Why is it so hard to treat ourselves with kindness? My Therapist once said to me, "You wouldn't say that to a friend who was  struggling. So why would you say that about yourself?" And it's true, while we like to believe we give ourselves credit for our accomplishments we often brush them aside in lieu of, "what's next". What goal can I reach or what accolade can I achieve next. As I write this post the lyrics of a Charlie Puth, yes, I said Charlie Puth...song ring in my head. 

 

"Do what you LOVE and you N E V E R work a day in your life." That's what they say right? Now I don't know about all of that because I work the majority of my between content creation and freelance photography and while most day are filled with joy and I love it and am always grateful to be able to have the opportunity to be creative and figure out what I want to do with my life; trust me, it's still work. In fact, I don't know if I've ever worked harder and often times for little or NO monetary compensation.

 

This is something that's been on my mind as of late. Seeing so many people in my social network post about how they need beaks from social media and how they feel so much better and so much more productive when they're not on it got me wondering...is social media actually toxic or can we create an online social media experience that makes us feel seen, heard and most importantly, safe. 

Of course the research shows that we benefit from being out in nature. It goes back to our ancestral roots and is innately in us to thrive when we spend our time outdoors. And as someone who loves to hike, bike, jog, kayak, swim and anything else outdoors, I can attest that there is no feeling quite like having the sun warm your face and breathe in the fresh air. It just, heals the soul.

Photo credit @bruthadave

I suppose the main purpose of this post is to sort of do my best to describe my experience navigating growing up in my formative years not really identifying as black or white. While not every bi-racial person may experience this, it seems that many of us do. And I feel it’s important to open our societies eyes about how others may be navigating their place in the world in hopes that we can all be a little kinder to one another.

Photo Courtesy Healthline

Photo Courtesy Getty Images/ TIME