Miss EmpowHer Blog

Maintaining a Healthy Work Life Balance – Even During a Global Pandemic

Now that so many of us are working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be difficult to separate our personal and work lives, and it can be especially difficult to feel fully removed from our work lives enough to truly take time for ourselves. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, self-care is more important than ever, so we’ve put together some advice for maintaining a healthy work life balance and ensuring that you’re taking care of yourself and your mental health during such difficult and unpredictable times. During work hours, set reachable, reasonable goals for yourself. Giving yourself manageable tasks will help you feel accomplished and productive during designated work time so that you don’t feel so much pressure to let work infiltrate your personal time. Be a good communicator. Whether at work or in your personal life, communicate when you need extra flexibility. Consistent communication will help you maintain healthy relationships, both professional and personal. Make sure to unplug. Work-from-home environments often require long hours in front of computers and virtual meetings, and it’s so important to give your eyes a rest from technology when you get the chance to. Focus on self-care that allows you to take a break from the screens – read a good book you’ve been meaning to pick up or take an extra 10 minutes for skincare some time. Stay active when possible. Without commutes to work, many people who work from home are unwittingly moving around a lot less than they are accustomed to. Set reminders to stand out and walk around throughout the day or make time for your favorite workout. At work, take breaks when needed. Small breaks will help your decision-making and help clear your head. Instead of trying to avoid taking breaks, focus on how they will make you even more productive in the long run. Delegate. Make sure that in your personal life, responsibilities are distributed evenly, and everyone is equally committed to maintaining healthy relationships. At work, ask for help when you need it, and trust your coworkers’ skills and willingness to help you out. Trying to improve your work life balance may seem daunting during a time where we are so accessible through technology, and it can often feel like there is no boundary between work and personal spaces. However, creating a healthy balance will make you happier and more successful in both your professional and personal lives, which is worth the time you will put into creating healthy habits!

Miss EmpowHer Success Story: UNC Hussman School Graduate & Former Miss EmpowHer Intern lands full-time job at Top PR Firm during Covid-19

@ziruiyan "What I love about Miss EmpowHer is the freedom to choose what I wanted to work on. Through my internship, I honed my skills in digital marketing and public relations, as well as helped develop initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion. These experiences enabled me to have amazing stories to tell at job interviews. Moreover, Caitlyn can offer lots of career advice and opportunities that are truly helpful. You’ll also have the chance to meet and network with the smart and diverse team at Miss EmpowHer. I will cherish the lessons I learned during my time at Miss EmpowHer, which led me to my career at FleishmanHillard today"- Jerry (Zirui) Yan

Why #BUYBLACK Friday?

Support black-owned businesses this Black Friday! Facebook’s Buy Black Friday initiative aims to support black-owned businesses like Miss EmpowHer during the holiday season. Facebook’s new app has features that encourage users to post when they support these businesses and highlights small business owners. The Buy Black Friday initiative also provides toolkits and resources for black-owned businesses like Miss EmpowHer. Most of your holiday shopping might be done online this year, but you can still find ways to support black-owned businesses, which have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Facebook is promoting #BuyBlack Friday as part of a 3-month long “season for support for small businesses”. Miss EmpowHer is a woman-owned and black-owned brand that you can support during #BuyBlack Friday and throughout the holiday season! We appreciate all of our customers’ support for small business and our mission of women empowerment. Use your gifting this season to spread Miss EmpowHer’s message of empowerment and of body positivity to the women you love and make a difference while you get your holiday shopping done or treat yourself! Help make this season prosperous for your favorite socially impactful businesses!

How I Learned to Love Myself Again...

Learn how I overcame my body insecurities and started my journey to self love

Miss EmpowHer supports women's groups through new Fundraising Initiative

Miss EmpowHer wants to help women’s groups and organizations meet their fundraising goals during COVID-19. We know how challenging fundraising can be during these difficult and unpredictable times. In the spirit of our brand’s mission to celebrate and empower women, Miss EmpowHer created the Women Supporting Women Fundraising Initiative to collaborate with women’s organizations and support their fundraising efforts. We work with groups such as sororities, women employee resource groups, women-focused mentoring programs, and women-focused non-profits to support their goals and members, especially now when it is especially difficult to raise funds in the wake of the economic impact of COVID-19. Here’s how it works! If your organization is interested in fundraising with us, email missempowher@gmail.com. Decide on a fundraiser date. We’ll send you promotion flyers so you can build awareness and support for your fundraiser, and then your group will receive 25% of the proceeds from the fundraiser. Join our growing list of participants such as The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. at UNC-Chapel Hill in our Women Supporting Women Fundraising Initiative!

How to Achieve Your Goals

We all have things that we want to achieve in both our personal lives and careers, but taking the first step towards those achievements can be the hardest part of reaching them. The key to getting that dream job, getting back on track with your fitness routine, or whatever achievement you want to work towards is goal-setting. Especially in the midst of a pandemic, it can be hard to get in the groove of working towards a goal, and it is easy to feel distracted and unmotivated. Here are our tips to help you reach your goals, whether they’re professional ambitions or just something that is going to make you feel your best self. Accountability is key! One of the most important parts of goal-setting. Tell your friends about your goal and keep them updated on your progress, or write down what you want to accomplish and how. Make note of the progress you make, too! Find a healthy way to measure progress. It’s important to track the hard work you’re putting in, but it’s also important to be patient with yourself. Achieving your goals, big or small, will take time! Figure out a positive way to keep yourself on track without being too hard on yourself. Harsh ways of tracking progress will make you feel less motivated in the long run. Be patient with yourself! Understanding that you will have off days and forgiving yourself for those off days is one of the only ways you’ll be able to stick to your goals long-term. Treat yourself with the same support and positivity that you would show a friend working towards their goals. Celebrate your successes! Whether it’s patting yourself on the back or sharing your achievements with your friends, acknowledging your progress along the way will help you stay motivated long-term. Keeping your focus requires rewarding yourself for how far you have come and celebrating your progress will make you want to work even harder for the next milestone. Remember what you’re working for. While you’re working towards your goals, it is important to keep in mind what you want to gain from your hard work and why. Maintain a healthy relationship with your goals by prioritizing what made you set the goal in the first place. This will add meaning and a sense of fulfillment to all the progress you make! Set milestones. It’s easy to set high expectations for ourselves that seem overwhelming. Setting clear milestones along the way can turn a mountain of a process into small, manageable hills that will lead you to your end goal! Remember that there’s no time like the present to set goals that will make you feel like your best self. Go get ‘em!

60 Days and Counting: Miss EmpowHer Turns 2-Months Old

The 2-month mark is only a beginning for us. We’ll continue the journey and come up with newly developed products, whilst sticking with our purpose to empower women and build a community to uplift underrepresented groups. As we go back to school, we’re looking to welcome more people to join Team Miss EmpowHer for the Fall semester. You can apply here!

What are Waist Beads and What are their Purpose?

Different waist beads, depending on color, can convey different values. The history of waist beads, however, does not limit who is able to wear them!

How Can Waist Beads Be Worn For Body Awareness?

Losing weight should be about you feeling comfortable and happy in your body, and waist beads can encourage a healthy mentality when it comes to weight loss by encouraging you to focus on your comfort and body awareness instead of numbers on a scale.

Waist beads with athleisure: body positive jewelry look

How To Wear Waist Beads

Many women wear waist beads as an accessory to liven up an outfit or swimsuit look! Waist beads can be loosened or tightened to sit higher or lower on your hips and can look great with a crop top or cut out shirt or dress as well as a bikini.