by Tannika Nikeya

Use This Time Wisely

Many of us are enduring reopening phases as well as quarantine during this pandemic. It hasn’t been easy but for the most part, we have made adjustments to how we do things from our careers to home life. Nonetheless, this pandemic has served much stress, loss, anxiety, uncertainty and hardships. Yet, many are still holding on despite the turmoil from Covid-19 and even the many issues, like racism and gun violence, that are now on the forefront of our current society that people are waiting and fighting for to finally be addressed.

As in one hand chaos and turmoil increase in the world and in another hand the world slows down. We are left to understand that we can’t approach life as we have been. We may have to make some adjustments that are deep within and that will prepare us for the next season. We may have to reevaluate how we were living before this time. Rediscover some goals and dreams. Realize that God can use this time for our good and He can help us use this time wisely.

Were you burned out prior to the quarantine? Were you in need of some quality time with your family? Did you have a business or foundation that has been on your heart to start? How about following through with writing or face timing a person God has laid on your heart to reach out to remind them God cares? Did you want to finally get healthy mentally and physically? Did you need to learn a second language? Did you need to let go of some things and some relationships? Did you need to get your bank account healthy? Did you need to finally deal with some pain and trauma? Did you need to strengthen your prayer life and faith walk? How about learning patience and trusting God?

Prior to the quarantine, shutdown, Pandemic, I was burned out. Overwhelmed and anxiety through the roof. I had some things I needed to deal with, boundaries to set, and goals to accomplish. One of those goals was to build my trust in God. And I also desired to have more quality time with God in prayer, His Word and presence. Other goals were simply to cook more, be more present with my family, write more, work on and eventually release my book. I also wanted to practice more self-care. I needed more self-care.

Using my time wisely and accomplishing these goals haven’t been easy and I am far from perfectly disciplined, if there is such a thing. However, by the grace of God, I have come to grow in these areas and accomplish some of my goals. I give glory to God because He not only knows what I need and what those around me need, but He works all things together for my good.

I have been cooking more, making sweets and dishes such as cheesecakes, brownies, shrimp and chicken alfredo and more.

I love food and I love cooking and sharing my cooking moments and meals with family have been great.

I finished my book; praise God, and I am enjoying again taking photos of nature. I have also been tackling fear and anxiety by being vulnerable with God, prayer, His Word and grace.

Additionally, I’m learning to rest, spiritually, in the Lord and naturally to replenish and refuel. Walking with family, movie nights, and having pool time or errand runs have helped me to be present with family. I also sought a bit of therapy and started back journaling. God told me a while ago to reprioritize and organize my life. I wish I had started this mission before all of this but it is not too late.

God first and foremost and then everyone and everything else shall fall in their proper place. Learning to trust God and set boundaries will also help me to get some order in my life. Letting the Holy Spirit lead me and doing things with purpose and simplicity in mind will also help. Lastly, I aim to continue with strengthening my faith walk and love walk.

To conclude, I don’t know your goals or what God is calling you to do. I don’t know what you need to heal from, what things you need to part ways from and who you need to turn you attention back to. But I do know that you still have time today right now to choose to use your time wisely and set the stage for God to lead the way in your life. To choose to go deeper in the things of God and dwell in His presence like never before.

To choose to receive the life and life to the full Jesus came to give us as well as receive God’s unfailing love. To choose to live simply, fruitfully and purposefully. Prepare now and pray more. Rest while you can. Ask God to teach you to trust Him and rebuild your life on the foundation of His Son. Seasons will change. Prepare for the next season. Learn from this one and do all that you are supposed to do in this one.

Put Your Shoes On Honey,

Our journey awaits,

Tannika

07.21.20

by Tannika Nikeya

Let It Surface

I am so excited about completing my new book. I didn’t know it would lead to the theme it has now, but God has me on a healing journey and the title change was so imperative. This healing journey has been one that has been lengthy, uncomfortable, challenging, yet imperative, enlightening, and such a blessing. I have discovered, thanks to the Holy Spirit and His grace to not abandon the process as well as so many things about myself. I have learned some triggers to my anxiety and where certain fears began. I am also learning to trust God and receive His unfailing love. I am learning to see myself the way God does. Moreover, prayer, learning to be transparent with God as well with others, facing my fears (one at a time), the Word of God, therapy, learning to be more present with myself, others and God are some things that have been crucial to this journey. (Note: I am still a work in progress.) Writing is another component of this journey and it has served as an outlet to express myself, learn, and cope. I have realized that my writing also serves as a tool to encourage others. My book, Bring It To The Surface, is not only full of poetic inspiration and encouragement but a journal to help you too to start your journey of healing and provide a space for self-reflection.

If you are feeling empty or lost, hurt or hopeless, stripped or depleted, know God who began a good work in you shall continue to perform it until the day of Christ Jesus. Know that He will also never leave you, nor forsake you. Whatever it is the enemy has killed, stolen, and destroyed in your life, God can revive, recover, and restore. And in order to heal and receive the abundant life Jesus came to give us, we have to allow God to bring some things to the surface. We can trust God who first loved us and gave His only begotten Son in order for you and me to have an eternal love and life. So, let the healing begin. Confess it, express it and then address it. God can handle your pain and God can provide the answers you need. I am so excited for this book to reach your hands and heart, and I pray you allow God to bring some things to the surface.

Available on Amazon now!!!!!!

07.18.20

by Tannika Nikeya

Introducing My New Book!

Hey Loves,

I am so excited to introduce to you my new book!!!! I have finally finished it and it is now available in the Kindle Store. The paperback version has been updated and is now available on Amazon. So, please get your copy or your ebook version now. This is my fourth poetry book and this one is different from my others. Watch the video and found out how!

Bring It To The Surface

05.16.20

by Tannika Nikeya

Poetry, Some Wine, And A Lot Of Self-Love

Hey loves,

I am so excited about this next Q&A with new author, Deandrea Moore. She has always been a great writer and now she is an author. Her new book, I’ll Take Wine With That is available on Amazon right now and a must have. Go grab you a glass of wine or water, and come enjoy this Q&A with me and Deandrea.

Tannika: Hello Deandrea, how are you?

Deandrea: Hello, I’m doing fine, considering everything that’s going on in the world. Although things are crazy right now, I feel that I needed this time. I’ve definitely used it to my advantage.

Tannika: You just recently wrote and published your first book, I’ll Take Wine With That. Can you tell me about the process? What did you learn? What was challenging? And what were the fun parts?

Deandrea: Yes, I just recently published my first book and it was a process that started in September last year. I learned a lot about myself and gained confidence in my writing again, which was probably one of the most challenging parts. Coming up with the idea for the book, the table of contents and the poems themselves were the fun parts. Coming up with the table of contents felt like coming up with a track list for a CD, but I wanted to do that first to catch the vibe of the book I was going for. Although coming up with the poems was fun, it was also challenging. In some of the poems, I had to really allow myself to be vulnerable in my writing, which is a bit difficult for me. I also learned that there are so many different styles to writing and poetry.

Tannika: I find elements of vulnerability, femininity, transparency, courage and self-reflection. But I want to know what is the theme of your poetry book?

Deandrea: The theme of my book would definitely be self-reflection, but broken into different sections. I have a couple poems about love, intimacy, the other side of love, and seasons in life, and making progress.

Tannika: What is the other side of love?

Deandrea: The other side of love is just the parts we don’t want to have to deal with or what happens after love is over. That’s why the different poems in that section are about jealousy, wanting to go back (tempting), and heartbreak.

Tannika: Why did you name your book, I Will Take Wine With That?

Deandrea: I named my book I’ll Take Wine With That because I use to drink wine as a coping method when I was going through things. I started going to counseling and I now use it in a responsible way. I also had a glass during writing several of these poems. I love wine as well.

Tannika: What is your favorite wine? I love the cranberry wine from Cooper’s Hawk.

Deandrea: My favorite wine, if I’m going for something cheap and good, would be Oak Leaf’s White Zinfandel. If I’m going for something really sweet, then it would be Stella Rosa Peach or Carlos Rossi’s Sweet Red.

Tannika: You talked about being depressed and coping? Why is it important to have these discussions about mental health in the Black community?

Deandrea: Yes, I was depressed and using wine to cope. We need to start having these mental health conversations in the black community because we’re not immune to mental health issues. We think that we can handle things on our own or they’ll just go away, but they must be dealt with. When we don’t deal with things we pass them down or we lose lives. Also, when we make sure our minds are healthy, then we can progress.

Tannika: You have beautiful poems and are a great writer! How has writing also helped you?

Deandrea: Writing has helped me to release some feelings I had inside. It has also helped me to gain confidence, not just in writing but in myself. Lastly, writing has helped me to be a little more open and vulnerable with others, but still protective of myself.

Tannika: One of your poems is titled Self-Love Story? What advice would you give young ladies to develop self-love and genuine confidence?

Deandrea: Yes, Self-Love Story is one of my favorite poems because this year is dedicated to that and getting back my self confidence. Advice I would give to young ladies would be to always make sure your cup is the first one you pour into, because if your cup is empty then you’ll find yourself drained trying to pour into others. I would also say to be selfless, but selfish with your time, energy, etc. Also, take time to find yourself and do the things that make you happy. Take time to practice self-care and not just face masks and pedicures, but mental self-care, making sure you’re working to become the best version of yourself. Don’t compromise your happiness for anyone or any relationship.

Tannika: Ok fun question. What is one fun fact your readers may not know about you and one fun thing you have been doing to cope with the quarantine and provide yourself with self-care?

Deandrea: Something my readers may not know about me is that I want to practice makeup on the side. Something fun I’ve been doing during quarantine to cope is learning how to do more hairstyles on myself, give myself pedicures and practice makeup.

For more information on writer and author, Deandrea Moore, and to order I’ll Take Wine With That, visit https://winenwords.com/.

05.01.20

by Tannika Nikeya

Self-Care: Capturing Memories & Moments

Not too long ago, my therapist gave me an assignment. It was to take time each day to do some thing for fun and for myself. Upon attempting to complete this assignment, I realized and noted in my journal that I couldn’t fully identify what was fun for me. I enjoy cleaning and especially before I can relax. I know, it sounds crazy. I do enjoy writing; however, I struggle with writer’s block here and there and I don’t write daily like I used to unless it is a to do list. I use to have things I enjoyed doing, but now I couldn’t really answer what I like to do for fun. Making a consistent effort to take time to do something I truly enjoy has been a struggle. I also seem to race against time to slow down and just be present. I have found though that in order to continue providing the care for my family and fulfill my work and many other obligations, I have to first care for my relationship with God and then my relationship with myself. And one of the ways I provide that care for myself is to do something I enjoy.

As I turned my attention back to a project I had been working on for some time, I began browsing through photos I had taken to add to it. And it dawned on me that photography was something I enjoy. I am not a pro and I only had one photography class in college when I was an art and design student. Yet, I still enjoy capturing memories and moments. I also love nature and love capturing God’s art and handiwork.

So, I as I browsed through photos and realized my love for photography, I told myself I will continue taking shots of beautiful skies and landscapes and more. It is also a simple way of taking time for myself. Taking time for yourself is crucial. Having a hobby, and not just a hobby but a healthy one, is important also. Moreover, it is imperative to refresh yourself and rest. Rest isn’t just sometimes being still or taking a nap. It is about doing something you love and actually being productive. It is about being present and trusting God to manage the universe He created while you breathe in His ability to take care of you and your family. It is about taking a break to reprioritize.

Some things I have also been doing are now intentional to provide myself some fun and some self-care. I have been walking my dog; I love walking and I enjoy my new best friend. I recently polished my finger nails and toe nails as well as watched one of my favorite shows. I made one of my favorite desserts, a strawberry cheesecake, in which my nephew filmed and interviewed me like we were creating our own cooking show. And we also binge-watched Nailed It. All of these things I am realizing did bring me some joy. I also had to recently make me a priority after feeling so overwhelmed, log off the computer, and be okay with not getting to every thing on my to do list. And I will continue to make time to take photos and write as much as I can. I guess I actually have some things I enjoy. I just had to take time to sit and think about me for a change. Check out some of my photos below!