Celebrating Women's History Month | DOWNLOAD Your FREE eBOOK

Are You Faithfully Celebrating Women's History Month? Yes! We celebrate all successful women, but not because they are greater than we are.

“I’m old. I have cellulite. I’m 10 lbs overweight. My husband doesn’t look at me the way he used to. I don’t love him the way I did before. What happened to my life?”

I listened to a friend of mine tell me about how she just didn’t feel like waking up to go to work because she hated life. “This is not the life I planned. I’m successful, but I’m not happy. Nothing makes me happy.”

As we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, I thought it would be interesting to look at the contrast between what women want and what we actually get.

For many years, women have been celebrated during the month of March to highlight their extraordinary contributions to their countries. Both here in the U.S. and internationally, women have left a mark in history that deserves celebration, and this year, the theme for Women’s History Month is "Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business.”

As a businesswoman, I am very much aware of the challenges that threaten success. The greatest struggles that kept me from wanting to get out of bed, like my friend, were financial challenges, uncertainty, lack of confidence, strong competitors, and my inability to find “loyal” staff members. All of the areas were extremely challenging, however, the greatest struggle I had was establishing work/life balance consistently.

Day after Day, I work with women who feel unworthy, devalued, uncelebrated, and insecure. Interestingly enough, if you walked past one of them on the street, you would never know that they’ve thrown in the towel on happiness, contentment, and peace. Why? Because she looks amazing! She drives a luxury car (or something close to it). Her makeup is flawless. Her children are adorable and well dressed. She works hard. People love her. She is successful. She is all that; but, she’s dying inside. I just described the clients that I work with, but I also described me. My passion to help others came from a long, hard look in the mirror. When each of us looks into the mirror we should see one thing: HUMANITY. We are all HUMAN. This means that we all struggle. We all have insecurities. We all want to be loved. We all want to be valued. We all want success.

Are You Faithfully Celebrating This Month?

We Celebrate Successful Women; But, Not Because They’re Greater Than Us.

This month, we celebrate Women’s History in the United States…but many women harbor deep pain and problems.

Beneath the passion, behind all of the great success we find ourselves also motivated by a deep, painful guilt I, myself, know a great deal about. You may even question the importance of celebrating someone's life that doesn't quite model yours. Maybe women's history means nothing to you.

Well, it really doesn’t matter if you’re in the beginning phase of history making or not. False comparisons are made when you’ve no personal success as a point of reference.  

When March comes around, we ironically invite “the comparison trip” into our heads. Guilt floods in when you want the success that you find in another person.

Don’t feel embarrassed by it. This particular battle is a hard one to fight. And maybe it’s not just during the month of March, maybe it every month of the year that you struggle with illegitimate comparisons to your friends, coworkers, societal icons, or your sister.

- There’s Only One Way To Being You

Wherever you are; no matter how you’re going to “get there,” you’re not fulfilled until you arrive at your destination. The truth is, I don’t have a remedy or cure for the guilt you deal with.

I do, however, have a solution to enable you to walk the happy road to being you. The manifestation of who you are means you’ll be celebrated this month. There’s no need to wait.

I’m calling it my “positive step approach.” Instead of working on your guilt trip, I’m going to work on your final destination. This isn’t the place you’re at, at the moment.

Let me take you on the journey to become you! This is the same journey that the women we celebrate this month took to ultimate success. It was never an overnight success, and I won’t make it one for you. The journey ahead is a serious commitment that you have to make to achieve your personal goals.

-----------Once you’re in the rightful place, there will be no one else to compare with.

To do that for you, I’m releasing my book for free this month. At the cost of nothing, it’s put directly into your hands. Your final commitment, to end the guilt, is to read it. I’ve never given something so valuable away for free.

I Will Not Put A Price Tag On What’s Rightfully Yours. I can only do it during this month.

You have an entire celebration to go through. And we’re now walking you past the emptiness, anxiety and void. Embrace the fullness that’s yours.

Do it now. Open your copy, and discover how powerful success becomes when you become you. We’re ready to celebrate Women’s History Month, but this time it’s for you to make YOUR MARK and success this time. I know…you already have it in you!

- J.J.

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Beauty & the Beast | Tips for Slaying Depression

Beauty & the Beast | Tips for Slaying Depression | Robin Williams | Jada Jackson, LMHC

Depression is a BEAST! Did you know that the more beautiful, talented and popular people fight harder to slay the beast of depression? Some of Hollywood’s most famous beauties have been diagnosed with depression: Ashley Judd, Owen Wilson, Demi Lovato, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields and more. Additionally, research suggests that pretty women are more likely to be depressed.

Regardless of one’s external attributes or undeniable talents, depression can strike the old, the young, the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful. According to USA Today, “Investigators in California said Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams was found dead in his bedroom, fully clothed, slightly suspended in a seated position with a belt around his neck, with one end wedged between a closet door frame. Lt. Keith Boyd, assistant chief deputy coroner for Marin County, Calif., said rigor mortis had already set in. Williams was found by his personal assistant, who broke in to his room when he failed to respond to knocks.”

Persoanlly, I remember Williams as the funny, zany Mork from the hit TV series Mork and Mindy; and later I adored him various movies and shows. However, my faviorite was his role as a therapist in Good Will Hunting. As we mourn the loss of a great talent, we can’t help consider the pain he must have endured. The talented actor committed suicide and left Americans shocked by his death. The common question that echoes throughout the nation is, “Why would he do this?” The answer was a very loud, “Because he was depressed.” Well, what are the implications of depression and what signs should we look for in our loved ones?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health:

There are several forms of depressive disorders.

Major depression,—severe symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. An episode can occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, a person has several episodes.

Persistent depressive disorder—depressed mood that lasts for at least 2 years. A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms must last for 2 years.

Some forms of depression are slightly different, or they may develop under unique circumstances. They include:

• Psychotic depression, which occurs when a person has severe depression plus some form of psychosis, such as having disturbing false beliefs or a break with reality (delusions), or hearing or seeing upsetting things that others cannot hear or see (hallucinations).
• Postpartum depression, which is much more serious than the “baby blues” that many women experience after giving birth, when hormonal and physical changes and the new responsibility of caring for a newborn can be overwhelming. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of women experience postpartum depression after giving birth.
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is characterized by the onset of depression during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. The depression generally lifts during spring and summer. SAD may be effectively treated with light therapy, but nearly half of those with SAD do not get better with light therapy alone. Antidepressant medication and psychotherapy can reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or in combination with light therapy.

Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, is not as common as major depression or persistent depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes—from extreme highs (e.g., mania) to extreme lows (e.g., depression).

Understanding depression is the first step to developing a strategy to defeat the beast; and depression is a beast that must be slain with careful precision.

7 tips for Slaying Depression:

• ENLIST a counselor to walk the journey with you. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help. Unfortunately, counseling has taken on a negative sterotype that prevents people from exploring therapeutic options. Having a therapist DOES NOT mean that you are “crazy.” Everyone could use someone to talk to and develop life strategies to manage life’s complexities. Talk therapy is a perfect way to address the stress in your life.
• EXPLORE medication option with your physician and/or psychiatrist. Medication may be necessary and only your doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe it. However remember, medication alone may not be as effective as the pairing of medication and psychotherapy.
• EXERCISE to balance brain chemicals. Once you discuss with your phycisian an appropriate exercise plan, stick to it. Exercise releases “feel good” chemicals in the brain that will ultimately stimulate positive moods. Once you commit to exercising regularly, you may find your mood changing in a more positive way.
• EAT healthy to help repair your body’s deficiencies. Eating healthy and exercise go hand in hand. The more “good” you put into your body, the more “good” you get out of your body. High performance will come when you fuel up with nutritious foods.
• SLEEP to regain balance in your body and mind. The chemicals released during deep sleep are necessary for growth in children and cell repair in adults.
• REFRAME negative thoughts and replace with positive thoughts. Remember, what you think is what you feel and what you feel is what you do. With negative thoughts come negative emotions and ultimately negative behaviors. Thought the act of reframing, we can change how we think about a situation and replace the negative thought with a positive thought. Obviously this is not an overnight process, however, it is a necessary process to reduce symptoms of depression that may be triggered by faulty thought patterns.
• DEVELOP a healthy support system. A negative support system will fuel your depressive symptom. Surround yourself with positive friends and family members that will support your efforts to maintain a healthy and happy life.

Remember, these are tips that will assist you in minimizing your depressive symptoms. However, if you or someone you know are overwhelmed with symptoms of depression, please contact a therapist that may assist you.

Reference:  National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml