Not only am I a recovering Strong Black Woman, but I am also a recovering alcoholic. That’s the REAL tea… So, today we’re diving into a topic that’s close to my heart and central to our journey as recovering strong Black women—self-care. We hear about it all the time, but let’s be real: when life […]
Continue reading "Self-Medicating Isn’t Self-Care"
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s easy to fall into a routine where you are simply going through the motions. You may often find yourself operating on auto-pilot, tackling tasks without pausing to acknowledge your efforts. As someone who is deeply invested in mindfulness and personal well-being, I’ve discovered a practice that […]
Continue reading "Embracing Self-Credit: How a Daily Log Can Transform Your Mindfulness Practice"In a world that often overlooks the voices and experiences of Black women, finding a supportive community where one can feel heard, understood, and empowered is invaluable. When we started Mindful + Melanated, and the Strong Black Woman Support Group our aim was to cultivate a community for Black women seeking connection, growth, and healing. But we cannot do this work alone. In the spirit of solidarity, we would like to tell you about 5 Black-women run organizations that offer and facilitate support groups and healing circles for Black women.
A Tribe Called Black (TCB) is a grassroots organization and peer support community that prioritizes Black and Brown individuals in their learning, connecting, healing and building of their cultural wealth and health. They offer peer support groups for both teens and adults on various issues such as navigating unresolved anger, being a Black mother and growing up as a Black teen during this day and age. TCB’s most recent group, Queens Healing Queens: Anxiety Edition, is a guided journaling group focused on tackling anxiety with distress tolerance strategies tailored to Black women. This interactive 4-month program includes bi-weekly virtual discussions and activities to help Black women cope when life be life-ing. This group utilizes journals designed by two Black women, one of which is a licensed clinical therapist, the other being a self-care coach for Black women.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Click here to register for their Queens Healing Queens group that starts April 22, 2024.
Healing Black Women (HBW) is a safe space designed to encourage and promote all forms of wellness and healing for Black women. Through their blog, podcast and panel discussions, they produce high-quality content designed to help Black women navigate issues such as trauma, depression, anxiety, and self-esteem – while also promoting self-care, resilience, and empowerment. HBW also offers a variety of online support groups. They offer seasonal meditation and sound bath groups led by their resident Reiki Master who guides participants through a moment of calm and release to welcome new energy each season. Got a book you haven’t finished? Bought a book you haven’t even started reading? You are not alone, but you are in luck! HBW also hosts a virtual Read with Us group. So dust off your reading material, join them on Zoom every month and finish those books!
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Click here to register for both their seasonal sound bath and their monthly read with me groups.
Soul Love Counseling and Consulting offers specialized mental wellness services tailored specifically to Black WomXn seeking liberation and empowerment. Through a holistic approach that addresses mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, this practice provides a safe and nurturing space for Black WomXn to explore their experiences, express themselves authentically, and cultivate resilience. Services offered by Soul Love include individual therapy sessions, consulting and their R.E.S.T. Support Group. R.E.S.T. is a community-driven support group that welcomes Black WomXn with any LGBTQIA+ identity, who feel isolated in different areas in the life (e.g. work, school, family, faith, etc.).
Location: Virtual/Massachusetts (Although this is an online support group, you must reside in Massachusetts to participate).
Cost: Rates are based on an anti-oppressive rate structure.
Click here to register for as many sessions as you’d like.
Vick Breedy Inc. knows the importance of self-care and how easy it is to lose sight of it. The founder of this enterprise created the Selfish Women’s Group (SWG) to provide a space for women to address the issues that threaten their ability to practice self-care. This quarterly women’s group is led by SWG facilitators who help women understand the importance of self-care, explore ways to practice it and identify behaviors that make it difficult for women to lighten the load they carry. Sessions alternate between virtual and in-person. In-person groups take place in Massachusetts. Join the SWG Facebook group to stay in the loop for upcoming dates, times and locations for their quarterly sessions.
Location: Alternate Virtual/In-Person (In-person sessions take place in Massachusetts)
Cost: $20
Click here to register for their June 2024 in-person session.
PureSpark seeks to cultivate the kind of mental wellness culture it’s founder craved when she was severely depressed and suicidal. PureSpark uses social media and their website to provide resources that would otherwise be inaccessible to someone who struggles with, or has never navigated the mental wellness system. This organization provides, curates and promotes a plethora (and when we say a plethora whew chile) of groups and events focused on Black women’s healing. What’s unique about this organization is that they are also intentional about curating, showcasing and hosting events and groups geared toward those who provide mental wellness support. Healers need healing too and the fact that they promote so many events geared toward Black clinicians (and other types of mental wellness providers) is truly commendable.
Location: Varies
Cost: Varies
For more info: https://yourpurespark.com/events-calendar/
Conclusion
Whether you’re seeking guidance on your spiritual journey, inspiration for self-care practices, or simply a space to share your story and be heard, Mindful + Melanated welcomes you with open arms and we also encourage you to check out these other amazing organizations.
See you in the circle!
Regina Renaye aka Regina Thee Mindfulnista
Regina Renaye is the founder of Mindful + Melanated. She is a cat mom, horrible karaoke singer, coffee lover, and peer support pioneer.
To contact Regina about partnerships, speaking engagements or just to say ‘Hey Sis’, email her at hello@mindfulandmelanated.com.
In a world that often overlooks the voices and experiences of Black women, finding a supportive community where one can feel heard, understood, and empowered is invaluable. When we started Mindful + Melanated, and the Strong Black Woman Support Group our aim was to cultivate a community for Black women seeking connection, growth, and healing. […]
Continue reading "5 Support Groups Black Women Need to Attend Now"
I never knew my idol Dominique Dawes took heat for saying Simone Biles was “courageous” for sitting out of the 2020 Olympic competition for her mental health. Like I said in my comment on her LinkedIn post, I think it’s mighty funny that when Black women do (or refuse to do) something to maintain their […]
Continue reading "BLACK WOMEN: If an Olympian cannot take a break then we are all f*cked!"
Think back to being a teenager picking a flower then removing petal-by-petal while saying the words “loves me, loves me not.” You wished and hoped the last petal remaining would be “loves me.” The anticipation grew as each petal fell to the ground. The longing for it to be whichever way your heart desired, most […]
Continue reading "Loves Me, Loves Me Not: A Lesson in Self-Care"
