AggieStrong the Ultimate Life Coach

Some days can be hard. To make them more manageable, use a #calendar to plan and design your day to optimize your time. Carve out a set time at the end of every month to visualize what the next month will look like and do your scheduling. At the start of every week, move items into the weekly calendar for a more focused vision. There are several different tools to choose from, such as Google, Outlook, Yahoo, and Slack, which are supported by iCalendar, or the actual paper planners. There are also many other Calendar Apps to help us stay focused and organized: schedule events, create to-do lists and make journal entries all in one place. Begin with a clear vision of how you want each day of the week to look, what you wish to accomplish and how you want to navigate the day: Then set a few mini goals for the day or week ahead. Prioritize tasks in a time slot on your calendar by importance and deadline. Allow for some flexibility in your schedule for unexpected events or delays. Review you...

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 the difference between equality and equity? That is the age-old question. For centuries, women have experienced unfair and inequitable treatment in their careers, politics, and even the church, not to mention in the home. This year, as we commemorate International Women's Day, let us celebrate and appreciate the value and impact women bring to the table in whatever capacity they undertake.  But, I would be remiss if I did not make special mention of Black women—strong Black women all over the world who blazed the trails not only on sexism but on the double consciousness of being Black and female at the same time. Not only were they instrumental in charting the path for women's suffrage and the feminist movement, but they also fought for the rights and dignity of Blacks or coloured folks in all things human.  To quote Audre Lorde: "Women are powerful and dangerous." By that, I take it to mean don't mess with women; even though they may seem small and weak, ...

  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...

Did you know that resiliency is the glue that holds us together and keeps us from falling apart when we experience difficulties? What Is Resilience? Resilience is the barometer for how well and how quickly people rebound from challenging situations such as oppression, trauma, stigma, catastrophe, adversity, setbacks or undue difficulties. Some people call it  bouncing back  from the harrowing experiences of life. We all have the capacity for resilience, whether we know it or not, and most of us experience it to a varying degree. Resilience is like the elasticity in a rubber band. We only know that we can bounce back when we have been stretched. Similarly, like an elastic band, if not occasionally stretched, we become ineffectual—dried out and brittle. However, if excessively put to the test, we become snappy or flaccid, often to our detriment.  The more stress or adversity a person experiences, the more likely they are to withstand challenges because they have developed t...

 

  Mindful Breathing: 4-7-8 Technique   Did you know stress and anxiety can cause your brains to feel scattered and cluttered? The good news is that you can practice 4-7-8 breathing techniques anytime and anywhere. However, the experts recommend that you only do four sets in a row until you become more accustomed to it; then, you can do up to eight sets.  Here is How it Works Stop whatever you are doing and get into a relaxed position: sitting or leaning against something solid.  Keep your spine/back straight.  Allow your tongue, jaw and body to relax.  Place the palm of your hands over your chest. Please take a quick deep breath through your nostrils and immediately let it out with a whoosh sound.  Close your eyes and your lips. Slowly take a deep breath through your nostrils, filling your belly (while counting to 4 in your head). Hold your breath for a count of 7. (This is the most impactful part of the exercise as it helps to regulate your breathing ...