AggieStrong the Ultimate Life Coach

Celebrating Thanksgiving when you're not in the mood or are feeling isolated can be challenging and, indeed, a test of resilience. However, there are several meaningful ways to navigate these challenges and still find joy in the holiday. Gratitude Journal: Amidst the whirlwind of negative emotions, take a moment to reflect on the positives in your life. Writing in your gratitude journal is a great place to start. Here, you may jot down the things you're thankful for, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant they may appear to be. This practice can shift your focus from what's missing to what you have. Volunteer: Consider extending a helping hand to those less fortunate in your community. Volunteering at a local shelter or food bank provides vital assistance to others and can significantly boost your mood. This small act of kindness can remind you of the impact you can make in the world. Virtual Gatherings: If you find yourself physically distant from loved ones, embra...

Let’s talk about relationships. You meet someone and are excited about the new prospect, but things soon turn sour. You might not have realized that relationships are high maintenance and are used to thinking only about yourself. Right? But having people in our lives comes with responsibilities, feelings, emotions, and added financial obligations. So, I had an aha moment in an Instagram live chat on the topic of relationships! I spontaneously came up with the answer to what makes relationships work. And guess what? It's SEX!  The concept of SEX is a framework of three simple words with a powerful effect: Space , Empathy , and X-factor . The first two are relatively conceivable, but what do I mean by X-factor? That is a more complicated grasp. All three together seek to promote healthy, balanced and long-lasting relationships. So, allow me to break it down for you. Given my failed relationships, I reflected on the missing links in them. I considered that no relationship co...

  What is Your Love Language? Have you heard of the five love languages before? In the 1990s, a marriage counsellor named Gary Chapman authored a book that postulated that every person has a primary way of communicating how and when they feel most loved. The book is titled  The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.  Here is a snippet of his five love languages. 1.  Physical Touch This includes hugging and kissing but is not limited to romantic relationships. For Chapman, some people (including babies and children) “feel love with hand holding, putting your arms around one another,” or a pat. If you feel most loved, physical touch is your love language. 2.  Quality Time This one is about giving your focused and intentional attention to interact with your partner (or loved ones) to build and strengthen your relationships. For Chapman, this means mushy times like discussing ideas or contemplating and exploring the world together. If...

  Dear Black People, What I am about to say may sound controversial to some, but this is a subject that I am passionate about.  It behooves me to speak to the plentitude of posts and podcasts going against the strong Black woman and resilient narratives as stigmatizing to the Black woman in particular. I am a Black woman who considers herself strong and resilient. I teach my daughters to be strong and resilient. I teach my clients to be strong and resilient, and I am proud to say it. I will remain strong in the Lord.  I get that they are trying to decolonize certain stereotypical behaviour that continues to permeate society, but what does being strong have to do with decolonization? Our strength is like our blackness. It is what sets us apart. If Black women were not strong, there would be nothing left to decolonize—we would be extinct. My strength is in my weaknesses. So don’t apologize for calling me strong. Change degrading behaviour, and that will be enough for me. Yo...

What if I told you everything you thought you knew about happiness is wrong? The truth is happiness is a myth and an illusion that is  overrated.   It is like chasing after a butterfly. The more you pursue it, the more it eludes you, and the moment you catch it is the moment it begins to die.  So, from whence came the word happy? According to The Oxford English Dictionary, the first record of the word was around 1350,   from Middle English, "a form of the English language spoken after the Norman conquest (1066) until the late 15th century," which is a derivative of the Old Norse "happ," meaning "luck" or "chance."  It combined "the word hap, meaning "a person's luck or lot," and the suffix –y, meaning "characterized by," to   form diminutive nouns and adjectives denoting a state, condition, or quality.  Then, in essence, when someone says, "I want to be happy," they are really saying that they want someone e...

I must first apologize to my male readers, this article is dedicated to all the ladies who have been hurt in the past and are still hurting today.   So, let me begin again. Have you been hurt?   God knows we have been hurt time and time again.

Beautiful flower from my vase The biggest misconception today is that people who are socially active or have lots of friends aren't or shouldn't be lonely. As a matter of fact, some of the loneliest people in the world have the most "so-called" friends. The problem is, they are in unrequited relationships. Relationships where the feelings are not mutual or not returned.   Let's take that guy who committed suicide a few years ago, umm—Robbin Williams! Who would have thought that someone like him would have this kind of problem?   What most people oftentimes fail to realize is that loneliness is a psychological complexity that is half disease and half self-imposed; and that, left untreated, can become debilitating, crippling, or even life-threatening.   The Lonely Christians Gen 2:18 - Helpmate I must confess. This post was inspired by a Christian client who said to me, she wishes someone could write about loneliness. So I told her I wou...

Blog post title: Why Is Family Soo Important by Andrene Gregory Family comes in a composition of all shapes and sizes. Mine currently consists of my two grown daughters who I live with, my siblings and my nieces and nephews. Most of us couldn't even begin to imagine life without our family; despite the ups and downs which go with the territory. You see, those ups and downs are what shape us into the person we are today and give us our identity. Our families are our first teachers. They not only teach us how to walk, talk and read, they teach us moral values and fundamental principles. They are the center of our universe —providing a place to call home. No matter how far or wide we go or how long we stay—we always have a place to come home to. They shape our personalities and belief systems with their ancient wisdom and wise words. That said, our family is our foundation and the single most important influence in our lives whether you believe it or not. So here, I've...