Syleena Johnson is in an excellent place right away.

The singer and tv personality has released a brand new album that pays tribute to her journey and the lifetime of her father, late blues legend and Hall of Famer Syl Johnson, which she says can be her last. He is on tour promoting his work and feels good, especially mentally.

However, it takes work. Just a few years ago, like many individuals, Johnson felt the strong impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. She lost her job on a TV One talk show, her ability to go on stage and her confidence that the whole lot can be OK. The anxiety she was accustomed to had reached an awesome peak. And when she finally managed to deal along with her problems with a specialist, they told her that her stress and fear levels were more serious than she thought.

“Not having the means to survive, so to speak, was extremely traumatic,” he tells ESSENCE. “I used to be in therapy sessions and I talked loads about a number of the things that I used to be feeling and going through, but what we didn’t speak about was just that it was because of the pandemic itself. We’ve talked about this from the very starting, from the traumas that I experienced as a baby because of bullying and never only being bullied by kids at school, but additionally being bullied by men, being bullied by relations. Because mental abuse is a type of abuse. Losing money and being within the music industry and the best way you might be treated within the music industry is crazy. That’s a variety of rejection. So the constant thought that you’re going to get something is constant. All this increases the sensation of insecurity in a single’s life.

Unexpectedly, she was diagnosed with: Unacceptable disruption of uncertainty. A 2004 study described it as “the tendency to react negatively at the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral levels to uncertain situations and events.”

Fear of the unknown is common for many individuals, but for Johnson it became debilitating. It would creep into on a regular basis life and even affect her ability to perform.

“I’m really afraid to go outside because I think there will be too many bugs,” she recalls. Such a bit shit. I don’t need to go on stage. They won’t like this show. I just couldn’t stand the uncertainty. And so the whole lot has all the time been on this spirit. Even positive moments have became these sorts of incidents. And this is de facto dangerous since it manifests itself in your life. It is basically a type of negative pondering.”

And they weren’t just thoughts. Her anxiety manifested itself in physical symptoms. The extreme fear became panic attacks, possibly hives, and “sometimes it was tears.” Her fears were even deepened by motherhood.

“My youngest son has autism. This alone puts me in a difficult situation because I don’t know what my child’s quality of life will be like. And there’s nothing I can do about it,’ says Johnson, who has two teenage boys. “And I live in that reality every day.”

She adds: “When you could have a baby with special needs, you are always in fight or flight mode or always worrying if my child goes to be OK. And simply quality of life. So I feel it creates an unbearable uncertainty disorder.

But once Johnson was given a reputation for her behavior, she could begin to work on countering these negative, debilitating thoughts.

Thanks to this, I can control myself,” he says. “It requires positive affirmations and a change in mindset. You must always validate yourself and develop a habit. And it’s worthwhile to have a variety of positive self-talk. You must surround yourself with individuals who understand your diagnosis, take it seriously, and might communicate with you and behave around you in a roundabout way.

These practices had a huge effect on bringing peace to Johnson. It focuses not only on positive pondering, but additionally on realistic pondering. She has learned, within the midst of uncertainty, to take care of things as they arise, one at a time. She calls it doing things with “meticulous precision,” and that features parenting.

Now that I’m in therapy, it’s all about being meticulously precise, which implies narrowing down what is going on on. Don’t look at it as a variety of pressure all at once. You cannot take on the whole lot. It’s unimaginable,” he says. “So with extreme precision: step by step. Day by day, situation by situation, step by step. There is no plan. You just have to slow everything down. When things come fast, you have to slow down and deal with what’s happening. The truth is that we cannot control everything in the world. You just can’t. And you can’t achieve everything when everyone wants you to achieve it. It’s that simple.”

This way of acting also helped her to look deeper into herself. There is not any such thing as pleasing people for those who resolve to take things one at a time.

“That way you put yourself first. These people can handle it. They’ll be fine. You also have to think that on the other side they may also be struggling with unbearable uncertainty and anxiety, which is why they put the burden on you to get something,” he says. “You can only give people what you could have right away. You cannot give them more since you haven’t got it. And once we try to do that on a regular basis, we find yourself feeling empty.

He adds: “But it’s really a really detailed decision. You just must decelerate life. You must decelerate and accept that you just are slowing down.

This practice, together with prioritizing other ways of self-care equivalent to exercising at the gym, attending church and fellowship, spending time together with your circle of friends, taking walks in nature, and sometimes spending the day in your pajamas, catching up on TV, is the whole lot affects her mental health. No more hives. No more panic attacks. No more extreme fear.

“I just try to make those moments happen as often as possible because I still have to deal with a certain level of anxiety,” Johnson notes. “You cannot run away from it. Trials and suffering are all the time present. There’s nothing you’ll be able to do about it, but you’ll be able to create instances in your life where you’ll be able to take care of it, where you’ll be able to have control over it. You cannot let it control you because it should, but it surely’s all about the way you take care of it and who you might be in it.

As prescription drug costs proceed to rise, Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to afford their medications. AND recent report findPrice increases disproportionately affect Black Americans.

Patients for Affordable Medicines it tells for Affordable Health Care released a report this month that showed price increases for 1,000 prescription drugs this 12 months. Almost half of the prices were above the inflation level.

A study found that one-third of Americans cannot afford prescription drugs. Black and Latino patients aged 65 and over were most likely to report difficulties, according to the report in paying in your medications.

Enhertu is a drugs used to treat HER2-negative breast cancer, a sort of cancer that mainly occurs in black women. Drug manufacturer raised the price drug eight times since 2019, the latest increase, bringing the cost of the drug to more than $2,800 per thirty days.

Revlimid is used to treat multiple myeloma, which has increased by 7%. According to the report, Black Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease and die from it.

Patients on Affordable Drugs executive director Merith Basey says these price increases hit people of color the hardest.

“Black and Latino families are at higher risk for chronic diseases and certain cancers … that require long-term, very expensive medications,” Basey said NBC News.

“A lot of this also has to do with racial disparities in health care, which have been well documented due to systemic racism,” she said.

Organizations like Patients for Affordable Medicines and Health Care for America Now are pushing for policies that can ease the burden on many Americans. The Inflation Reduction ActThe bill, signed by President Joe Biden, goals to lower prescription drug prices.

Health Care for America Now executive director Margarida Jorge criticized the health care industry for its handling of diseases that disproportionately affect minorities.

“We have known about sickle cell disease for many, many years,” Jorge said NBC News, “but there hasn’t been a lot of attention paid to actually addressing sickle cell disease with a drug that’s available to regular people — and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that it’s a Black disease,” she told the website.

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The king and the king of cognacs join forces.

LeBron James and Hennessy announced their collaboration in the shape of a limited edition bottle of their beloved Hennessy VS. Advertised as Hennessy limited edition by LeBron James, the bottle and gift box wherein it would be sold are decorated with a colourful illustration of James’ side profile. The Hennessy Bras Armé logo, a logo depicting an “armed hand”, was also remixed. The arm is encircled by a “King James” crown and covered by a sleeve, which is the signature accessory worn by the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on the court. The bottle will likely be available from September 30, 2024.

A collaboration that included the brand working with not only James, but additionally his wife Savannah, chief of staff Randy Mims and business partner Maverick Carter, the NBA icon tells ESSENCE he’s thrilled to see it come to fruition.

“I have been a fan of the brand for a long time and this year I had the opportunity to be part of the collaboration with Mitchell & Ness. From there we started talking and working together became a natural progression, with their team hanging out in my hometown of Akron, my wife Savannah, Mav, Randy and I hanging out in Cognac. I am now extremely excited to be part of the Hennessy family. “Mark and I share similar values ​​and we both always strive for excellence and greatness,” he says.

“We are thrilled to officially welcome LeBron James to the Hennessy family after many years
years of mutual admiration and friendship” – Antoine Varlet, senior vice chairman for
Hennessy US said in a statement. “LeBron is not just a basketball star, but someone who is redefining boundaries in sports, style, culture and more. This partnership is more than just a collaboration, it is a statement about what is possible when two cultural icons come together.”

Through the partnership, James also showcases the flexibility of cognac. He shares his original recipe for Hennessy Margarita cocktail using VS, lime juice, agave syrup and orange liqueur and orange juice. The recipe is inspired by a stay in Cognac.

But in the event you prefer pure Hennessy, the mix will remain the identical. The only change is the look of the bottle, which is a complete change from the standard easy design and is meant to honor James’ profession and influence. As the 39-year-old NBA star enters the ultimate years of his on-court profession, he can stop and smell the flowers he’s beginning to receive for being a one-of-a-kind athlete, a great businessman and a stand-up role model meaning a lot to him.

“I am so grateful for this journey, the ups and downs, and everyone who has been a part of it,” he tells us. “As a kid from Akron, it’s incredible to see yourself in an iconic brand like Hennessy’s.”

As the worldwide idol’s reach has allowed him to realize success in television, film, business and the alcohol industry and change into a renowned philanthropist, the chance presented to Hennessy is one among some ways he’ll proceed to cement his legacy, which extends far beyond the basketball court.

“I have always believed in pushing boundaries and discovering new opportunities off the court. “Every venture I’ve been a part of, whether it’s The SpringHill Company, the LeBron James Family Foundation, LRMR, or this latest project with Hennessy, is about more than just business – it’s about storytelling, culture, community and legacy,” says James. “When it comes to the future, I am always thinking about how I can make a significant impact and how I can best express myself. I always look to the future.”