The Power of Reclaiming Your Yes
What if the boldest move you could make this month was saying yes — to yourself?
Not the kind of yes that keeps you busy. I’m talking about the yes that makes space for peace. The yes that honors your boundaries. The yes that whispers, you matter, even when the world asks for more than you’re willing, or able, to give.
In a season when freedom is the mood and possibility is in the air, what would it look like to reclaim wellness as your personal declaration of independence?
As a Dream Lifestyle™ Coach, I guide women like you to stop postponing joy. My 3+D Framework is a powerful place to begin:
Dream of the life you want to live — not the one you’ve been conditioned to chase
Decide/Design what wellness looks like for you (not your job, family, or social feed)
Drive your daily choices from a place of intention, not obligation
This isn’t just a feel-good concept, it’s backed by research. According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress disproportionately affects Black women due to systemic racism, societal pressures, and “Superwoman” expectations.¹ Yet rest and restoration are often framed as indulgent rather than necessary.
Wellness strategist and Rest is Resistance author Tricia Hersey puts it plainly, “Rest is a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy. Our bodies are a site of liberation.”²
Choosing rest, joy, and softness is powerful. It’s also radical in a culture that tells women, especially Black women, that strength is the only acceptable currency.
So this month, let freedom ring in your body. Let liberation live in your calendar. Let your power show up in the quiet moments you reserve just for you.
If you’re wondering where to begin, start by saying yes.
Yes to one more hour of sleep.
Yes to movement that feels good.
Yes to asking for help.
Yes to letting go of what drains you.
You are not here to be everything for everyone. You’re here to be well. Boldly. Intentionally. And joyfully.
Sources:
American Psychological Association. Stress and health disparities among Black women.
Tricia Hersey, Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto, Little, Brown Spark, 2022.
Deneen L. Garrett is a Cultural Alchemist and Dream Lifestyle™ Coach who empowers Women of Color to choose themselves and live boldly. She is the creator and host of the podcast Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation, and uses her voice to inspire women to reclaim joy and wellness on their own terms.