Chamar Logan is a Christian life coach that has served as a transformation coach for over 4 years, helping women to rebuild, transform and reclaim their power. Logan has worked with clients in conjunction with their therapists to help create plans, strategies and solutions that have helped to lower the need for anti-depressants. Read on to learn more about SwagHer’s Reclaiming My Mind speaker in our exclusive interview with Chamar below!
Angelica: What are five ways that women can destress after a tough day?
Chamar:
- Disconnect for a bit! We are so inundated with everything happening around and within our world. Social media notifications, emails, texts, dm’s, pm’s sometimes it is non-stop. After the day is over it is a great idea to take a step away from it all and center yourself. It will all be there when you come back to it.
- Pray, meditate, deep breathe, whatever is healthy for you to release the stressful energy of the day. I am in the business of people, so clearing my energy is super important. One of my favorite ways to do so is to do destressing deep breathing techniques and I pray “God I thank you for your constant provision and guidance. As this part of my day is over I ask that you connect the dots where I could not, clear anything that I may have missed and remove any negative energy or energy that is not mine from me. Give me peace and clarity Amen.”
- Get moving! This doesn’t have to be the traditional exercises in the gym, though I truly love the gym. There have been moments at the end of the day where I throw on my favorite playlist and I dance it out. It has already been proven that physical activity releases those feel good hormones called endorphins to our brain. I also feel like, as we get older we forget about the wonder of who we are, that carefree part of us that we lock away or put away in order to…live. Get moving in the way that fits you is a great way to destress. Don’t be afraid to be lighthearted and fun with it!
- I cannot stress this enough, yet I will. Have a therapist. Just knowing that Friday afternoons I will have the opportunity to release and process with my own therapist gives me something to look forward to after a long day.
- Throw your hands up in a healthy way! If you need to give yourself a break and order a pizza instead of cooking a meal? Chiiile go on ahead and take off that superwoman cape and order that food, everyone will survive! It’s ok to set the to-do list aside and take care of you.
Angelica: What are some signs that may signify someone might be struggling with their mental health?
Chamar: I think we have come to understand the signs of sleeping a lot, no energy, feeling disconnected. I would like us to begin focusing on the high functioning people who struggle with mental health. I had a tendency to be high functioning. I was (and still am) efficient, on top of everything, always ready, always thought ahead, the stable one of my friend’s family, the strong one. I needed to be that perfect in order to feel stable. Yet when that perfection crumbled, because perfection does not exist. It would throw me into a spiral of anxiety attacks, panic attacks and I would lash out. These are signs just as much as the sleeping, no eating, etc. Check on the ones who seemingly have it all together.
Angelica: How can someone maintain internal peace?
Chamar: Maintaining internal peace comes from a strong inner core. That innermost being that is unmovable and steadfast. You must begin to build confidence, worth and value in that and from that. Not with what you are able to do, but from who you are. It has to give “I may not know how it will work out but because of who I am and who’s I am, it will indeed work out.” Inner peace cannot and should not involve anyone else. For me inner peace is “greater is he who is in me…”
Angelica: How important is journaling?
Chamar: Journaling is everything! It gets that energy out of your body and mind and onto something else. I find that when we continue to ruminate on something over and over, add in what we already have to think about daily, it can create jumbled mess in the mind. Let me tell you, a confused and overworked mind can create a tired body. Journaling has the ability to help you see clearly. It is an effective energy release. Plus…it’s a beautiful thing to be able to see your growth as you go along your life journey.
Angelica: In what ways do you help women restore their mental clarity?
Chamar: I help them clear out everything within their minds and energy. Meaning sometimes we think that we are lost, out of sorts, too far behind, spiraling and really we need someone to help us get it all out, organize and manage it all. I had one client who is doing amazing now, when I met her she was on anti-depressants at 150mg. She couldn’t function without the medicine. I worked closely with her, she used coaching and therapy. We soon learned that her mental health issues were from her impending divorce, and the verbal abuse she had experienced over the years. She was never afforded the opportunity to truly speak up for herself so she kept it all in.
I helped her get it all out, we got out her likes, dislikes, we used journals, boards, scripture. The boards were her ”brain dump,” all of the things she needed to get out to clear her mind. We then organized these ideas into life, business, self-care and “junk thoughts” that we would release. Where she closed her heart, we used scripture and releasing techniques to heal and open up. We then realized that her decisions were what she “should do” and not what makes her happy. We organized those ideas into a path that lead her to graduate school…for mental health! She is now a grad student, a wife again in a healthy relationship, and she has become a certified coach. My plan has her on a healthier mental track and I use these methods for every woman I work with.
Angelica: What are some things people can do when they’re feeling their mental health decline?
Chamar: I can give you step-by-step “ideas” of what to do. None of these will matter if you don’t do this major thing. Seek a therapist! A therapist will help you to dig up the roots of your issues. Everything else can easily become a band-aid. Therapy heals the wound and the other things are like having a supportive circle of friends, family, support groups, even coaching, those are the maintenance of what therapy has fixed.
Angelica: What is some advice you can give to people that are trying to reclaim their mind?
Chamar: Do not give up on yourself. You are unlearning and healing things that have been in place within you for years. It will not be an overnight process, and it will not always be easy. But it is possible if you fight for your mind and stay consistent with yourself. You are just s important as everyone and everything else in your life.
To hear Chamar Logan speak, please attend SwagHer’s Reclaiming My Mind event on May 26, from 6PM – 8PM (CT). Click here to register!
Angelica Cheyenne | Angelica Cheyenne is the Managing Editor of SwagHer Magazine, and is a contributing writer to BuzzFeed. Cheyenne also has over 6 years of experience in on-hair hosting, entertainment reporting, social media management and holds a B.A. in Communications and Journalism from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
