My corporate job made me redundant in February 2024.

When I received that email and lost access to my important source of income, it shook me to my core. And while I missed the soundness of a full-time job, I didn’t miss the late nights, chaotic deadlines, and private exhaustion that had grow to be normal for me. I subscribe to a robust, independent black woman narrative that places ambition above all else. Something should have modified.

Finding resources to maintain self-care is usually a challenge after we lead busy lives. According to the State of Self-Care for Black Women report developed by EXHALE founder and CEO Katara McCarty and published in 2023, 77% of Black women imagine there’s a necessity for more well-being tools and resources tailored to them needs. While being laid off got here as a whole shock, I knew that the routine I was trying to maintain was affecting my mental health. I had to work, but I also needed rest.

“We must start by decolonizing our minds. We have been colonized with the belief that “the harder I work, the more I get.” However, increasingly Black women are realizing that life is more fulfilling while you truly live it on your personal terms. When conditions are gentler, filled with freedom and rest, you might be almost more productive by approaching life from that place,” McCarty shared.

Getting more rest as I considered every part became a priority. So as a substitute of immediately on the lookout for one other 9-5 job, I wanted to prioritize things I couldn’t do before. Even though I thought this transition was nearly me, it wasn’t.

The viral trend of “slow living” has grow to be a well-liked topic in recent times. From the results of the pandemic to people selecting to live more consciously just because those that select to live “slower” prioritize self-care, recent passions, or tapping into their creative sides somewhat than running on the company hamster wheel. Slow living can include quite a lot of things, reminiscent of adding yoga to your morning routine, not answering your phone after 7 p.m., postponing a task in your to-do list until the subsequent day and replacing it with guilt. Slow living is not only about, literally, moving slower; it’s about living more freely and fewer according to the expectations set by others.

“We are a society that likes to be on the move, go, go. And when you get laid off or are thinking about a career change, it’s a season of reflection. The most common misconception about slow living is that something is wrong” – trauma therapist Jaquinta Jackson, ed. LPC told me in conversation. “On social media it looks as if everyone seems to be doing something. So while you’re not moving, you’ll be able to internalize it and think, “I’m not doing enough or I’m lazy.” But the fact is that we must accept that we’re stationary.

As a reformed “busy bee,” staying still was uncomfortable at first. So I can attest that when I compared myself to others, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. But after some time, I leaned into the silence to reflect and embrace the solitude. In the start, I focused on applying to as many positions as possible. Every day I committed to repeatedly sending out my resume, rewriting my cover letter, and sending multiple emails to my network about potential opportunities. But the energy put into the job search was as exhausting as my previous job. So I decided to use less and create a routine that may help me get used to every day somewhat than “overcome” it. I incorporated journaling, devotional reading, and morning exercises. In the afternoon, I focused more on writing and gaining inspiration, gaining knowledge on topics that might strengthen my skills, and ended the evening with a gathering with friends or family. While every day could also be different, this relaxed routine makes room for other areas of my life.

Fortunately, not having a busy schedule has improved my mental health. Less stress from meetings and work stimulated the will to write full-time and pursue other passions. Taylor Tucker, who went from senior technology consultant to screenwriter, says slow living has helped her gain more confidence in her many talents.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned from slow living is that I am who I think I am,” Tucker says. “Even though everything is slower, I know that the results of my work and passion will still come. My work has been verified. Previously, I worked in a corporation, and now I write. No one actually told me, “Oh, I like this.” But now I’m starting to hear it. And I thought, wow, I’ve wanted to do this all along. And now I know that with extra time, I do it.”

With the arrival of spring comes warnings about thunderstorm asthma. But ten years ago, most of us hadn’t heard of it.

So where did thunderstorm asthma come from? Is this a brand new phenomenon?

In 2016, essentially the most on this planet catastrophic storm asthma the event took Melbourne by surprise. Part of the response to that is to extend warnings and monitoring.

However, there are also signs that climate change could also be making storm asthma more likely, with more extreme weather conditions, longer pollen seasons and a rise within the variety of Australians reporting hay fever.

A groundbreaking disaster

Many Australians first heard about thunderstorm asthma in November 2016, when: necessary event shook Melbourne.

Estimated during an overnight storm 10,000 people were taken to hospitals attributable to severe asthma attacks. Faced with 1000’s of calls to emergency numbers, ambulances and emergency departments were unprepared to deal with the rapid increase within the number of individuals requiring urgent medical care. Unfortunately, ten of those people died.

It was essentially the most catastrophic event within the history of thunderstorm asthma and the primary case of death anywhere on this planet.

The Victorian Department of Health responded implemented initiativesincluding public awareness campaigns and improving health and emergency services to arrange for future storm asthma events.

Network pollen monitoring stations also established statewide to gather data to assist predict future events.

An issue for several a long time

Although this event was unexpected, it was not the primary case of thunderstorm asthma in Australia – we have now known about it for a long time.

Melbourne reported its first case of thunderstorm asthma in 1984, only a 12 months after the phenomenon occurred first discovered in Birmingham, UK.

Since then, cases of thunderstorm asthma have been reported in other parts of Australia, including Canberra and New South Wales. But it continues to be most typical in Melbourne. Compared to some other city (or country), the difference is critical: over 1 / 4 of all known events worldwide took place in Melbourne.

Why Melbourne?

Melbourne’s location makes it a preferred location for all these events. Winds blowing from the north of Melbourne are frequently dry and hot because they arrive from the deserts of central Australia, while winds from the south are cooler because they arrive from the ocean.

When hot and funky air mix over Melbourne, it creates ideal conditions storms form.

Northern winds also bring large amounts of pollen from agricultural fields to the town, especially grass pollen. It’s not only that essentially the most common cause seasonal hay fever in Melbourne, but additionally a the primary factor causing thunderstorm asthma.

Why grass pollen?

There is a specific reason why grass pollen is the primary wrongdoer of thunderstorm asthma in Australia. During storms, the air may be very humid. The grass pollen will absorb this moisture, causing it to swell like a water balloon.

If the pollen absorbs an excessive amount of water within the air, it could crack or “rupture”, releasing a whole bunch of microscopic particles into the air that might be carried away by strong winds.

Typically, if you inhale pollen, it gets stuck in your upper respiratory tract – equivalent to your nose and throat. This is what causes the everyday symptoms of hay fever, equivalent to sneezing or a runny nose.

But microscopic particles released from torn grass pollen do much smaller and do not get stuck within the upper airway so easily. Instead, they will travel deep into the respiratory tract until they reach the lungs. This may cause more serious symptoms, equivalent to wheezing or difficulty respiratory, even in individuals with no previous history of asthma.

So who’s in danger?

You might think that asthma is the most important risk factor for thunderstorm asthma. In fact, the most important risk factor is hay fever.

Until 99% of patients patients who went to the emergency department on the 2016 Melbourne event had hay fever, while the bulk (60%) had not previously been diagnosed with asthma.

Every person hospitalized patients were allergic to a minimum of one sort of grass pollen. Everyone had a sensitivity to darnel.

Is thunderstorm asthma becoming more common?

Storm asthma events are rare and just occur 26 events officially recorded worldwide.

However, there’s evidence that these events may turn into more frequent and more severe in the approaching years attributable to climate change. They may cause higher temperatures and pollution plants produce more pollen AND pollen seasons last for much longer.

Extreme weather phenomena, including storms, also needs to be expected more frequent and more serious.

Additionally, there are signs that your hay fever is getting worse. The variety of Australians reporting allergy symptoms has increased 15% in 2008 to 24% in 2022 Similar trends in other countries has been linked to climate change.

How can I prepare?

Here are 3 ways to cut back your risk of thunderstorm asthma:

• get allergy medicines and put them on asthma motion plan together with your family doctor

• check day by day pollen forecasts to seek out out the estimated pollen concentration and risk of storm asthma in your area

• on days with plenty of pollen or a high risk of thunderstorm asthma, spend less time outdoors or wear surgical face mask to cut back symptoms.

It’s November National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month.

It’s time to raise awareness of lung disease in our communities. By understanding the causes, reducing risk aspects, and actively in search of available treatments, we will work to improve COPD care and fill the health care gap – not only in November, but every month.

To have fun the condition, we wanted to spread awareness and shine a lightweight on what Black communities need to know. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a severe lung disease that affects greater than 14 million adults within the United States, and ladies are particularly in danger. Dr. Chidinma Chima-Melton, board-certified pulmonologist, says: “The shocking thing is that many people don’t even realize they have it. Black women and men often experience more severe symptoms and are more likely to be hospitalized or die from the disease compared to other groups.”

Additionally, Dr. Chima-Melton describes below essentially the most common symptoms of COPD, its causes, treatments and ways to reduce the chance.

Common symptoms of COPD:

• Chronic cough (lasting greater than eight weeks, often with mucus)

According to Dr. Chima-Melton: Why Black Communities Are Harder Affected:

Several reasons explain why COPD is commonly more severe in black communities:

Environmental hazards: Some communities of color are situated in areas with poor air quality, similar to cities with heavy traffic or industrial pollution, in addition to some agricultural regions where there are a lot of airborne chemicals.

Access to health care: There are fewer lung specialists (pulmonologists) in black neighborhoods, making it harder for people to get the care they need. Additionally, health care disparities mean many Black patients receive a COPD diagnosis later or could have less access to insurance-covered treatments similar to inhalers.

Education and management: There are insufficient resources and programs focused on educating Black communities about COPD and its treatments, worsening the results of the disease.

What is COPD? COPD includes two central lung diseases: emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

• Emphysema damages the air sacs within the lungs, making it difficult for oxygen to be delivered to the bloodstream.
• Chronic bronchitis leads to constant inflammation of the airways, causing constant production of mucus and a persistent cough.

Doctors diagnose COPD using lung function tests and imaging tests similar to chest CT scans. Although there isn’t any cure, treatments similar to inhalers (which open the airways or reduce inflammation) will help slow the disease and make symptoms more manageable.

What causes COPD?

The leading reason behind COPD is smoking, and the tobacco industry has long targeted black communities with specific brands of cigarettes. However, genetic aspects similar to alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency also can lead to COPD, even in non-smokers. This genetic form is rare, but when detected early, it will probably be cured, making early diagnosis crucial.

As the disease progresses, individuals with COPD may need supplemental oxygen. Severe cases will be life-threatening and significantly affect quality of life.

New Treatment Advances:

In the past, inhalers, steroids and antibiotics were used to treat COPD exacerbations. Recently, the FDA approved latest injectable drugs called biologics. These biologic medicines help reduce the frequency of COPD flare-ups, which is significant because flare-ups may cause lung function to rapidly decline and respiration problems to worsen. By reducing these flares, patients can maintain a greater quality of life.

I would not say that black women are necessarily more predisposed to COPD, but certain risk aspects are specific to women, and particularly black women.

Why COPD affects women in a different way: :

Women could also be more susceptible to the harmful effects of tobacco smoke because smoking causes lung function to deteriorate more quickly than men. Among non-smokers with COPD, the bulk are women who’re more sensitive to causes of the disease unrelated to smoking, similar to environmental pollution and passive smoking.

The exact reasons for these gender differences usually are not fully understood. However, one explanation is that girls have smaller lungs than men, which can lead to greater exposure to harmful substances from the identical amount of cigarette smoke. Additionally, black women are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes, which usually are not only more harmful but in addition more addictive. Research shows that 84.9% of black women who smoked within the last 30 days selected menthol cigarettes. Hormonal differences and genetic aspects might also play a task in increasing the chance of developing COPD in women.

How to lower your risk: If you have COPD or are in danger, listed below are some steps to protect your lungs.

Quit smoking: This is crucial thing you can do. Smoking is crucial risk factor you can control.

Get vaccinated: Vaccines for pneumonia, flu, RSV and COVID-19 can prevent respiratory infections that cause dangerous COPD exacerbations.

Stick to your treatment plan: Take your medications, use oxygen if prescribed, and consider pulmonary rehabilitation. Pulmonary rehabilitation includes exercises and education that help individuals with lung disease feel higher and live longer.