New Year New You

New Year New You. 

So I know this is coming a little late in the season, and all of you probably are killing your new year’s resolutions but I wanted to just take a minute to write about the whole New Year new you.

New Year new you, is something I have seen all over social media and it got me to think about what New Year new you actually means. For me, I tend to fantasize January 1st seeing a perfect version of myself. Waking up before the sun to smash out a workout, reading my bible, blending THE PERFECT chocolate smoothie, etc. 

When in reality, I might accomplish this the second or third day because January 1st means waking up late, reaching for the leftover chips and chocolate, and chilling. This lasts for a few days and then I get serious and start to attempt to work towards what I want to happen for the next year. As you might have guessed this also lasts for maybe longer than a week and then I am back to plain old me.

Now I don’t know about you guys but this whole New Year new me doesn’t seem like the most productive plan. Therefore; this year I decided to nix the New Year new me and stick to plain old Sonya Peacocke, the aspiring wellness blogger, and awkward situation maker. I know that In order to accomplish my bigger goals in life I have to stay focused on living a life that is honoring and pleasing to God. In Colossians 3:23 it says “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”.

We are created perfectly by God and there’s no need for a “new you”, but there’s always room for growth. For now, I will simply look at goals like they are a continuation of my whole life and morals. I don’t need to lose 15lb this year, but I want to continue being active and eat well to honor the body God gave me. I don’t want to earn a certain amount of money, but I want to continue encouraging others because of my desire to share Gods love.

I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to feel like every January I have failed just because the world is telling me I need to be or do something better. I want to always feel the desire to grow and change so that I am ready for whatever God has in store for me.

Missed you all and hope you had a wonderful Christmas/Thanksgiving!   

Thanks again for stopping by,

-Sonya

How to Believe in Yourself

I don't know about you guys but when it comes to goals and aspirations, I am not one to allow myself to go for it. I often times find myself over the moon excited about an idea, just for the voice in my head to tell me it can't be done. This, of course, keeps me in the "safe zone" where I don't have to try anything new or have the opportunity to fail. I didn't realize that even though I try to steer clear of failure this "safe zone" of mine was causing me to fail.  

Without even realizing it, my fear and lack of confidence were holding me back from some of the most fulfilling work I could ever imagine. This blog has been proof of just that, as I have always had a passion for helping people as well as health and wellness. Even though I had the passion for it, it took me a whole 2 years to even start my own blog and another 6 months to actually create the content! Now that I am here I find it hard to remember what exactly held me back and why that even though at the moment I knew what I wanted, I didn't go for it. 

I believe it might have been a combination of things that held me back, but I want to discuss the two that made the most impact in stopping me from going for what I wanted.

Permission:

My mother-in-law recently brought up the fact that often times we don't give ourselves permission to do the things we want. We make excuses such as we can't afford the time, money, or energy. We also tend to think of investing in ourselves as something that is selfish, when in fact it is not! This is not to say that being self-absorbed is the goal here, but it is allowing yourself to recognize yourself as a person. A person who, like everyone else has needs, both physical and emotional. These needs are not always serious, but they are simple. You need joy in your life, you need something that drives you to do better, you need relaxation as well as discipline, etc.

Next time you feel as though you are not giving yourself permission to do what you want, take a step back and evaluate. "Is it pleasing to God?", "is it beneficially to myself and those around me?", "will doing this help me to be a better version of myself?”  These questions will help you understand how you need to make your decision.  

Confidence: 

When I think of confidence I tend to put it into the negative aspect of human traits. I think of people who are unaware of their surroundings who think of only themselves, but my husband has proved me wrong. True confidence includes having the bravery to fail and the will to try again, it is knowing that you are capable of anything as long as you keep working at it. Confidence helps you to focus on the truth and tune out the lies you tell yourself. I definitely am one to assume a low confidence level, but it something that once you recognize its presence you can work to build it up. 

Next time you feel a lack of confidence look at everything around you. Every simple object in your house had a creator whose idea probably seemed crazy to most people at the time. Thankfully they had confidence and to just go for it and now here you are today with their invention sitting in your home.  Let yourself know that anyone can accomplish big things, but it all depends on you!

Do you feel like you are allowing yourself to take those crazy ideas and run with them? The next time that great idea comes to mind, look into it and see if it really is a crazy idea. You might be surprised at what you find yourself accomplishing once you give yourself permission and show some confidence in your abilities!  

Thank you guys for reading & I hope you enjoyed! 

See you next time! 

Sonya Peacocke 

The Benefits of Drinking Tea

Keep Calm and Drink Tea.

I don’t know about you, but growing up I loathed tea despite how awesome it was. Thankfully I have a mother who would always encourage me to try new things as well as my South African family who helped me to understand the sheer importance of tea.

First of all, drinking tea is something commonly acquainted with relaxation. Tea time is a part of your day where you take a step back to breath, enjoy good conversation or even quiet time by yourself. There is something special about putting life on hold for those few moments.

Now if you would have told me that 2 years ago I would have seen it as a waste of time because obviously taking 15 minutes to drink tea is not productive. My mindset was if you have 15 minutes to do something, then do something productive. This “productive” time would consist of cleaning, jumping jacks, trying to read all 45 pages of assigned reading, etc.

Obviously I was good at taking every opportunity to stress myself out…

Thankfully I can now see the productivity in drinking tea. Not only is it relaxing and offers some family time, you also have a chance to mentally unwind. I have found that taking 15 minutes helps me to be more productive, I am calm and not rash in my decisions and I am generally happier.

Oh yeah, and did I mention all the health benefits of tea? You might be surprised but tea can be used to sooth a sore throat, aid in digestion, provide antioxidants to keep you healthy and caffeinated teas are a great swap for coffee! Tea is also low in calories and can help you when it comes to managing cravings and mindless snacking.

So this week take the time to stop for a minute, make a cup of tea with a special treat whether it be good conversation, a slice of cake, or both!

P.S. If tea doesn’t sound too thrilling here is a list of my personal favorites!

·         Rooibos tea with a dash of Almond milk and Honey

·         Matcha Latte with Cinnamon

·         Herbal blended tea: Plain or with a dash of Almond Milk