Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, LC is a Mother of a 14 year old son, a daughter, sister, mentor, aspiring author, Founder of Stay Girly Inc, and Owner of The Serenity Candle Co. Though she now has a lot of to be proud of, this was not always the case. LC was once the little girl that felt alone and quite different than her friends and the rest of her family. She didn’t feel the love that she was given, she was abused at a young age, dealt with colorism, and certainly didn’t know her worth. All of these things left untreated led her down a path that would make her feel as if life wasn’t worth living. In her early twenties LC tried to commit suicide, but apparently God had other plans for her life. Through therapy LC realized that she WAS in fact different, which was not a bad thing, and because of all her experiences she had the ability to help others. With her nonprofit Stay Girly, Inc, she had mentored young girls in the Douglas County School System, empowering, inspiring, and encouraging them to love themselves first. LC’s mission to help others create and maintain a healthy mindset and outlook on life, which is how The Serenity Candle Co. was birthed. A candle company that is not just about the fragrance, but also creating an atmosphere that creates peace, love and tranquility. Life is not always going to be easy, but LC always lives by the phrase—IT STARTS WITH YOU because once you make the ultimate decision to be the healthiest version of yourself it becomes easier not to give or allow anything that contradicts that.
After an unfortunate suicide attempt in her early twenties, but the gracious discovery of her self-worth, LC Griffin is a role model to say the least. The now successful entrepreneur and thriving young woman is the owner of Stay Girly, Inc. and The Serenity Candle Co, LC helps women discover their self-worth and purpose.
This week, LC is sharing some very valuable insight with our women. Her Tips for overcoming those dark moments. We all have them. LC chose self-love over suicide and today she’s a light for so many.
Tips to Overcome the Dark Moments:
1. Therapy—I absolutely enjoyed therapy! I couldn’t wait to get there most weeks because I had a familiar stranger to talk to that would give me the good and bad. She really helped me in more ways than one. I thought I was going in there and she was going to agree with me and let me have my bashing sessions, but she held me accountable and for the first time I saw things from others POV.
2. 5 Minute Dump—I learned this from a book that I read a few years ago. Everyday take at least 5 mins to “dump” all of your emotions on paper. It doesn’t have to make sense, doesn’t have to be complete sentences, but it helpful to clear all the “gunk” out of your mind to give space for alternative/positive thoughts.
3. Journal—I find that a lot of people do not like to write, but it is the best way to get those thoughts on paper, this is much different from the 5 min dump, this is taking the time to really assess what your day has been like, what you did that made you happy throughout the day, what are you proud of, what did you accomplish, what didn’t go so well and how did you handle it? This is the time to evaluate where you are, and if you feel that you are having more bad days than good—it is time for step 3.
4. Reach Out— There should always be at least ONE person that you can reach out to when you are not having the best of days. When you are just having a moment, it could be a mentor, friend, co-worker, but it must be someone that is NOT feeding you negativity. This person has to be someone that is nurturing and who is able to affirm the positive in you. I have learned that holding stuff in only added to the frustration, depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
5. Say No—This one is hard for most people, it was truly hard for me because on some level we have been taught that saying no is mean, but it is quite the opposite—it is a form of self-care and self-love. Whenever I would say Yes to something I really wanted to say No to, I felt used, unappreciated, and obligated because I didn’t want that person to be mad at me, which again added to what I was going through internally.
6. Grateful Box— It is definitely true that you cannot stay mad, angry, or sad for too long if you are aware of the things that you have. This goes along with step 5—but I made a grateful box, each night I would sit and write down everything I was grateful for (I actually got my son to join this one—shocker) and at the end of the month I would go back to that box and read them. I found myself smiling like wow I really don’t have it as bad as I thought.
7. Stay Present— The way to stay present is to deal with things as they come, don’t let things go weeks and weeks without showing it love and attention. I have referred many people to the MOOD app—in a sense it’s like a mobile journal, but it allows you to check in with yourself. You are able to track your mood at any given time, type out your feelings and make plans going forward. It’s a very helpful tool to keep you alert on how you are feeling in that moment, you can get it out on the app, and also see how your moods changed, progressed, or if they stayed the same throughout the entire week.
8. Ask for Help— This one is still very hard for me, but I am getting better at it. I didn’t want to sound needy or weak, so I never asked for help. I wanted everyone to stop treating like I was Superwoman, however, I kept acting like I could do it all. None of us can do it all!! I started asking for help, letting people that loved me know that I couldn’t do something and giving them the opportunity to say yes or no. The kicker is you have to be okay with what that person says, but I can say that once I started asking for help even with the little things people were willing.
