black women mental health Archives

How to Stay Healthy Like A Diva While Traveling

July 27, 2023 by Larissa Parks

Well look at that – it’s your girl Roxie back with some more tips for the most Diva-esque traveling experience ever! There are so many new, exciting adventures with your name on them, and the last thing any Diva wants is to get sick and not be able to do any of them!

We all know how important it is to stay healthy before you travel so you don’t have to let that travel insurance kick in, but staying healthy during the trip is just as if not more important!

You’re traveling to release stress from working as hard as you do. So we can’t have you stressing out about how you feel while you’re traveling!

Here are a couple of Diva-approved healthy tips so you can look and feel your best during your next bucket-list trip:

Pack A First Aid Kit

If you’re feeling like you’re the bag lady Erykah Badu was singing about with everything inside your travel luggage, don’t fret. It’s better to be prepared than to get caught out there!

That being said, pack a mini first aid kit with antibacterial ointment, adhesive bandages, medication like painkillers, antacids, and upset stomach relief so you’ll be ready in case you cut yourself or eat something that doesn’t agree with you.

You can find great travel first aid kits on Amazon but don’t forget to also bring your own medicine, peppermint or ginger tea bags, motion sickness bracelets or meds, magnesium cream or tablets (great for aches/pains plus hangovers), and pads/tampons just in case.

Stay Hydrated

There’s nothing I love more than a good sip on vacay, but don’t forget to sip on some H20 as well! Often, we’re more active on vacation than we are at home, so you’re expending tons of energy. Be sure to get at least 3 meals a day (plus snacks!) and stay hydrated with lots of water throughout the day.

Especially if you’re the kind of Diva like me who loves to walk around or even lounge in the sun, hydration will be key to ensuring you wake up looking and feeling refreshed.

Get Enough Sleep

I know, I know. There’s so much to see and you’re too excited to sleep because you want to stay up chit-chatting and exploring, but every Diva needs her beauty rest. It’s easy to sleep less on vacations due to the excitement, but it’s best to aim for as much sleep as you can manage so you have enough energy to explore.

No one wants to be so tired they need to take a nap when they come back from their latest excursion – only to miss the next one because the nap turned into full-blown slumber.

Practice Self-Care

If your itinerary is packed, do yourself a favor and swap an activity out for a relaxing self-care moment. Try the hotel spa where you can get an overdue massage or facial, or if self-care feels like bubble baths and champagne, have your Butler or room service bring it to you! Maybe you love to read on the beach.

Whatever self-care means to you, it’s important to keep that up while you’re on vacation. You don’t need to power through your vacation and tick all your to-do’s – it’s not work; it’s fun!

Now that you know how to stay physically healthy, you’ll also want to make sure your wallet does, too.

Check out this blog I wrote for you on how to manage your finances like a Diva while traveling.

Travel as a Form of Therapy: The Healing Power of Exploring New Places

June 15, 2023 by Larissa Parks

Hey girl, it’s Roxie. Quick question: Why do you travel?

I know why I travel – it’s healing, therapeutic, relaxing and I love exploring new places, eating exotic foods and making new friends – but why do you travel?

I’m guessing probably for many of the same reasons.

Maybe you want to get away from everyday life. Maybe you want a change of scenery. Maybe you want to simply rest and relax.

Whatever the reason, go ‘head and add “taking care of your mental health” to the list. Because that’s 1 of the biggest reasons why travel is so amazing.

Here are 3 ways exploring new places can be just as healing as a therapy sesh:

Leads to Personal Growth

If you’re stuck in the same place day after day, it’s easy to stay the same. You do the same things, see the same people and have the same experiences.

But when you travel, you take in new experiences, new environments and meet new people. Travel calls on you to rely on yourself in different ways. It challenges you, cultivates empathy (even if you’re just navigating the airport) and pushes you to develop your worldview.

Encourages Self-Discovery

Listen, it is SO easy to become comfortable and passive in your life. It’s easy to just go through the motions and not really think about what you want or who you want to be. After all, our busy lives and daily obligations mean we don’t have much time to reflect.

Travel gives you a new perspective on things and gives you the time and space to think about what it is you truly want. When you travel, you remove the day-to-day hustle and distractions that influence your thoughts.

For example, maybe eating a croissant while walking the streets of Paris makes you realize that you don’t want to work in a cubicle for the next 20 years but you’d rather be a pastry chef instead.

Or maybe while exploring the pyramids, it hits you how much you really enjoy archaeology and you decide to take a class at your local college. You’re not planning a career change, you just found something that really interests you and you want to know more about it.

Improves Mental Health

We’ve talked about travel and mental health before but listen, taking a vacation can stimulate creativity, help you better adapt to challenges and boost your mood.

Plus, when you take a break from your regular routine, you can clear your head and get out of any rut you may be in. And just planning your next vacation can improve your mood because you have something to look forward to.

So, be honest with yourself …

Is it time for a vacation?

If you’re nodding your head “yes,” then let us help. We’ll take care of all the little details, all you have to do is pick your destination and show up.

3 Reasons Why Every Diva Needs to Add Travel to Her Self-Care Routine

May 30, 2023 by Larissa Parks

Someone asked me the other day, “Roxie, what are your non-negotiables when it comes to your self-care?”

And to be honest, girlfriend?

I only had one thing on my list:

Travel.

Sure, I love a glass of champagne and a hot bubble bath more than anyone, but there’s nothing that pours back into me more than travel.

Here’s the thing: just because you can’t jet-set across the world every Sunday (yet) doesn’t mean travel can’t be a part of your self-care.

Self-care isn’t just about treating yourself or recharging. It’s learning about yourself so that you can show up as who you want to be in all areas of your life.

Here are a few reasons why I think travel is the ultimate in self-care and they’re not the usual “it’s relaxing” responses you always hear:

Expands Your Comfort Zone

As an ambitious, hard-working Black woman, if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you have big dreams.

You know that to get where you want to go in life personally and professionally requires you to do things you’ve never done and go where you’ve never been.

Travel allows you to do exactly that. Not only does travel physically get you out of your daily environment, but if you travel solo, it really forces you to learn how to trust your own instincts and intuition.

It’s only intimidating when you’ve never done it before and you don’t know you’re capable. Once you’ve traveled alone, you gain new levels of courage to do ALL the things you didn’t think you could do.

If you’ve got a big, scary goal you want to achieve, take a trip by yourself. You’ll come back home with your comfort zone expanded and ready to tackle it.

Opens Up Your Mind

It’s One Big Solo Date

Dating yourself is a way for you to get to know who you are. Travel is the ultimate way to do that. Just like on a regular date, you can get to know parts of yourself that were hidden because you were too busy working or focusing on others.

You get to do what you want when you travel instead of catering to the needs of others.

You can eat what you want, stay up as late as you want, and lay up on the beach for as long as you want. You can even get reacquainted with old hobbies and passions that fell by the wayside when you travel.

Plus, the obvious self-care stuff too: treating yourself to new experiences, spa days, and so much more.

You deserve to indulge yourself more than just on Sundays. Let us take care of planning your trip. You just show up.

Just pick a destination and we’ll handle the rest.

Free & Clear: Why Traveling Is What Every Black Woman Needs for Her Mental Health

May 23, 2023 by Larissa Parks

Hey girlfriend! It’s Roxie again, and I’ve just come back from my latest rendezvous. While I was out jet-setting across Europe and Asia, I couldn’t help but notice that all the stresses, to-do lists and constant worry that can sometimes take hold of me disappeared.

There’s just something about hopping on a plane and getting far away that clears your mind.

After all, your environment plays a huge part in your overall well-being and mental health. For magical, hard-working Black women like us, our environments are often all about the grind, the hustle and ensuring our loved ones have everything they need.

But what about you? How do you make sure you have everything you need and pour back into your own cup?

For so many of us, travel fills that bill. It’s a great way to escape, get a bit of distance from daily life and gain valuable insights so you can live your best life.

Here are a few more ways travel benefits your mental health and why you should let us take care of all the planning so you can rest, recharge and relax STAT:

Reduce Your Stress

You’re probably no stranger to “Superwoman Schema” or “Sojourner’s Syndrome” – also known as “Strong Black Woman Syndrome.” In fact, chances are you probably lean into these at work and in life without even realizing it. That’s not your fault – so much of how the world works makes it easy for Black women to suffer disproportionately from stress.

A study done by the Human Nature journal even shared that Black women process and internalize stress differently – and that it can cause biological aging.

In other words, stress could be aging you and one of the best ways to combat that is through travel.

When you get away from environments where stress is your norm, you naturally lower your stress levels. Also, there’s nothing like breathing fresh air, getting away from the laptop, and doing whatever the heck you want that just melts all the stress away.

Boost Your Mood

While routine is a wonderful thing, it can eventually make for a bleak mood and dreary disposition when it comes to tackling your everyday tasks, personally and professionally.

Travel is an opportunity to shake up your routine and expose yourself to new sights, sounds, cultures, and adventures.

If you’ve been feeling blue recently, it might be time to hop on a plane to help reset your outlook.

Improve Your Overall Mental Health

Did you know that when you do something different outside of your norm that you form new pathways in your brain? The same goes for travel. New experiences can help improve your brain function, boost your mood, and inspire creativity.

Sometimes you just need a dose of vitamin D and sunshine, some water, and some greenery to turn things around. In this day and age when so many of us are cooped up in buildings and staring at computer screens all day, being exposed to nature for longer periods of time can improve your overall mental health.

So, what to do next?

Decide which destination makes you feel the most excited. Is it the turquoise seas and over-the-water bungalows in the Maldives? Dubai’s opulent vibes? The glamour of Paris? The intoxicating roses of Jordan? The colorful countryside of Cartagena?

Wherever you feel called to explore, we can make it happen without you ever lifting a finger (except to pay and pack, that is!).

Come sprinkle your Black girl magic with us on one of these magical escapes.