This is not being intentional. This might come across as a little selfish to some of you, but I think that is simply okay. Some of us need to put our own needs first sometimes. Some of you are so exhausted from a 9-5, you don’t even know how to be happy because your entire day is crammed-packed. Let’s first, start out by carving out some time for ourselves. 

 

Happy/ Mental Health /

Self Affirmations

Hello friends!! I have had so many people request a new blog so here it is. I also love sitting down and writing out my thoughts because my blogs hold me accountable, believe it or not. If I am talking about ways to overcome anxiety, I kinda have to listen to myself. Today I wanted to touch on how important affirmations have been in my life. I know affirmations aren’t a new concept, but I want you guys to consider telling yourself motivating sayings. 

 

In times of stress, anger, or even times that I am disappointed with myself I have been speaking out loud affirmations about myself. Even if you don’t believe it at times, tell yourself these affirmations. 

I find my brain being so negative throughout the week. “You aren’t smart enough, you haven’t been working out long enough, you need to read your bible more.” Whatever your brain is telling you, take a moment to reassure yourself that you are enough.

Telling yourself these affirmations fires up your neural pathways and makes changes to those areas of the brain that make you happy and positive according to studies I found online. 🙂

 Many other studies can confirm that affirmations decrease stress, increase the number of exercise people do, and help you eat more fruits and vegetables. LIKE WHAT? Affirmations help you eat more fruits and vegetables, I’m so down for that. 🙂 

As I was writing this blog, I was of course scrolling through Tik Tok and came across a video of Jennifer Lopez. She was saying, “Your thoughts create your life, you have to force your brain to think positively.” It can honestly be difficult to be positive all the time. Something I have noticed is so many people assume the worst, try shifting your mindset and start assuming the best from people. For example, “She gave me a weird look at work today, so she hates me and thinks I’m ugly.” I know that is a silly example, but so many of us fall into that trap. Assuming the worst all the time. I think we would find growth within ourselves if we shifted that mindset. An affirmation that I have been writing down every day is “Today I am looking forward. As the past has been done, and all we can change is the future. I am worthy of loving myself deeply. I love the person I am becoming. I stand firm in valuing myself.”

Speaking on having healthy brains, I was drawn back to a time when I felt like I was doing everything right. I was waking up early, drinking a lot of water, working out, journaling, and doing all the right things! Let me assure you I wasn’t feeling like I was doing everything right. This all boils down to until you figure out your mind and your feelings you aren’t healthy. If this is you I would just encourage you to start spending time with yourself, figuring yourself out. I am the worst at this because I am a go go go, person. I like to be productive all the time. We have to start slowing down and recapping our day and our feelings. If not we won’t become better! Time to connect with ourselves friends. 

I just wanted to share some different types of affirmations that might be helpful to you this week!

Self-love Affirmations

  • I love myself as I am today
  • I choose to be kind to myself today
  • I deserve happiness and joy
  • I am a positive person who attracts positive things in my life
  • I honor my life

Self-Image Affirmations

  • My body is a gift. I treat it with love and respect
  • I love my body
  • I am beautiful
  • I love myself the way I am today
  • The positivity in my heart reflects on my face

Work/ School Affirmations

  • I am going to have a productive day
  • I choose to learn and grow from hard situations today
  • I am smart
  • I can excel 
  • I have a passion for my job/ classes I am taking

Affirmations I tell myself

  • I am full of endless potential
  • I am open to all the love the universe has to offer
  • I am a good friend
  • I am in good health
  • I am whole
  • Jesus is longing to have a deeper relationship with me
  • I am enough

 

I hope we can start teaching our brains some of these affirmations because they are all true!

Happy/ Mental Health /

Life is too Short

HEYYYOOO friends! It has been a while since my last blog post, but don’t worry I am trying to be better about posting more blogs. As I finished up my junior year of college, I realized the peace I felt after finals were over. I feel that I have nothing to worry about, and I feel like myself. Happy Justice! I know many of you can relate to this feeling, and as I began to ponder why I feel so peaceful and content in my life. I just realized that we oftentimes put so much pressure on ourselves to be the best all the time. Whether that looks like being the best mom, employee, boss, friend, or girlfriend. What would it look like if we all just slowed down for a little bit? This is easier said than done. I believe we must be cautious of our time each day and what we want to fill it with. Or else your day goes by too fast trying to accomplish everything off your to-do list. I fall into this trap way too often, I am obsessed with my to-do list. You can ask my friends if I have “get gas, go on a walk” on my to-do lists. My main point in this is we need to be intentional about how we use our time, and what makes us happy. If you’re unsure about how you can destress your life, here are a couple of things that I like to do that makes me feel less stressed and happy.

– Take a walk
– Journal
– Paint
– Call your mom/ friend/ anyone that will make you happy
– Put your phone down and enjoy quiet time

I am sure you have heard the saying “you’re stuck with yourself forever,” well it’s true. You’re with yourself 24/7. Make time for yourself every day. Check-in with yourself. Are you truly happy?
Life does get in the way at times, but let me reassure you that as hard as life may feel, your mental health and happiness are just as important. It is so easy to fall into a trap of stress and anxiety about your future and what is next, but God has you in a very specific place on purpose. In times of stress and anxiety take a moment to realize that everything happening right now is supposed to happen. God has you at this exact point in your life on purpose. Lean into your present time.

Let me ask you something. When was there a time when you felt your happiest? You felt the most content or felt the closest to God. You felt proud of yourself. What is in the way of becoming that person, or even becoming a better person? I found that when I spend time by myself, I can understand myself better and whom I want to become. It’s time to feel peace again friends!

I am going to make a large assumption that everyone reading this can agree that time goes by way too fast. “The older you get, the faster it goes.” You might feel this way. I want to remind you, that YOU can make a difference in your own life. It’s time to put yourself first. Time to make YOU happy. Life is too short for you to be unhappy.

Workouts /

Workout With J Today

Hello friends!

Happy day y’all. I hope you’re having a fabulous week. Can you feel that springtime is upon us like I do? Everything seems to awaken and refresh in the spring. If you have been hibernating all winter, it’s time to ‘spring back into shape’. Today, I am going to be sharing my workout schedule and some of my favorite gym routines. I want to first, however, acknowledge that some of you cringe at the idea of going to the gym for a multitude of reasons. Feelings of insecurity, embarrassment, intimidation, and judgment can suck all of our best gym workout intentions right out the door! Don’t worry we have all been there. Gym anxiety is a real thing! 

Gym anxiety is universally experienced by many exercisers. It doesn’t discriminate between gender, size, strength, or how fit you are. I confirmed with my boyfriend Jadon, who is now a gym rat, also once felt intimidated and awkward his first few times at the gym. It can be hard for guys to admit that they might not know how to use a certain machine or the proper weight. 

I think many girls my age find it a necessity to get leaner and lose weight. If that is a goal for you, great! But I would strongly encourage you to start changing your mindset to become stronger and healthier. I saw a drastic change in my body once I stopped focusing on the number on the scale but rather on how great I felt after working out. I started pushing myself with how much weight I incorporated into my workout. Let’s start lifting more weights friends!

Understand that having mild feelings of awkwardness as you start a new routine at the gym is all but normal. However, the truth is if you allow these negative emotions to take over, you are unlikely to get the most out of your workout and return to the gym. I realize the gym setting can feel and look extremely overwhelming at first. From all of the unfamiliar gym equipment to all those insanely ripped and well outfitted fellow exercisers, it’s a lot to take in. I know all of this because I’ve been there! I want to encourage you and tell you that you need to get over this! You are getting in the way of looking and feeling your best! 

Here are just a few tips to help you feel more confident at the gym.

  1. Ask for advice or help from gym staff
  2. Plan your workout-set realistic goals
  3. Choose a workout that is best for you
  4. Work out with a buddy 
  5. Listen to your favorite high energy music 
  6. Workout during off-peak hours
  7. Ignore everyone else
  8. Sweat…but don’t sweat the small stuff
  9. Have fun!

So remember your fitness journey is just that…yours! Start asking questions and researching how you can get the best workout routine for your current physical reality and your personal goals. If you feel like people may be staring at you, well it’s because you are one sexy human being! 😉

My encouragement for you is if you’re one of those who say they will eventually go to the gym, your time is now! I wanted to give you an example of my workout, if you may be struggling with what to do at the gym. For a better explanation, watch my Tik Tok below.

My workout

First, I always try to get 20-30 minutes of cardio in my workout every day.

  • 1 mile at 7mph. Which is an 8:34 minute mile. I usually walk the rest till about 11 minutes.
  • 10 minutes on the stair stepper on level 10
    • I find that I start getting bored and tired on the stair stepper because it is insanely hard when you first start. That is why I encourage you to change it up. Try to walk on your right side/ left side for a couple of minutes, or do a double step for a minute. This will change your heart rate, and I promise you the time will go by faster.
  • 20 Curls with 20-pound dumbbells
  • 20 Dumbbell flyes with 15-pound dumbbells
  • 20 Front raise with 20 pounds of dumbbells (one arm at a time)
  • 20 Front raise with 15 pounds dumbbells (both arms at the same time)
  • 20 Dumbbell external rotations 
  • 20 Shoulder overhead press
  • 20 Tricep extensions 

I do two rounds of all of that. (Usually takes me 20 minutes)

Then I do 3 machines to end my workout

20x 2 on the seated row machine

20x 2 on the leg press machine

20x 2 on the leg extension machine

https://www.tiktok.com/@justjusticelifestyle/video/7081338814957997354?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1

Please share with me in the comments if you do this workout or your favorite workout. I need to start branching out and working different muscles too! Thanks for coming along on my blog journey. Love you, friends!

 

 

Happy/ Mental Health /

Therapy Time With Tyler

Hi friends!!

I have been so excited to share my first interview and YouTube video with the one and only Tyler Martin. (my cutie brother) Tyler is currently a master of social work graduate student at UCLA and a psychiatric social work intern at a high school in downtown Los Angeles. 

This is by far the most personal and transparent blog I have shared with y’all. On my quest for living my best life, I recognized I had a few areas that I wanted to work through to achieve that. With some gentle nudging and encouragement from my siblings, I decided to give it a try. I asked myself, “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” In all honesty, at first, this felt a bit unnerving and a little embarrassing. I always had the misinterpretation that therapy was for other people experiencing serious issues or uncovering dark aspects from their past. Big misconception! It’s been over a year since I started working with a therapist and I can not say enough good things about this experience. I am so grateful that I didn’t let my ego and fear keep me from starting this journey. Therapy can be intimidating at first. However, if you allow yourself to be a little vulnerable, you will quickly reap the benefits. 

Therapy provided a safe space for me to evaluate and navigate my relationships and to understand how they affect my well-being. I realize that I could have kept my therapy journey private and to myself but it’s been such a positive experience…why would I do that? I think if we were more open and transparent, this topic wouldn’t be so taboo. I strongly encourage you to lean into this idea. It’s important to know that working with a therapist isn’t necessarily a lifetime commitment…it certainly can be, but often we just need help as we navigate through life experiences. 

Thanks to all of you who submitted questions via Instagram for Tyler and I to answer throughout the YouTube video. I hope you enjoy our honest conversation about how therapy can truly help you become the best version of yourself. 

I would love your comments and or questions about finding a therapist. I am more than happy to share more about my therapy journey with you.