Just Dream: Welcome Back to the New Normal

JUST DREAM A Literary Magazine August 2021 Volume 6

TO THE NEW NORMAL

JUST DREAM Copyright © 2021 by Marquita Antoineá All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a review.

In This Issue...

Permanent Fixtures A Letter From the Editor - Marquita Antoineá 7 A Little Extra Motivation - Marquita Antoineá 8 Dream Light - Resident Writers 10 Talecia Izlar's Therapy Tips - Talecia Izlar 13 Talk to Kita Interview Series - Marquita Antoineá 17 Spirituality Corner w/ Ms. Benita - Benita Henderson 21 Meet the Authors - Author Biographies 29 Support Black Business - Black-Owned Business Ads 33

Extras Dream of a Better Me - Marquita Antoineá 19 Build Your Own Affirmation - 20

A Letter from the Editor

A simple moment to stop and reflect and adjust could be the difference between success and burnout.

Welcome back Dreamers! Welcome back to the “real world.” Welcome back to family time. Welcome back to school. Welcome back to work. Welcome back to creativity. Welcome back to inspiration. Welcome back to new dreams. Welcome back to the “New You.” If you’re anything like me, you may have used the forced downtime for personal or professional growth, or maybe even both. Personally, I have finally regained control of my unhealthy weight. In fact, I lost about 30 pounds so far this year.

Professionally, I have gained a much clearer vision of the path forward for Just Dream (the Foundation, the Literary Agency, the magazine, and the braiding school).

In this very motivational sixth issue of JUST DREAM, we explore the many ways that we are getting back to the “new normal.” Whether it’s going back to work or sending the kids back to school, things are about to change drastically again.

It is my sincere hope that each of you has used this time of confusion and dismay to discover something new about yourself that will help you to thrive in the years to come. I hope that each of you has learned the greatest lesson of all - never take anything/anyone/any moment for granted! And whatever you do, NEVER STOP DREAMING!

Marquita Antoineá

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Just because everybody needs

A Little Extra MOTIVATION

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The

Dream Light shines on

Talecia Izlar and Benita Henderson Our Resident Writers

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The Just Dream Spotlight is shining on Talecia Izlar and Benita Henderson! These two extraordinary women are the FIRST two Resident Writers for JUST DREAM. This magazine would not be what it is today without their thought-provoking articles in every single issue.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU!

Keep shining!

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o.

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Talecia Izlar's Therapy Tips

Tools for everyday Mental Wellness 13

As the pandemic reaches a more stable place, individuals are faced with new transitions. The world is beginning to show some normalcy with schools, jobs, and places of entertainment/socialization opening. However, is this really what we can define as “normal”?

Or is this a “new normal” that we are getting used to that include masks, new policies and regulations, and major and minor changes to our everyday life and dynamic in our personal, family, social, and professional lives.

Changes can induce stress and anxiety! How does one navigate stress where it motivates rather than cripples us?

Navigating Stress During Transitions

Educate yourself. Seek information about new policies and changes. As frustrating and overwhelming as the changes can be, it is important to know what they are to avoid the shock of running into situations where we feel blindsided. This can increase our anxiety in already stressful situations.

Bring awareness to inner stress and anxiety. Listen to your body. Work on attunement with your senses and with regard to your physiological symptoms of stress. Do you feel tightness in your chest? Trouble breathing?

Problems with focus and concentration? Fast and quick breaths? Journal about these symptoms so you can identify any triggers and find ways to manage stress.

Express your feelings. Build and utilize your support system to vent and discuss your feelings about the pandemic and daily life stressors. Bottling your feelings and dealing with them on your own can oftentimes, cause physical and psychological stress and issues. Just talking about your feelings releases dopamine, which makes you feel good and can alleviate stress.

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Use stress to empower you. Rather than allowing stress to perpetuate helplessness and powerlessness, let stress motivate you to fight and assert your power and control. Get into action mode and determine how you can get the best quality of life by engaging in positive and healthy thinking. When you have an anxious thought, combat the idea with an opposing viewpoint that has a foundation of healthy and rational thinking.

Engage in healthy stress-reducing routines. Create a routine that includes healthy activities such as meditation, yoga, journaling, exercise, and other activities that elicit positive energy and healthy behaviors. Research suggests that habits are formed after 30 days so keep this in mind when you start routines and try to maintain consistency until it becomes a habit that you maintain. Don’t be discouraged if you break routine - every day can be a fresh start!

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What are you looking forward to most about Getting Back to the New Normal?

A. Kids going back to school.

B. Going back to work In-person.

C. Getting back to the social scene.

D. Freedom from masks.

E. Other ________________ 17

19% 31%

25% 25%

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Dream of a Better Me

Knowing better but still not doing better is conceptually perhaps one of the most underrated detriments to human success. If we try a new task and we fail, we must use the lessons learned to improve our chances of success on the next attempt.

Food for thought: If we fail to learn the lesson(s) in our failures, and consciously make the necessary adjustments, how can we expect different results?

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Spirituality Corner

Benita Henderson Spiritual Enlightenment for the Everyday Human

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The past 16 months have been unlike anything we have ever seen! It’s been very challenging and very surreal. It has also been very tragic, very gut-wrenching, very scary, very confusing and quite anxiety-ridden. And even with all of the upheaval, it is still extremely comforting to know that we serve a God who is there for us at all times. A God who promises us that He will never give us more than we can bare. A God who lets us know at every turn that we are not alone. As things begin to return to ‘normal’ there are lesson learned during this time of isolation that I always want to remember. We’ve all changed this year. We’ve lived through historic times, and it’s nearly impossible to experience something of this magnitude without it having an impact. The time-out from regular life forced us to reexamine our values, our relationships and our lifestyles, while determining whether we are living a life of design or one of default.

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Let’s take a few moments to reflect on some life lessons we can learn from living under lockdown.

There’s not much in life that is truly essential. When federal and state governments mandated that all businesses close their physical stores unless they were deemed essential, many of us were forced to confront the reality that there are very few things in life that are actually essential. The raging pandemic turned reality upside down. Suddenly, that weekly manicure, daily latte from our favorite coffee shop or Friday night sports bar we thought we could never live without seemed silly, frivolous and completely unnecessary. Forced into our own homes with just our immediate families, we quickly learned what is truly important in life: Family. Friends. Health. Happiness. Everything else is really secondary. Now that many businesses are reopening, we can use the opportunity the lockdown presented to reevaluate the things in life we call necessities, wants and needs. In practical terms, this can mean rewriting our monthly budgets, changing our daily habits, deciding to donate more money to charity or shifting our financial priorities in another direction.

There’s wonder in everything. When daily rituals and routines we’ve always taken for granted are disrupted for an indeterminate period of time, it lends a new sense of appreciation for the small things in life: sending kids off to school, hugging our parents/children, going to work, shopping in crowded malls, having an adequate supply of toilet paper, eating out, attending weddings and so much more. Let’s not lose the sense of wonder this surreal time lent to the everyday blessings of life or take for granted the important work of teachers, nurses and those who work in service industries.

Nothing compares to an in-person interaction. At first glance, the lockdown was an introvert’s dream. There was no longer an antisocial element with missing out on various events, from graduations to birthday parties to baby showers. During lockdown life, you could even attend a black-tie affair in your sweatpants; all you needed was a nice22

looking top and a Zoom link. But the lockdown was also one of the loneliest times for many people. It highlighted the universal need for social interaction, even if it’s as small as a few words exchanged with the clerk while at the checkout counter or the pizza delivery person.

And when it was over and people began having in-person visits with family and friends again, there was a newfound appreciation for faceto-face interactions that was previously lost in a social world gone virtual. Let’s not forget that initial excitement at seeing our family and friends in person again after months of virtual visits. We can let the lessons learned in lockdown continue to impact us positively by resolving to be fully present when spending time together. Whether that means resolving to turn our phones on silent or to put them away completely, this mindfulness can help strengthen our relationships forever.

We are stronger than we know. The first week of the lockdown brought many of us to the edge of panic and despair. No leaving our homes unless it’s absolutely essential? Work from home for the foreseeable future? It all seemed so impossible, and many of us wondered if we’d make it past that first interminable day. As the days passed, we realized we hadn’t lost it. As more days passed, we realized that somehow, we were doing it. We were rolling with these strange new circumstances, adapting to a new routine, a new way of life, without falling apart. And many of us were even thriving under the newer, relaxed routine. We were riding out the lockdown like champions! Of course, there are those with especially trying circumstances and some who have suffered mightily. Be mindful of this and empathetic as we encounter and interact with others. Let’s not forget what the lockdown taught us about our own resilience, strength and courage. When pushed into a challenging situation, our true colors shine. 2020 was unlike any year we’ve ever seen. Let’s use these unique circumstances to grow in ways we never have before.

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Finally, gratitude is everything. This time taught me to have an attitude of gratitude through everything. Starting with finding one simple thing to give thanks for, and writing it down, started a chain reaction. I found another, and another. I began, inch by inch, to move away from the void and into a place of relative OK-ness, then hope, and finally joy. Gratitude, celebration, giving thanks – even for the smallest of gifts – became a new way of living, a transformative way of being. Giving thanks for the seemingly microscopic, made a place for God to grow within me. This newfound gratitude allowed me not to let any outward circumstance influence my inner peace. I learned to look for the best in everyone and everything. Anger, disappointment, failure, and frustration are parts of life, but they are not my default emotions. Choosing to live from a place of gratitude brings peace.

This year was truly a year of revealing. Romans 8:19 (NIV) says, “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.” I was revealed. I learned so much about myself. As God showed Himself to me, sustained me and provided for me I gained a renewed faith, strength and assurance in His promises. In the most difficult times I held onto His promise in Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV), “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” In Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) - "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” What an awesome feeling to know that we serve a God who is always with us, who goes before us, and knows the plans He has for us – a God who we can depend on in all situations.

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Remember, no matter how beautiful something is on the outside, it can be poisonous on the inside - just like this oleander plant.

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As the world reopens, please remember...

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A e u h t t h t ors e e M

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Talecia Izlar is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who is trauma informed, and is experienced working with clients to process and heal from trauma. She also has experience working with clients that present with anxiety, depression, ADHD, behavioral issues, relationship conflict, stress and anger management, self-esteem issues, mood stability, and psychotic disorders. Talecia's goal for her clients is to guide them towards Hope, Happiness, and Healing through self-exploration, analyzing thoughts and beliefs, and making positive behavioral changes.

Talecia is a Rehabilitation Specialist for a Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program, supervising Direct Care Staff. She is also a therapist at both a mental health clinic and for her very own private practice - Guided Journeys, LLC, in Lanham, MD.

Benita Henderson, a “closet writer" for years, has devoted her life to her family. She is a proud wife, mother of four, and grandmother of ten. She has always believed that following your dreams is of the utmost importance, and she proved this when she received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration at the age of 50. Her newest feat becoming a published author has given her a newfound hope that she will be able to continue her mission of expressing her love for God through her writing. She considers herself to be an encourager to all. There is a silver lining behind every cloud.

Aside from the importance of family and education, Benita also values honesty, love, peace, spirituality, and friendship. To know her is to love her. In her book "From the Depths of My Soul," Benita allows readers to take a glimpse into her life by sharing some of her innermost thoughts in journal-style snippets each complete with vulnerability and humility.

Benita is sure to be a promising author as she succeeds at whatever she puts her mind to.

Marquita Antoineá was born and raised in Prince George’s County, MD. She is a single mother of three beautiful children and a two-time published author. For the majority of her life, Marquita has enjoyed helping other people in whatever way she can. Alongside her brother, in 2012, she co-founded The Just Dream Foundation, Ltd., a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering children, teens, and young adults through mentoring and tutoring.

Marquita has big dreams of owning her own literary agency one day where individuals will be able to learn creative writing skills and enhance story-telling capabilities. She has hopes of creating a platform for people everywhere to share their stories of strength and perseverance. Writing has always been a hobby for Marquita, but now she realizes that her writing is therapeutic and healing for both her and those around her. With this in mind, Marquita plans to continue writing for as long as she can.

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