Destination Peach

Where Reality and Inspiration Meet

Healing Ain’t Easy!

My hiatus from the Destination Peach blog has been the longest break I’ve taken. My time away has been in the initiative of healing.

From the many blog posts, I wrote pre-hiatus… I assumed all my healing work was done. To my surprise, I was just on the brink of my healing journey. My healing work, has been (and still is) a deep intimate process. To unlearn patterns, to be still, to love myself, to fail, to get back up and try again, to forgive, to create, to connect with the most high, to raise my vibration, to fully live life…this process had to be done offline.

Healing is not easy! Healing is not a glamorous process. Healing looks like isolation. Healing looks like ugly crying. Healing looks like emotional ebbs and flows. Healing requires the embracing of what is.

So where am I now…

I am in a better space then when I last blogged. Moving to Arizona was the exact trigger I needed to shift into my new reality. I don’t have everything figured out. But, what I know for sure is that I am growing and I am genuinely happy. There is still a lot I need to unpack emotionally and mentally but, it will happen in divine timing.

There are many things I intend to share on this blog, as I experience more life. I hope the readers of this blog will grow with me as I continue to evolve.

Until next time…

– Peach  

21 Easy Ways I Quickly Reduce Anxiety

The moments when I feel very anxious, my mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing go out the window. When I’m in the fight instead of flight mode…or in my lizard instead of wizard brain…it takes me sometime to be conscious of the tools I know to reduce my anxious feelings. The other day when I was worrying about the stressors of life, my anxious feelings catapulted me to a place I didn’t want to be. Trying to progressive and relieve myself of an anxiety attack…I said to myself “what can you do in this very moment to stop feeling anxious?” I made a mental note of things I like to do and committed to doing those exact things. True enough, by the end of the day I was feeling a little better.

Here are the 21 easy ways I reduced my anxiety. Hopefully, these 21 practices can help or inspire you to construct your own practices in moments you are feeling anxious.

  1. Accept that I am feeling anxious
  2. Sleep!
  3. Go get a smoothie
  4. Listen to a podcast
  5. Take a drive
  6. Watch YouTube
  7. Talk to my mom
  8. Sit in the park
  9. Silence my phone
  10. Not respond to phone calls/text messages
  11. Stretch
  12. Take a nice long bath or shower
  13. Get dressed in my favorite color
  14. Light incenses
  15. Read uplifting content
  16. Listen to meditation music
  17. Eat a good meal
  18. Make jewelry
  19. Clean up
  20. Go for a walk
  21. Acknowledge that tomorrow will be a better day

The running theme throughout these 21 practices is being kind to myself. Remember to be kind to yourself and take-it-easy!

Until next time…

– Peach

30 Day Vegetarian Challenge

For the past 30 days, I went on a vegetarian eating challenge. Today marks the end of my challenge. As I contemplate on what type of fish I want to devour, I know damn well that I am going to extend my challenge for another 30 days. The first 30 days was rough. I was not prepared! Researching proteins to eat (I’m allergic to nuts) and making meals that tasted horrible made me rethink my 30 day commitment.

I have been transitioning my eating habits since November, 2016. Since November, I have lost 30 pounds! With my weight loss, I stopped craving certain foods. It took me sometime to transition into plant-based eating habits. I still ate fish occasionally. Yet, I wanted to challenge myself to a 30 day vegetarian lifestyle.

When I originally started the 30 day challenge, I wanted to go vegan. Several hours into the challenge I decided that I needed to take baby steps and try vegetarianism first before going vegan. The past 30 days have not been easy, especially is social settings. But, I am optimistic about the next 30 days.

In 30 days…here’s what happened:

  • I felt physically weak
  • I craved fish
  • I learned new recipes
  • I amped up my vitamin intake
  • I had frequent bowl movement
  • I ate too much junk food
  • I released a lot of emotions
  • I was tired but had energy
  • My brain fog got cleared
  • My vibrational frequency raised
  • Chipotle saved me many times
  • I was more aware of meat being the focus of all meals
  • I was proud of myself for staying committed to the 30 day challenge

For the next 30 days, I am hoping to improve the meals I eat. After the next 30 days, I will determine if the vegetarian lifestyle is for me. If you know any good vegetarian/vegan meals. please share the recipe in the comments below.

Until next time…

– Peach

Colors and Vibes

The question I get asked all the time is why do I wear all white? White is the color I choose to where practically everyday. I started transitioning the color into my wardrobe, January of this year. In the rare occasion that I am not wearing white, I will wear a bold up-beat color. When I wear white, the color signifies a deeper spiritual meaning for me. Colors carry energy!

I do my best to make sure the colors I wear attract the type of energy I want to manifest. I finally understand why Lisa Raye has been wearing white for so many years. When I wear white… it signifies a representation of; spiritual enlightenment, connection with my authentic, truth, peace, crown chakra, healing and protection.

The colors we wear reflect our thoughts, emotions, chakra alignments, vibration levels…the list can go on and on. From my experience of wearing darker colors like black, the energy of the color vibrated unwanted energy frequencies. With any color you wear the goal is to wear what works for you. Understanding myself energetically, wearing white is what has been working for me. So when people ask me why do I wear all white?

Because I can…because it makes me feel good. If you are curious to learn more about colors and vibrations, I highly suggest doing some further research. Below is a quick guide on the different vibrations colors carry.

  • Red: Passion-survival-anger
  • Orange: Ambition-creativity
  • Yellow: Intellect-control-comfort-power-happiness
  • Green: Heart-healing-money-nature
  • Blue: Communication-cool-calming-stability
  • Purple: Royalty-power-connection to spirit
  • Black: Absence of light-mystery-dark energy
  • Pink: Heart-love-romance

Until next time…

-Peach

Self-Care Series: Flexin On Em’

In a few weeks I will be approaching my six month healthy eating milestone. Six months may not see like a lot of time to some…but to me six months is a great length of time. Hell six months is half a year! What inspired me to make conscious decisions about the food I ate was therapy. In therapy the more self-work I did, I was able to identify how my self-worth and perception of food was all interconnected! So…while growing through therapy and my spiritual awakening, I knew that I had to shift my eating habits. I couldn’t work on the mental/spiritual aspects without including the physical. The physical included food and exercise. Plus it was a wrap, once I learned food is a natural healer that heightens or descends our vibrational frequencies. Who doesn’t want to vibrate higher?

Currently, I am a flexitarian which means I am semi-vegetarian. When I say flexitarian the initial response I get from people is WTF! And to that I say, I am transitioning into becoming a vegetarian. In the transition process I am researching and learning more about food, to gain more confidence in my vegetarian cooking skills.

Right now my daily eating habits consist of plant based food items, fruit, and minimal complex carbs. When I do eat meat, my meat of choice is fish (lets save the fish debate for another time). I will admit, with changing my eating habits some days are challenging than others. The struggle gets real when I crave junk food, but a little portion of organic chips never hurt nobody (moderation is key). When I do crave junk food or feel tempted by old eating patterns, I am mindful by checking in with my body. A simple mindful check-in is asking;

  • What am I hungry for?
  • What do I currently feel?
  • What do I need at this present moment?

Mindful questions are wonderful in enabling us to appropriately identify our needs. When we are mindful of what we eat it is a loving self-care practice for the body. Never in my life did I think I would make such adjustments to my diet, but now I’m flexin on em’.

Until next time…

-Peach

Self-Care Series: Smudging

burning-sageEnergy is everything! It’s important to get your energy right. If you ever felt like the energy was not right in your home, work environment, your soul/spirit…or anywhere else…then you should try smudging. Smudging is an energy cleansing ritual created by Indigenous people.  I love to smudge! When I first discovered smudging it was referred to me by my therapist. However, shortly after I started smudging, I learned that it was a part of my Indigenous cultural roots.

I smudge several times a week, which some may think is a little too much. But who cares. To smudge the key ingredient you need is sage. My preference in sage is, white sage. I find the smell of white sage to be pleasant and relaxing. When I do smudge…I smudge my house, myself, and let the smell linger while meditating. When I am on the go, or in public places where a fire alarm may go off, I use my liquid white sage spray.

Typically, you can find sage in spirit stores, Indigenous trading post stores, or even on Amazon. There are trendy stores that sell sage and crystals. However, I question the authenticity of the sage and crystals in trendy stores. I’ll talk about crystals on a different post. I say that to say…to perform a historical ritual, you must buy your spiritual materials from places/spaces that reflect spiritual/Indigenous cultures.

Here’s what you need for your smudge starter kit and ritual experience:

  1. Find sage of your choice
  2. Light the smudge stick
  3. Walk around your space wisping the smudge stick
  4. Say a prayer or mantra while smudging to remove negative energy
  5. Open windows to release the negative energies

Believe me, once you try smudging you with start to feel the energy around you shift more positively.

Until next time…

-Peach

Self-Care Series: Sipping Tea

Nothing is more calming then a nice hot cup of tea. When it comes to mental, physical, and spiritual healing, tea drinking is a well-known self-care practice. What started as a Chinese tradition quickly expanded into different cultures and regions. Currently on the market, there is a large assortment of teas that you can buy and many different ways you can drink tea.

I love tea! I collect all different types of teas. My reasoning for collecting so many different types of teas is that, I need a tea for every situation. My favorite teas at the moment are positive energy, tension tamer, green tea, skin detox, and chai tea. I developed my tea drinking habit from my dad. He would always rise early in the morning and drink green tea. Unbeknownst to me, this was and still is my dad’s favorite form of meditation. When I was a child I could never understand why my dad would drink tea, but now as an adult I completely get it. Tea is a self-care practice that consciously encourages you to be still.

When you drink tea, you should be intentional. Be intentional in the type of tea you select, make sure it fits the mood you are in. Also, be intentional when you sip your tea. Every sip you take, savor the moment with reflection and breathwork.

If you haven’t already…take care of yourself and be still with a cup of tea.

Until next time…

-Peach

Self-Care Series: Journaling

journaling

Journaling is one of my favorite self-care activities. I naturally gravitate to journaling because I am a writer. But beyond feeding my passion for writing, journaling is extremely therapeutic! The process of journaling is simple…grab a journal, a pen/pencil, and start writing. Journals have a huge significance in allowing you the opportunity to re-center yourself. When you are centered your; communication improves, your stress levels reduce, you have better self-awareness, you find effective solutions to problems, and you become more emotionally balanced.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a journal collection addiction. I have a work journal, personal journal, gratitude journal, creative-thoughts journal, dissertation journal, and a journal just in-case I need an extra journal. I have always carried journals around since I was a child and not much has changed. When I journal no topic is off limits. I write about every topic/issue that concerns me because journaling creates an intimate space for me to be authentic, vulnerable, and shameless. Thus, the intended goal of journaling is to be the authentic, vulnerable, and shameless version of yourself.

If you already have a self-care practice of journaling or want to start a journaling practice…

Here are my top journaling tips:

  1. Find a journal that speaks to you
    • There are tons of journals with quotes and pictures. Find a journal that reflects who you are…or signifies who you would like to become.
  2. Find a sacred space to journal
    • Journaling can bring out many emotions, be in a space where your feel comfortable to release emotions.
  3. Journal often
    • The more you journal…the more you will be able to process experiences and emotions. This will lead you to a higher state of consciousness.
  4. Positive Affirmations
    • End your journal post with positive affirmations, be intentional with your words to manifest progress in the areas of your life you would like to improve.
    • I typically end my journal posts with hashtag affirmations like… #Imatter #Yougotthis #YourstrengthisBEAUTIFUL

Until next time…

-Peach

Self-Care Series: Sea Salt Baths

sea-saltSea salt baths have a lot of healing powers. The spiritual cleansing technique has been known to reduce anxiety, stress, insomnia, negativity, and a whole list of other things. I originally started taking sea salt baths as a recommendation, to reduce my anxiety and stress levels. As I started to see improvements with my anxiety and stress, I noticed how my energy improved as well. With having a empath personality, I am very receptive to others energy. To rid myself of the different energies I encountered throughout the day, sea salt baths did the trick.

My bath blend consists of sea salt and lavender oil. I typically take two sea salt baths a day, and if I’m in a rush I take a sea salt shower.

To make your sea salt bath blissful you will need the following:

  • 1 cup of natural sea salt
  • Few drops of essentials of your choice
  • Disconnection from any form of media (peaceful music is an exception)
  • 30+ minutes of time to yourself
  • Candles and white sage (optional)

To purchase sea salt, you can go your local spirit store (it can get pricey). Or you can go to your local Sprouts or Wholefoods and purchase natural sea salt by the pound. If you’re into aura cleansing let me know your favorite self-care practice below in the comments.

Until next time…

-Peach