Obiagu Makes

Hey beautiful people!

I’ve been hesitant about whether I wanted to share this post or not. Life is constantly teaching me things and reminding me of what’s important. Lately, the reminder to move mindfully or “sit and smell the roses” has been put on the forefront.

In early July I was hospitalized due to an unexpected IUD pregnancy which resulted in a miscarriage. However, I stayed two more days because my vitals were dangerously high. I felt a rush of how the past two years have been for me and this visit made it clear that I was not only was my stress affecting me greatly, but that I was not taking care of myself well amid heavy stress levels.

When I lived in Japan from 2014-2017, I was able to embrace a new spiritual journey that consisted of learning about Buddhism. Ironically it started with a school assignment analyzing a Buddhist sculpture. From there I was able to appreciate the Japanese culture and practices. This new journey gave me a new level of appreciation for nature, deep breaths, inner work, and a greater fascination for the mind.

Buddhism is full of knowledge, history, and practices that I am still trying to grasp and study. I was and still am infatuated with this path and it has opened my mind and spirit in many ways. While I label myself as a Buddhist, I am still learning soo much and go in waves of incorporating active practices in my routine. However, some things just stick with me frequently over the years. Like…

MINDFULNESS

Listen, life be life-ing, and it has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs for me. However, I realized that I was not consistent with practicing mindfulness. I was not mindfully eating. I lacked the consistency to mindfully sew and would be sewing for hours and hours and neglecting my body in the process. During high-stress levels, my mind was not clear enough to pause and perform activities that would help me pause and try to calm myself.

Nowadays I have put mindfulness at the forefront of my life. I am moving more slowly, watching what I eat, adding on more self-care, and taking more moments to appreciate life as it is. So here are some tips for anyone looking:

• Take several moments out of the day to deep breathe.
• Slow down. Being busy is not a flex. Please make sure you are taking breaks during work or other tasks.
• PEE! Don’t hold your pee to finish a task. Just go.
• Workout. It’s a form of self-care for ALL bodies. Aside from the obvious reasons, for the sake of mental health, working out is a huge benefit to our well-being.
• Drink water frequently. I can’t tell you how many times I’d be working for long periods and end up dehydrated. Take time to give your body the fluids it needs!
• Remain present. I know we can get so wrapped up in routine and work that we are on autopilot. While you are working pay attention to what you are doing. For instance, while sewing I like to take time and look at the needle and thread to create the stitches. I find myself amazed at how a machine can help me create beautiful clothes. As a result, I sit back and appreciate my skill in turning a rectangle into beautiful clothing.

I have a long journey ahead of me, and this road to betterment is NOT an overnight fix. This path is a matter of taking it day by day. It was an unfortunate event that led to this reminder to take better care of myself. However, I am thankful. You hear a lot of success stories that start with a rude awakening moment. For years I would tell myself to not let that moment happen to me. I wanted to combat this rock-bottom moment. But my journey needed a moment and I’d like to say this one was mine. I look forward to the coming up, and being able to see where I started and how far I have grown.

May you all take the time to breathe, and “smell the roses”

-Kamali