Episode 2: Healing in Mexico

How a solo-trip to Mexico helped me heal.

What I’m Thinking: Healing in Mexico

After experiencing the worst week ever AND deciding I wouldn’t move forward with buying a house right now, it made sense for me to dip out of here and go to my happy place - Mexico.

The week all that ish happened to me, I happened to have a full weekend of things planned with my friends. On that following Monday, July 10th, all of my emotions hit me like a ton of bricks. There were no more distractions, no more house visits from my friends, just me and my feelings. I was struggling. Not only were my emotions high and my feelings heavy, but I still felt like I was supposed to be at work?! As a remote worker, I have a home office and was used to the routine of working at home. I didn’t know what to do with myself (and trust me, I know how to do NOTHING really well).

By Tuesday, I realized that I desperately needed to get away in order to break up the monotony of my daily life and check-in with myself. Since I no longer needed to save money for buying a house, I decided that I would redirect those funds to a 5-star trip to Riviera Maya Mexico. I booked the trip and couldn’t wait to be out of Atlanta!

I feel like I am at my best when I am on vacation, especially when I’m at the beach, so this was the best place for me to go during this time. This was my third solo trip and I couldn’t wait. On a later date, I’ll talk more about solo travel, as I get questions about it often. It was important for me to spend some time alone after all that had transpired since graduation.

I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Cancun, and the amenities were BEYOND 5-star. Every little detail was amazing. They truly anticipated my every need. Since I am a Gold Member with Hilton, I received free breakfast (my favorite meal of the day), which was great because the restaurant prices were highhhh and I did not budget for that part lol. I was actually a bit anxious about the cost of everything since it was NOT all-inclusive, plus I got a fancy massage, but I told myself that I DESERVED it all and let it go.

My favorite part about my stay was the music they played in the restaurant where I ate breakfast. Y’all they were playing Good and Plenty by Alex Isley at breakfast in MEXICO?! It was like they knew I was in there every day. This also served as my reminder that I was supposed to be there. While I was there, I read Sisterhood Heals, revisited Sister of the Yam (a book that healed me before), did my therapy homework to figure out my “purpose”, journaled, rested by the pool, got a massage, and took a mixology class. By the end of the trip, I started feeling like myself again. Mission accomplished.

Pics from my trip

Part of me wondered if I should have gone somewhere else since it was my fifth time in Mexico (my third time in 365 days lol). I’ve always wanted to visit St. Lucia or Jamaica, but I finally let that go as well. Mexico is truly my happy place and those beautiful people at the Waldorf took great care of me the entire time during my stay.

My toxic trait is booking trips when I’m stressed. Have you taken a trip just to clear your head or considered a solo trip? Let me know!

Until next time,

Dr. KB

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What I’m Reading

Will by Will Smith with Mark Manson

I give this book 4/5 stars.

I finally wrapped up Will Smith’s memoir this morning. It wasn’t what I expected, but it also made a lot of sense at the same time. When I was deep in hustle culture, I remember seeing an interview with Will where he talked about his work ethic and how he would outwork everyone around him. Did you know that he was a workaholic out of his need to please others?

Throughout the book, he calls himself a coward for not standing up for his mom and family when his dad would get violent. He was always trying to make people around him laugh because he felt that if people were laughing, then everything was okay since no one was upset. In essence, he’s been acting his entire life!

As a recovering people pleaser, I could relate to Will; however, I’m glad I decided to heal sooner than he did. It took him until he was well into his 40s to realize that fame, money, and people-pleasing would never make him happy. He had to make himself happy.

Anyway, the book was pretty good and I learned a lot of music, TV, and film history. Shoutout to Philly!

What I’m Watching

They Cloned Tyrone on Netflix!

I watched this movie three times lol

It’s one of those movies where you’ll pick up something new every time you watch it. I highly recommend checking it out THEN watch this YouTube interview with the Director, Juel Tayler, where he points out several easter eggs throughout the movie that you may have missed!

What I’m Vibing To

Kaytraminé - by Kaytranada and Aminé

I have been a fan of Kaytranada for a WHILE! Anything he touches is gold to me. I like Aminé’s music as well, but not as much as Kaytra (I once flew to Philly just for a Kaytranada concert lol). This album caught me after the first listen and has had me in a chokehold since then. It’s as chill as they are on this album cover.

My favorite tracks are letstalkaboutit, 4EVA, Rebuike, Sossaup, and EYE.

Spotify Link & Apple Music Link

Let me know what you think!

Bonus Track: Culina Health

Today’s bonus track is Culina Health! I recently went to One Medical to get blood work done, and I mentioned wanting to share my blood work with a dietician. The doctor suggested Culina Health, a personalized virtual nutrition platform founded by two Black women! When you sign up, you enter your insurance information and they email you within 48hours letting you know how much it will cost with your benefits. From there, you can book a session! It’s pretty seamless.