We’ve officially made it to month 8 of a global pandemic that no one saw coming, in a year that was supposed to be an epic kickoff to a fabulous decade. The irony is, it has been pretty epic…but for all the wrong reasons.

Instead of writing a depressing post dedicated to the sorrows of living in a time where we can’t hug our loved ones or endure breathing in the remnants of our daily meals through a mask— I’m going to write about what’s keeping me sane as a single person in isolation.

And a quick note: Because of the nature of what I do in tech, I can’t make any app recommendations to you all. But what I can do is encourage you to comb your respective app stores to find the best apps that work for what you need.

Spiritual

I know attending a place of worship has been a huge issue for many people of faith. I won’t say -as a Christian- I’m not struggling with it myself but I figured in this age of tech, God would be chill with me being safe, healthy, and getting my spiritual on in the confines of my home.

So I pray regularly and meditate. I use apps to keep me connected and occasionally, when my attention span is A-1, I even manage to attend good ole Bedside Baptist. The thing I’ve always understood is while I love the fellowship and sense of community, I have to get flexible with how it is I nurture that part of myself during these times.

Physical

Alright, so here is where I SUPER struggle. I love sleeping and just hanging. When I’m home, my body goes to either work or chill mode…But here we are. I had to do like everyone else and turn my living room into my gym. Since breathing in smoke from massive wild fires isn’t really an option for me- I turn on my Apple Tv, lay out my yoga mat, and work out between 30 minutes to an hour. I also try to drink at least three 26oz bottles of water starting when I wake up. I’ve also been taking vitamins from HUM (use my code: 1E6108 because it’s the right thing to do) and they’ve been pretty amazing. I take several daily and it helps with my energy and immune system.

Mental

And of course I can’t leave out mental health. I go to therapy regularly for hour sessions at least once a month. I try to stay off social media unless I’m sharing thoughts or my random commentary on whatever is happening out there, but other than that, surfing is DANGEROUS. Keep that part short, emote as much as you want and then take a break. I also limit my news intake as well. I watch for morning highlights and that’s a wrap unless there’s absolutely nothing else better to do with my life. Ok, and here’s something funny about me…I’m kinda an introvert. I know that’s weird but I’ve always been a little shy and awkward. And I don’t like talking to a lot of people when I retreat into my personal space…HOWEVER, I’ve gotten so much better about reaching out and FaceTiming my family and friends. I’ve made it a personal goal to at least talk to at least 3 people outside of work, a week (so that I’m not talking to my dog- that could get weird.). Then I try to call it a night by 10:30p so I can wake up and take on the world at…7a. Not really early but early enough for me, I’m not a 4am kinda chick. Speaking of getting to sleep. I work a lot, so maintaining work-life balance is highly important to me. If someone works my nerves at work. I leave it right there at 6pm or whenever I shut it down. I’m not stressing myself out over foolishness and I don’t want extra gray hair. Ok, ok- the last and most obvious thing I like to do to take care of my mental is :drumroll please: writing! I try to write as much as I can to release my thoughts.

Other ways to treat yo-self

Now of course there’s so much more to do to unwind like retail therapy, a nice dinner with a glass (or three) of wine, movie marathons, reading a book while listening to your fave album, cooking a nice meal, or taking a cuddle break with you lovable pup pal. However you decide to take care of yourself, the idea is it shouldn’t add more stress to your life. It should make you feel more relaxed and less overwhelmed.

So you’ve heard some of my self-care hacks for keeping sane during these crazy times. My self-care routines and tips are specific to my needs because true self-care varies for us all. I would love to hear yours! Tell me what your self-care go-to’s are during quarantine. <3

-D. Wright

Prepare yourselves…this is going to be a real one.

The C-Word

Let’s talk about control. Control is a false idol. It’s something we’re forever chasing and (funny enough) not able to completely relish in because it’s hard to maintain. It’s our means of exerting power to sway the outcomes of events, or matters, surrounding our lives. We fuss and toil over details that have no real significance other than to scratch the itch. We overanalyze our abilities and scrutinize our works and when that isn’t enough – we extend the courtesy to others.

You might be wondering how it is that I became such the subject matter expert. I’ll be honest, I don’t know the when or the how…I just know I am. I’m ready to release that control and exchange it for something a little bit better – authorship.

The Meltdown

Many of you know I’m a huge fan of therapy and this story started with a little trip to my friendly therapist, Dr. Kay. There was definitely a meltdown involved. I’m not ashamed to say it. I was not coping well emotionally and was not afraid to let her know. That poor lady…she has a lot on her hands. I came in with unresolved issues all from different areas of my life that I absolutely felt I had no control over. It was maddening. I was flailing down a rabbit hole. And after plenty of tears and irrational ranting, she gave it to me.

[su_quote cite=”You can’t control everything, no one can, but you can be the author of your life. You have to be the author of your own life.”][/su_quote]

The Resolve

I’m sitting there, glassy eyed and it hits me. I can’t control anyone else’s narrative but my own. I’ve always heard, “You can’t control what you can’t control” and it finally sunk in. I can’t control how others respond to me, or what other people think or feel about anything. What I can control is what I think of myself, what opportunities I create for myself, and what I contribute to the world. I had to ask myself, “What do I want to contribute to the world, and how can you plan to make that dream a reality?” I mean, Dr. Kay definitely posed a lot of wonderful questions for me to consider what exactly it was that I wanted to create for myself.

The Challenge

Now I’m challenging you, as much as I’m challenging myself, to think on what it is that you can create and contribute for yourself. What are the things you can reasonably control in your life? What can you let go of? I sadly used to think that my success rested on the chance of someone discovering me and my talents. That’s something I absolutely can not control or depend on, but what I can control is discovering myself and proudly creating a path that makes sense for me.

So will you join me in becoming the author of your own life? It’s high time we create and promote some beautifully unique stories to share with the world. <3

-D.Wright

I’m gonna start with, I love this site and app. FitMenCook is super easy to navigate and extremely functional. I never expected to actually like it but a buddy of mine recommended it because I’m terrible at making healthy food choices and asked him about his lunch.

I know, you’re probably thinking, “you’re so skinny, you probably don’t eat much… blah blah blah.” Well here’s a confession, last year my New Year’s resolution was to give up canned chili. You read right, canned chili. I love canned chili. I mostly love it with chips, cheese and jalapeños. I definitely love it over rice. Wolf Brand and Hormel are my favorites and I know it’s not great for me but I don’t care. I’d say my love for canned chili is worse than my Chef Boyardee ravioli obsession and those perfectly greased Jack In The Box tacos that I’d practically vacuum up during my teen years. I fiend for my special chili dip like every couple months or so these days, but  it used to be pretty bad. I thank God for a high metabolism and newly found common sense. I only eat it every couple of months and this is precisely why I needed the app. I have to get more creative with my seasonings and dinner choices if I don’t want to die of high blood pressure and clogged arteries.

I Hate Working Out

Let’s get to the nitty gritty though. I hate working out. I hate it because it feels like a routine I can never finish and since I don’t see many changes, I don’t feel motivated. Now food, I love, and I think it’s a brilliant plan to change my body with something I love. Food is something that I can commit to and FitMenCook is a wonderful website with a bomb app you can download to get recipes ranging from quick and easy to complex and showy. You  can even use a the Healthy Habits Challenge calendar to hit personal goals. It’s pretty impressive how thought out this site it. I highly recommend taking a visit and finding a dish to start with.

15-Minute Pineapple Pepper Chicken

With how cool the site and the app was, I had to try it out for myself and decided to test the 15-Minute Pineapple Pepper Chicken recipe for my first attempt. Kevin, supplies you with a grocery list that even helps guide you down the aisles of where you can find the ingredients. I will say, it was a bit of a scavenger hunt but I located everything I needed. When I got home, I followed the directions and added spinach for my veggie. Then, voilà, a tasty meal I could enjoy for about 3-4 days! It was well seasoned, easy to portion out and extremely satisfying. You should definitely try it out for yourself.

If you decide to test out any other recipes, feel free to share them with me here or on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook! <3

-D.Wright

You guys might have remembered I referenced my good friend Ameerah in my article Every Little Step a few weeks back. She’s a true gem and one of the most phenomenal people I know. Not only is she a beautiful wife and mother, but she’s a fabulous business woman who is taking the world by storm. This past weekend, Ameerah invited women across Houston Metro area to join her in a private brunch at Sak Fifth’s 51Fifteen in celebration of sisterhood and her lifestyle event series…Brunch and Slay.

There was champagne and appetizers flowing from the very start of the experience. We were practically waited on hand and foot. Droves of beautiful women dressed to the nines were literally EVERYWHERE you hear me?! If someone wanted a wife, Ameerah held the key to the treasure box. I kid you not – the style was on point, the hair was on point, the ambition was on point and the positivity was overflowing. The assortment of women in attendance varied in all shades of hues and backgrounds. It was the one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

But back to the actual event…it started with a networking cocktail hour, then we were moved into the dining area for our first course and a fashion demonstration by stylist, Ashley Kahn. We mingled a bit more, ate our second course and then moved to the bar area for desert and more mimosas. After a bit of more chatting we were ushered into the event space to hear the panels.

The women we heard were an all-star group to say the least. We had renowned  fashion illustrator Rong-Rong Devoe, fitness guru Leah Egwuatu, Emmy Award winner  Erica Halloway, fashion maven Brandy Gueary, Doctor Ashandra Batiste who stars on Bravo series Married to Medicine Houston and moderating was best selling writer Charlie Marcol. These were just the people on the panel! The room was full of influencers, medical professionals, designers, educators, creatives, techs, and other amazing represented industries.

Ameerah created a lavish experience for her guests. I can only imagine what she’s going to come up with next. If you’re into unique lifestyle events, make sure to visit her website for more information HERE. I clearly had a blast. <3

-D.Wright