Meet Our January ‘21 Woman Crush: Doree Seay
We are starting this year off crushing on my dear friend, Doree. Doree and I have known each other since high school and I have had the pleasure to see her grow and evolve into the beautiful, sophisticated, and intelligent woman she is today. So let's get to know a bit more about her and her journey and find out what how she is making the most of this season.
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Hey, everyone! My name is Dorée Seay and I’m a SAG-AFTRA actress based in LA. To keep things extremely short and simple I love music (huge fan of BTS and Tobi Lou), I’m obsessed with coffee (I’m going to own my own café one day) and I really enjoy watching people play video games on YouTube!
What has your single life taught you?
Considering I’ve been single all of my life, I’ve learned to truly value myself as an individual first through self-love and the exploration of vulnerability. I’ve struggled a lot with what it means to be vulnerable, and I feel as though I’m just now beginning to understand that vulnerability isn’t a weakness but a strength. As it turns out, I’m allowed to be vulnerable and share it with whomever I choose. I’ve also learned in the last year that I am open to a relationship! A few years ago, I would’ve told you I was cool being single for the rest of my life, but lately, I’ve started to rethink that self-written rule...
What are some of the things that you want to accomplish during this season?
During this season, in one of the toughest I’ve experienced yet, I want to experience gratitude for all things, and lean into the trust I’ve built up within myself. In regards to dating and romantic relationships - earlier this year I told myself I’d be open to meeting a potential partner and before quarantine, I did manage to go on a nice lil’ date! Although I didn’t meet as many people as I would’ve hoped, I’m grateful for the opportunity to have stepped out of my comfort zone in that moment and met someone new. I think having done that, I can do it again and again whenever I want. I can trust myself to open up to people and know when it’s appropriate to take care of myself. As far as everything else is concerned, I want to remind myself to take each day as it comes and find something to be excited about. I can entrust myself to do that daily.
How do you deal with the frustrations during this season?
As I mentioned before, this particular season has been tough. I find myself having to fight against a negative mindset daily; it’s a constant struggle. To relieve myself of all of the frustrations and stressors, I rely heavily on a daily routine (prayer, meditation, stretches and exercise, lo fi hip-hop, coffee and breakfast as I journal) and various forms of creativity. I’ve been cooking a lot more (my best dishes include eggplant parmigiana, chocolate rose donuts with raspberry glaze, and homemade pho), writing, tie-dyeing...anything I can do to stay creative. These have all been happy learning experiences throughout quarantine. Making day-long solo trips to the beach has also been one of my favorite ways to fight frustration.
How do you practice self love?
This will always be a work in progress for me, I think...I try to practice self-love daily by honestly checking in with myself/gauging my mood. If I determine my mood is a harmful one, I’ll show myself some compassion and forgive myself for feeling low (which is new; I always used to judge myself for not being happy or grateful), and then ask myself whether or not I’d like to fix it. If I decide on that day to be unhappy, I’ll allow it after some reflection of the pros and cons. If I decide to change it, I go out of my way to put myself and needs first, and then indulge in some form of creativity, grab a cup of coffee or chill with my diffuser, or go to the beach. What I have to work on, though, is not allowing for other people’s stuff to affect my energy or cloud my judgement. That’s my biggest struggle right now.
How do you handle stress?
Sometimes I handle stress very well and other times, I let myself implode. I use stress to help me get through auditions (I think some stress is good if channeled properly), but if it’s insurmountable, I’ll decide to slow down (ie: disconnect from social media) and re-examine my daily routine (Did I do everything in my routine? What did I skip?) and sometimes re-evaluate how I’ve been eating, exercising or socializing. When I’ve done all I can do and I’m still really stressed, I’ll turn to a friend who knows me well and won’t enable my spiraling out of control.
What advice would you give single women ?
The advice I would give to women who are struggling being content during their single season is the same I’ll give myself at this time; continue to value yourself and what you have to offer a partner when the time is right. As we build ourselves and grow into the phenomenal women we are becoming, let’s remember that our wait and our evolution isn’t for nothing - that as our value increases, we can expect to meet someone who reflects that value. There’ll be no impostor-syndrome or lack of self-esteem...just mutual respect and love. Or at least, that’s what I’m hoping for us, sis!
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