How are you?

Be honest with where you are so you can disarm any emotions or thoughts that want to hold you hostage to internal turmoil.

Hi Family!

I hope you are having a great week! As we approach the second half of this month, I wanted to take a moment to check in with you. So here it goes - how are you?

Seriously, how are you?

I can only imagine how many times you’ve heard this question this week, let alone this month. For some, who received this three-word question, the question possibly appeared in what I call a fly-by conversation (when someone passes by and says “hey, how are you”), or maybe it pierced your ears when a loved one reached out to you because he or she missed you. No matter how someone asked you this question, it creates a space for you to take a moment to self-reflect while also extending someone the opportunity to learn more about who you are.

Nevertheless, these moments only move past the superficial layer of “small-talk” if we’re willing to be transparent, vulnerable, and courageous!

Are you willing to remove the mask, to be honest with yourself - good, bad, or indifferent? Are you willing to vocalize what’s going on in your noggin? Or will you continue to gloss over the truth about where you are to paint a facade that you believe the other person wants to receive? Listen, beloved, if you’re delighted about a great experience, you don’t have to feel obligated to dim your light to make others feel more comfortable. Dearest, if you’re not your jolly self, don’t fall into the trap of "fake it until you make it." Your emotions and thoughts are as real as they come. The more you suppress them and store them, you increase the likelihood of responding to life out of character. You also increase the probability of experiencing heightened stress, and even worse, working through a medically stress-induced issue.

You see, your thoughts and emotions fuel your mental strength/endurance. The healthier your thoughts, the more muscular your mental strength; however, the more real estate you lease to negativity, worry, fear, etc., the greater the mental tug.

Therefore, the next time someone opens the door for you to answer a “how are you,” take the first few moments to genuinely self-reflect and then be courageous enough to share at least one “real” or authentic thought versus a thought pulled from your response Rolodex.

Are you up for the challenge?

Okay, let’s try by taking a moment for a self-check-in!

How are you at this moment? Are you mentally okay? What types of thoughts are you entertaining? How is your heart? How are you emotionally? How are you physically? How do you feel about the person staring back in your reflection?

How are you….