Feeling lonely

Hi everyone! I hope all is well although there is a bunch of chaos going on in the world. I hope everyone is doing well mentally and physically. I pray for all wellbeing ❤️

I know it’s been a while I’ve been unmotivated to be completely honest. There is so much going on in the world I just don’t know what to say... but today I have been feeling lonely & I know you know how it feels to feel this way. It’s not a fun feeling. I don’t have many friends which is a blessing and a curse. There isn’t any drama which is always a plus, but I would like to have friends to hang out with at times. I don’t mind doing things alone, but sometimes it’s really nice to have that company to laugh and talk about any and everything with. I’ve always been told “Do things on your own” um and what exactly do you think I have been doing? I enjoy my own company for sure, but people always make it seem like it’s a bad thing to want genuine connections with people. There is nothing wrong with that at all we’re made to connect with others. God made Eve for Adam. God says love others as he’s loved us. Connecting with others practices His word. If you’re feeling this way don’t let others, get in your head by invalidating your feelings of feeling lonely because it’s normal!! We get lonely sometimes, but we’re never alone! When I feel this way, I pray. Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Sometimes it is also easy to give up on God when we feel like things aren’t going the way we want them to go, but in all honestly God hides us from things that aren’t meant for us even when we’re not understanding. I’m preaching to myself here too because sometimes I do genuinely feel like why God? What is taking so long? because I’m not looking at the bigger picture. but Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Prayers to all families affected in all areas of the world 🙏🏾

Firstly wanted to say prayers to all of the families being separated 😣🙏🏾 this world is getting crazier by the day. I pray that God keeps everyone under his shield, He is our refuge and our fortress. “It was also called Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.” Genesis 31:49

Take a break

Are you feeling burnt out? Take a break!!! We live in a society where it's always "hustle, sleep when you're dead", but to be honest it is completely okay to take a break and still hustle to reach your goals. Our bodies need rest to function properly. How are we going to reach our full potential if we are not getting the proper rest? As I have mentioned in a previous post you cannot pour from an empty cup. It's great to work hard, but it is also very important to take rest days and simply do nothing at all to reset. "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns." Exodus 20:8-9

The waiting season

 The waiting season... Whew is it hard. This is something that tests our faith to the max. We all despise the waiting season because we want what we want when we want it and that is totally understandable, but what we sometimes don't realize during this season is that God is preparing us for something greater even if we do not understand His plan. God's timing is different than ours. Some days are harder than others, but we must continue to keep our faith. He understands we may get frustrated, but faith must remain. I have struggled with being impatient during my waiting season because I am someone who likes to be in control and not being able to control certain things really got to me because I felt like I know when I am ready, but in reality, but that is God's job to determine that. The waiting season can also be difficult because we may feel like God is ignoring us, but once things get silent it simply means He is working things out behind the scenes. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." This verse stands out to me because as I mentioned I can be a control freak, but when it comes to God's plan that is not the way to be because He is in control not I. Proverbs 16:9 states "We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." This can definitely be easier said than done because it took me a long time to fully trust in Him and sometimes in certain instances not even going to lie, I can still find myself doubting, but when those thoughts arise I take a deep breath and instantly start praying because when that happens it is the enemy trying to steer me away from the Lord. If this happens to you, I recommend this! "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4. Keep your faith no matter what! The waiting season can be long and difficult, but the Lord says in John 3:16, fear not He has overcome the world! 

Be patient with yourself

 Have you ever woken up and instantly been like wtf? Yep, that was me today too. It is like that some days because life be lifeing and that is 100% okay to feel this way. It is important to remain patient with ourselves during these moments because we are not going to be happy every single day. It's normal! We are human, not robots we still have other feelings. I am going to use inside out as a reference to the message I am intending to get across. In the movie "Inside Out", Joy was the emotion over everyone, right? She was constantly trying to keep Riley (for those who haven't saw it it's the girl whose emotions were being controlled) happy every second of the day, so when any of the other emotions arose, she would come up with a solution to have Riley become joyful again. This is not essentially a bad thing, but Joy burned herself out trying to fix everything when Riley was supposed to be feeling her other feelings too! Joy's intentions were good, but she was trying to be too in control. The message I am sending you all today is not that it's not okay to be happy, but that it's okay to not be happy all the time. We are bound to get angry, sad, scared, and nervous sometimes, but it's all about what we do with those feelings and not let them take over like Joy was doing. There has to be balance. This why being patient with yourself through it all is extremely important because we are all a work in progress and the most important thing is keep pushing. Feel your feelings! Make sure you get up and dust yourself off though. Life goes on and you still have purpose. Don't ever give up because when you feel like life is over, new life is beginning :) "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-4

Love yourself first

 Ever heard the phrase "love yourself first or nobody will?" Well... as cliche as it sounds it is true. We really must love ourselves first before trying to love others as well as trying to get others to love us. How do you expect other people to know how to love you if you don't love you? Also, how can you love someone else without loving you first? You can't pour from an empty cup. It is 100% okay to choose yourself because you can't function for others if you're not good. I struggled with this for years because as a teen I was bullied a lot which led me to be a people pleaser, so I would always choose others well-beings over myself and was dying inside. One day I woke up and said how can I do all of these things for others when I'm doing terrible mentally? That's when it was time for change. I was led to this wonderful community "Affirmations Manifested", the host is an amazing woman named Ivie, and she does affirmations on YouTube every Monday through Friday if she doesn't have anything going on. Affirmations are something that has changed my life tremendously. I'm an overthinker, so when my mind starts wandering off, I will instantly take a deep breath and bring myself back to reality by expressing gratitude; "thank you for my breath, thank you for my health, it is just a thought let the negative thoughts pass through thank you for the love I have within myself and others, I am okay, I am safe". There are so many more, but these are just an example. I recommend this technique! It is so easy to get caught up in our thoughts especially the negative, what ifs ones, so we must try to catch it before it festers too much because overthinking really leads to self-destruction. Ecclesiastes 11:10 state "So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless." 

Live in the present

 Do you ever feel like you're behind in life? Me too, me too. Butttt, did you ever stop to think that you are exactly where you're meant to be? It is so easy to start comparing ourselves to others and/or allow our minds to tell us we're behind because we're not where we think we are supposed to be. Comparison is the thief of joy. Society's standards should not decipher where you think should be. Everyone on this Earth is different in their own ways on purpose. The world would be pretty boring if we were all the same. This used to be a huge problem for me and sometimes it still can be, but I have learned to release those feelings and affirm myself as soon as they arise because if I was meant to be somewhere I would be there and that goes for all of you as well! When those negative thoughts arise... Take a deep breath and reassure yourself that you are exactly where you're suppose to be even if it's not the prettiest. This is easier said than done of course, but it is all about consistently reassuring yourself. It is okay to feel down at times but just make sure you get back up! Live in the moment because tomorrow is not promised. "Therefore, do not be worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble on its own." Matthew 6:34

Change is scary, but necessary!

I watched The Croods today and it really touched me. It wasn’t my first time seeing it, but my first time actually realizing the message behind it and I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but it’s about this family (The Croods) and they’re cave people, following these rules to survive which is basically staying in the cave unless they were hunting and it wasn’t night time and Eep (the daughter) really wants to go out to explore life beyond the cave, but her dad doesn’t want her to and when they do travel because their world is ending, they realize how much change is necessary for them to live the life their supposed to live because in the cave they were just surviving not living! (it’s a really good movie! I recommend) Long story short the message that I got from it was that although change can be very scary… we just have to take that leap of faith because usually the things that scare us the most are the things we are meant to do. In all honesty starting this blog scared me, but I have allowed myself to let fear stop me from living in my purpose and I am not doing that anymore! None of us should because life is too short to not do the things that make us happy. Do it afraid and trust that everything is going to be okay. “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." Deuteronomy 31:6.

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”

- John C. Maxwell

*This means that change is going to happen no matter what, but it’s whether we choose to grow from the change that makes growth optional. Grow from change! Nobody is perfect. we’re all growing and learning.

Introducing: The Way Life Goes

Hello world! Welcome to The Way Life Goes! My name is Ayana, your host. This is a safe space to discuss healing, mental health as well as lifestyle overall. I am 25 years old and although I am still young, I have learned a lot and constantly learning. I am so excited to be showcasing to the world my take on this thing called life. I feel like I’m trying to get so much out in one post to inform the community what I’m doing here, but I believe the best way to show that is with consistency and transparency. I hope that as time goes on, I can inspire others :)