Shades of Ay

The sun is finally out after days of rain and overcast skies. Some times, I forget how significant the presence of the sun can impact my mood. Living in the Northern hemisphere, winter brings a unique set of challenges for those living with anxiety and it's partner depression. Anxiety and depression tend to go hand and hand. Dreary weather, shorter days and less sun light can take their toll. When depression takes hold, some people will withdraw and some might feel increasing lonely.  Depression can and does manifests in so many different ways. If someone close you seems a bit down and withdrawn, take a moment to reach out to them, that moment of contact might be what they need. Thinking about the sunshine, lets close out this post with one of my favorite songs, Ron Ayers - Everybody loves the Sunshine.

Greetings and Happy New Year! Between the holidays and ridiculous cold of late, I've being laying low. With the new year comes resolutions. Every day is a new day and a great day for resolutions, so don't wait for the new year to set goals. Did I set some goals for this year? For sure. Some are bigger, and more long term than others but the important part is putting them on paper and putting them out into the universe. Speaking them into existence. As someone who tends to keep a lot inside and very private that's a big step... My goals for the coming year... Grow my emergency fund. I'm a bit of a personal finance geek, I'm enjoiy reading personal finance blogs and looking for ways to save to reach my ultimate goal of financial Independence retire early (FIRE for short). I want to be a vendor in at least one local craft show this year. I'm a crafter/artistic type. I love crocheting, and I'm currently teaching myself to sew. I would love

Self care is essential! I can't let the irony of the moment pass as I'm currently battling a cold and doing a terrible job with even the most basic things to get better, like getting enough sleep. Reminder, especially for women, you have to put on your oxygen mask first, before you can help someone else. When I'm stressed and anxious I find that crafting, reading, and writing  are great ways for me to calm down and focus on something other than my current source of stress. Plus, I'm a huge book nerd, so I have this life long love affair with books. That's a whole other post :) I keep several journals and notebooks, each with a different purpose. One is a personal journal, that will never see the light of day, another is a gratitude journal, one is a notebook I walk with for random thoughts, and I keep note books for my crafting hobbies, noting things I've learn or things I want to make some day. I crochet and I'm currently teaching myself

Hey there and thanks for visiting! What exactly is this blog about? It's bits and pieces of me. My life as a 30 something Black woman, living with anxiety, managing it and exploring self care.  The name Shades of Ay, refers to me, Ay is one of the many nicknames, I've accumulated over time. Some days I feel bright and vibrant and other days gray and washed out. Shades of Ay encompasses that spectrum of feelings and me. Some days, there's no rhyme or reason behind when anxiety strikes. It can pop up during an every day routine moment, like grocery shopping. Other times, I can tell you exactly what's the trigger, ie driving to a new and unfamiliar place, aka rising stress levels. Stop me if you're heard this story before... There's an event at the Merry Blue Green Place, on February 29th. Great!  Hmm...not familiar with that name...Okay lets see what Google Maps says...It's an hour from home... What's the best way? Can