Each month this summer, we’ve been highlighting ways to implement one of her tips. Missed June and July’s tip? Check out our archives!

Laugh
Have you heard the phrase, “laughter is the best medicine”? Well … it is! Laughing instantly puts you in a better mood. It sends positive signals to your brain (endorphins) and allows you to release any stress that you may be feeling. Watch a funny movie, laugh at YouTube videos or call your friends and have a good time laughing for a few minutes — or hours!

Learn to Laugh at Yourself.

Lighten Up.

Give Yourself (and others) a Break!

Don’t Take Life Too Seriously.

Life is short and you only get one. Enjoy it!

Random Thought: The study of humor and laughter, and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body, is called gelotology. Crazy, huh?

Look good to feel good! Once you start taking care of your inside, you should let it translate to your outside. This will cause you to feel better about yourself around other people. How you feel is important to your self-esteem. It all starts with good hygiene: brushing your teeth, washing your hair, etc. but these will help too:

Experiment with feminine body sprays and splashes and buy a few that you really like. Changing them up from time to time will feel refreshing and they’ll never get old.

Swing by the makeup counter at your local department store for a free makeover and ask them for tips on how to accomplish the same look at home.

Keep your nails clean and trim. Even if the weekly manicure isn’t in your budget, everyone should own a pair of nail clippers and keep those nails clean!

Exercise makes you feel good about yourself. Edward Stanley said “Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”

Don’t let that be you! Get out and move! Find 3 times a week to exercise for 30 minutes. If you have a gym membership, use it! If you don’t, exercising outside is more fun, anyway! Take a brisk walk, go for a jog, take up an active sport like basketball or tennis. Research shows that physical activity help relieve stress. You will feel so much better about yourself once you get moving. Make it a habit and gain the benefits of living longer!

Miss the first tips in June and July? Check out our archives. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out the whole article at (available here LINK TO CURRENT ISSUE PAGE HERE):

Set yourself up to win! What are you good at? Do that! With every victory you develop self-confidence, which is a big part of your self-esteem.

Take a few minutes to jot down some things that you are good at. Is it singing, decorating, organizing, fashion, drawing, painting, working with kids, encouraging others? It’s in there somewhere! Get in touch with it and write it down!

Once you figure out what it is, find opportunities to help others using your gift. Offer to help your friend organize her strugglin’ closet, find a community service building project if you’re good with your hands or offer to hang out with your little cousins so that their parents can have some time to themselves.

What you’ve got on your hands is a win-win situation. Spending time doing what you’re already good at boosts your self-esteem and reminds you of your contribution to this world. And, you’ve then impacted someone else’s life in a positive way. This is also a great stepping stone into discovering a business (aka side hustle) you might want to start. You might have so much fun babysitting, that starting a summer camp seems like a logical step. Or, you might have such a blast organizing that monster closet that you might want to start an organization systems business. Get to work!

Set boundaries and kindly, yet firmly teach people how you want to be treated. For example.

I will not permit people to hit, yell or make derogatory comments to me. If this continues to happen I will leave.

Identify toxic relationships. Friends should celebrate you-not tolerate you. Surround yourself with people who love and care about you-and show it i their actions.

We’ve all heard it…birds of a feather…yep! Spend quality time with people who are building you up and vice versa. Also spend time with people who will speak the truth to you-in love. We all need to hear the truth at some time when we don’t really want to hear it, but a really friend will find a way to share the truth with you anyway.

Miss the first 2 tips in June? Check out our archives and stay tuned for 2 more tips next month! In the meantime, don’t forget to check out the whole article at (available here LINK TO CURRENT ISSUE PAGE HERE):

Each month this summer, we’ve been highlighting ways to implement one of her tips. Missed June’s tip? Check out our archives and don’t forget to check back in August for tip 3!

Plan Ahead!
Stop trying to do everything at the last minute. Procrastination definitely causes a lot of unnecessary stress. Start planning ahead! Keep a calendar and a schedule. Most importantly, stick to the schedule and try not to overload your calendar with a lot of activities. Planning allows you to be prepared so that you have fewer stressful surprises.

Here are some practical things to implement to make planning ahead work for you:

- Use a system that works for you. Whether it’s portable planner, a monthly wall calendar, an Iphone or a Blackberry, everybody needs a system! Find out which ONE (yes, one) works for you and stick to it! Keep it all in one central place, so that you don’t double book and get blindsided by deadlines.

- Get your priorities straight. Write down the commitments and activities that are most important to you (i.e. God, spouse, family, charitable activities). Writing it down helps you identify what you really need to do.

- Don’t overcommit yourself. No matter how much you plan ahead, if you have too much on your plate, you will still be taking on unneeded stress. Before you say YES, identify where it lies in your priorities and take on commitments out of passion and desire rather than obligation.

- Be realistic. There are only 24 hours in a day (yes, even for you). Before committing, take an honest look at how much time and energy is required for your tasks. Even if you CAN get it all done, if you’re exhausted at the end of every day, it’s not best for you.

- Plan me-time. This is different for every person. For you, it could be laying out in the sun with you Ipod, going for a swim or curling up with your favorite magazine. Carve out time of your busy schedule where you answer to no one. It will make all the difference.

Skin complexions are not all equal. Like the rainbow, skin complexions and ethnicities come in a plethora of colors. In the world of beauty, it’s not about the brand, it’s about how the brand works for your ethnicity.

Cosmetics

Ethnicity is big when it comes to cosmetics. When I say BIG, I mean BIG! Women, don’t play around when it comes to matching colors!

As a woman of color, I’ve found a few roadblocks when it comes to my ethnicity and cosmetic products. There are quite a few brands out there that go from light to tan, that don’t work for women on the darker side of the spectrum. Then, there are other brands that specifically target women of color as their primary consumer audience. And then, there are companies that try to cater to all colors of the ethnicity rainbow. It’s all about what works for you, and not what is popular. It’s important to find a product that fits your skin color well. Some popular brands that cover women of every color include MAC, Make-up Forever, Clinique and Bobbi Brown. Now if you’re a “frugalista” there are also great drug store brands that cover, if not all, most ethnicities. Some great examples are L’oreal, Revlon and Cover Girl.

Hair Products

Choosing the right hair product has more to do with hair texture than ethnicity. Hair texture is how straight or coarse your hair may be. If your hair is thin and soft, you don’t want to use something that will weigh your hair down and make it appear oily. Where as, if your hair is super coarse, you don’t want to use a product that won’t give you the moisture you need. So you don’t have to be black to use products like Carol’s Daughter, just like you don’t have to be white to use Paul Mitchell.

For more tips on everything beauty, check out Ayana “The Hairazor” Antoine at www.thehairazor.com.

This Summer’s Issue covers how to answer the inevitable question “What Do I Bring?” for your upcoming BBQs. Check out the profile’s below and identify which party guest you are. Then, check out the full article in this month’s issue to find out what you should bring:

The Host!

Guests of the Early Persuasion
Being on time is one thing to be appreciated, but coming early means that you will be put to work.

Guests By the Book
These guests usually start their sentence with “but the evite said…” These lovely people show up at the written party time—on the dot.

CP Time Folk (you were thinking it, so I had to say it)
They don’t mean to be late, but they just can’t seem to make it in the door on time. They’re not necessarily unreliable, but you might want to give them something other than the main dishes to bring.

The Party Starters (or so they think they are …)
These wonderful people seem to think the party doesn’t start until they get there. (Sidebar: They are also the ones who call you at the barbecue’s start time asking (1) Who’s already there and (2) If you’ve started eating yet).

Pit-Stoppers
These people are just swinging through from function to function, but this still doesn’t mean they have to show up empty-handed.

Stragglers and Non-Committals
These are guests that you never count on actually showing up, so their contributions are assigned as such.

We want to hear from you!

Which party guest are you? What can your friends count on you bringing to the party?

Life was meant to enjoyed! Don’t let stress get you down. In our summer issue, contributor Dominique Gonzales shares five ways to get your much needed R & R. Check out all five by viewing her complete article here:

Each month this summer, we’ll be highlighting ways to implement one of her tips. Check back in July and August for the final two:

Focus on the positive.
Sometimes we feel like we are losing because we are so focused on what needs to change about ourselves or our situations. Focus on the positive every day. Start each day by meditating and reciting a positive quote. Throughout the day, focus on the things that went well, even the small things. You will smile your way to a better mood and a more accurate perception of your situation(s).

- Maybe you were late to work, but thank God you made it there safely! Remember that you may not have.

- Maybe your boss really got on your nerves today, but remember that there are people out there who wish they had a boss to be angry with.

- Maybe you recently lost your job. Think of your time off as a temporary situation and take the time to do the things that you wanted to do, but couldn’t seem to get done while you were working at your old job. Release the old and prepare (mentally and practically) for what’s new and what’s next!

- Maybe you didn’t get everything done that you wanted today, but the world will not end. You finally made it to the end and tomorrow will be a brand new day. Let it go, get sweet sleep and rest and prepare for a better day tomorrow.

Remember this quote:

“Everything will work out in the end, and if it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”
Max Lucado

Chow Baby
1016 Howell Mill Road NW
Midtown
(404) 815-4900
www.therealchowbaby.com

The Real Chow Baby is Atlanta’s first and only create-your-own stir-fry restaurant, complete with a market-fresh stir-fry bar and the hottest grill in the Southeast. The Real Chow Baby gives you the opportunity to make your own unique culinary creation with a delicious blend of Asian and American flavors.

At The Real Chow Baby, you are your own boss. Yes, you choose the ingredients, you choose the sauce, and when it’s done, you enjoy your creation. Start by filling a bowl with your choice of noodles, rice, vegetables, sauces, spices, meats and seafood. You can customize your creation by selecting from the soup, salad, stir-fry or Chow Baby wrap.

Then our chefs will transform it into a delicious stir-fry on our custom-made, 60-inch flat top grill. So go ahead. Be creative! Sit back at your table and relax. Our server professionals will bring your creation to you.

Our signature dishes ˜ featuring bold, delicious flavors from traditional Asian and American cuisines ˜ are made from a fresh stir-fry bar loaded with more than 70 ingredients. Choose from over 45 different kinds of rice, noodles, fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood, all prepared daily from scratch. We use oil sparingly and use absolutely no MSG. But it’s the sauce that really makes the stir-fry. Choose any combination from our 17 signature sauces mix and match the possibilities are endless! Our 25-foot mural behind the stir-fry bar is there to guide your creativity with recipes and possible combinations.

The fun and inviting urban atmosphere of The Real Chow Baby is another part of the adventure. Enjoy interactive dining in a casual, energetic and upscale environment where friendly, professional, “Wow” service is our specialty. Put simply, excellence is our standard. “Wow” means real great food, real great people and real good times. It’s who we are at The Real Chow Baby.