I recently complimented a friend at church on her sassy, new haircut. She replied, “Oh thank you girl. I had to do something, because when l looked in the mirror, I was seeing my mama!” That led into a brief conversation about the surprising and sometimes disappointing realities of life after forty. (I need reading glasses more and more.) Please don’t get the wrong impression, friends. Overall, I embrace my age and the aging process as a gift from God, although I confess that I often forget the exact number of that gift, and have to do the math. My motto is, “when I stop getting older, then it means I’m dead!” (Having said that, please don’t get mad at me if you hear me joking about being 29 and holding… I told you I have a hard time remembering the exact number!) Just because you see your body changing and slowing, you don’t have to give in to the notion that the rest of life is downhill after forty or fifty. Aside from getting a new haircut, here are a few simple ways that you can make your mama stop staring back at you when you look in the mirror.

Are you in need of a style boost for the New Year and unsure of how or where to start? If so, please allow me to introduce you to personal development consultant, Cindy Nelson-Kaigama and her passion for people, which she has successfully transformed into her own small business. Called Healing Virtue www.healing-virtue.com, Nelson-Kaigama’s business is all about helping individuals and companies to navigate the journey that brings out their personal best. It’s what Nelson-Kaigama likes to refer to as “revealing your magnificence.”

“For some reason, every year after Christmas I tend to get kind of depressed,” my girlfriend confessed to me recently. She explained that Christmas is her favorite holiday and once it’s over she feels as though there is nothing to which to look forward. She’s not alone in feeling a mild case of winter blues. If you too can relate, consider the following strategies to help chase away those occasional blues.

Take a (Nearby) Vacation
While he may not readily admit it, I think my husband gets a little stir crazy during our long winter season. In November, he asked about the dates of the children’s spring break. “We have to take some kind of vacation to someplace warm,” he insisted. If heading south is out of the question at this time, consider doing what our cousins do; Go on an overnight or weekend vacation at a local hotel with nice amenities, like a swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, fitness center, etc. Enjoy getting away from your normal routine and being refreshed in new surroundings. Whoever said you had to leave the city to be on vacation, anyway? Simply do a staycation.