How to Do a 10 Day Social Media Fast

Hi guys! It’s the time for me to fast from social media again and every time I complete an online fast it’s always such a refreshing feeling to take a break and spend more time with my thoughts/ feelings, my baby, and God.

Despite how 2020 turned out I have been on a grind so slowing down and doing other things than scrolling online is something I've been enjoying.

I typically complete a 10 day quarterly fast but with how things are going in my life, I think I want to implement these throughout the month to fall back when I feel overwhelmed, consumed, and things get too noisy.

There is a lot of different fasts that you can complete. I've completed a Daniel fast, a 40 day and 40 night fast, a weekly fast, and so forth. I focus on fasting from things I tend to go to the most to remind myself of the things I don't really need. 

This year I started off doing a 21 day fast that extended for 40 days and it went great. I remember 2 days before my 21 days fast was ending. The holy spirit spoke and told me to complete a 40 day fast and I was like HUH!? 

And guess what? A few days after that fast was over, I was able to get some insight about some issues I was going through personally and God revealed things to me so clear I knew exactly what I needed to do. During my current fast I didn't eliminate food, it was more about getting offline for a moment to unplug and take care of myself. Here are some easy steps to complete a social media fast and what to do afterward.

1. Plan out what you will do during your fast before you begin your fast.

• This will help you not be subject to pick up your phone and get online because you will already know what to do.

2. Delete ALL Social media apps 

• Deleting all your social media from your phone will help you from going online and begin strolling back on the media.

3. Breath/Don't overthink things

• If you feel as if you can't make it, breathe. It's ok, look at this detox as a reward, not a burden, and change your way of thinking.

4. Spend time with your family

• I would say and friend as well but the way Covid-19 is set up, nobody's safe. But spending time with my son has been such a rewarding feeling.

5. Talk to God

• Let me tell you, I'm not fearful for 2021 but I am not stressing about my dreams and goals. I am writing them down, working on my budget, brain dumping, and giving it all to God because we just don't know. So I would rather make plans but ask God to guide me through them if it's his will.

Doing these basic things has helped me during this time.

I'm working on a lot and all I can do is take things one day at a time and breath. I'm happy, refreshed, and ready for all God has in store for me.

What to do after your fast?

1. Clean up your social media.

• A day before I get back, I typically delete people who weren't beneficial to feed, take any images down from more than 5 years ago, and prep for what images I want to post.

2. Review your social media

• I like to go through my images and check out my insight for engagement, clicks to see what post are beneficial to my audience to see what worked and what didn't

3. Submit your Ideas to God

• If there are any ideas on the table, I like to give them to God so he can direct my path

I hope these were helpful. Happy new years to you all. Praying your 2021 goes well in Jesus name.

10 Lesson 2020 has Taught Me

December is always a reflective month for me. It's a month I am still, more entuned and aware of the things happening around me. This has been one hell of a year and I don't know about anybody else but I'm happy and grateful to still be breathing. I've learned so much this year that during my reflection 2020 has taught me all these things.

1. There is a lot of work to be done internally.

2. I have everything I need.

3. Your people are right in front of you.

4. God never intended pain to be our teacher.

5. Everything that has happened to us, got us to our now.

6. You can only run from yourself for too long before you catch up with yourself.

7. You are your worst enemy.

8. Everything starts in the mind.

9. You may feel lonely but you're never alone.

10. Situations come to teach us not to stop us.

Think about these things. What are some things 2020 has taught you? To go deeper into your journey, download a FREE guide below to help you reflect on this year's lesson.

I hope you have an awesome holiday season.

 

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StoryTime | I Thought I was Having a Girl

It took me a moment for me to record this but i am here to share my journey so, here it is. This was one of those WTH moments that i had a chose in the moment to turn the negative into the positive.

Thank you guys for watching!

My Testimony video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYhVkJZffnE&t=998s Subscribe to my Authentic tribe: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/j9t4r5 My Blog: https://www.authenticallyz.com My Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Connect with Zak! Instagram: @authenticallyZ Twitter: @authenticallyZ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Authenticallyz/ For Business with branding and product reviews ONLY, please contact me at: styleguruzak@gmail.com Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored video. Keyword: Storytime, i thought i was having a girl but its a boy, Can a boy be mistaken for girl ultrasound, disappointed i'm having a girl, disappointed i'm having a boy, chances of having a boy when, ultrasound says girl, scan said girl but had boy, having a boy after a girl, how often is a boy, mistaken for a girl in an ultrasound, told boy at ultrasound but had a girl, sad about having a boy, authenticallyz, zaklgrace,

3 Easy Budget Friendly Birthday Ideas for a 2 year old

 

This week since its my babies birthday 3 fun ideas if you're struggling with coming up with ideas for your 2 year old. This year I decided not to do much for my baby since we are still in a pandemic and we don't have time getting sick while the city is opened. Were good. All my family wants to do is get the kids together and play and I know he will love that because in for sure that he's tired of looking at me acting crazy, dancing in his face on zoom calls for work. So I decided last minute of course with just doing some small, intimate for 1 hour of fun with my baby and his cousins and call it a day. 

For the decorations, The idea is to buy one pack each of whichever character your child likes and buy solid colors to go with the décor.

• Example: So if my son likes ToyStory (which he does) I would just buy a tablecloth, one pack of plates, one pack of cutes, one pack of napkins and blend them in with solid colors for savings.

My favorite store to shop for solids and decorations is Dollar Tree. I can get a whole party for $20 when it comes to my 2 year old or hell any party, Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Ok, let's get to those 3 ideas, here are 3 budget friendly birthday ideas for your a 2 year old.

1. Backyard Party.

This one is so simple and toddler parties are fun and cheap to plan. You can get a bouncer, petting animals, a pool, or even an art set up for the kiddos right in the backyard. Now the clean up may be a mess but I love set ups.

Total Party: Range $50-150

2. Local Park Party

Last year for my son's first birthday, we had a park party that was fun and relaxing.

It was easy to set up but I hated the breakdown. I brought a tent for shade and told my guest to BYOC (bring your own chair)LOL so that my cleanup would be easier. We invited about 25 to 30 guest, I brought fresh pizza for us and the kids with wings and relaxed while the kids played right at the park so I didn't have to purchase any additional play items. That was a plus for me.

Total Party: $150

3. Indoor Party

This is my favorite because this is my plan for this year. Now if the weather is in your way for the first suggestion. Pick an area in your home to have an intimate party for the little ones. I only spend $25 at the store for snacks, water, and the cake. I have plenty of toys with music so we have all we need because we will also be using this time to catch up as well.

If you need something else for entertainment have a few games set up, or purchase local entertainment for fun. I only plan to have this small gathering for an hour or two so I'm not doing all big stuff that. Kids 3 and under are easily satisfied with the smallest things. They are grateful so for my son to see his cousins is a priceless moment for him. And to say I was literally going to just get him a cupcake and let him have fun with that. I think him and his 2 cousins will wear themselves out together.

Total Party: $50

This didn't take to much planning with my busy schedule but because i schedule all my time in it made my life a lot more easier. If you need a weekly planner to help make your life easier. Grab a FREE copy of my "Daily Planner for Moms" below.

These are all that I would do during this pandemic time since we are still on lockdown. Did you think this 3 easy budget friendly birthday ideas for a 2 year old were helpful? Let me know in the comments. If you have any other ideas for budget friendly let me know too.

Amazon Hair Under $75 | Unice Unboxing and Review

This week, we are talking all things hair, Okurr.

In order for us to begin the image we need, we need to tackle ourselves from head to toe. This company reached out to me to review this hair product that (im not gone lie) go your girl feeling some kind of way. Check out this weeks video of me unboxing this cute bob under $75. I'm always looking for a deal. this is a steal. what are your thoughts? Are we liking or loving. I say both.

Hair Details:

6% Off Coupon code:LOVEUNICE UNice website: https://amzn.to/2TRF14r link to same bob lace closure https://amzn.to/33FivC2

link to UNice Hair Amazon Store: https://amzn.to/2XcwGgl Book updates: https://marvelous-composer-1043.ck.page/6cb6431105 The Virtuous Women Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Connect with Zak! Instagram: @authenticallyZ Twitter: @authenticallyZ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Authenticallyz/ For Business with branding and product reviews ONLY, please contact me at: styleguruzak@gmail.com Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored video. Keywords:  unicehair, Amazonwig, Amazon bob wigs, Amazon wig, amazon wig review, amazon wigs human hair, amazon hair lace front, amazon wig review human hair, amazon human hair wigs, under $100, unice hair, unice hair amazon, unice hair review, unice hair wigs, amazon wigs hair, amazon hair review, unice hair amazon wig bob, authenticallyz, ZakLGrace.

My Testimony: From Hurt to Heal

 

Peace, blessings, and love to you all! 🍂✨ Happy Fall! I’m loving the cool breeze rolling in, but that also means it’s time to get my little one ready with his fall and winter gear. This season always brings a fresh start, but let’s be real—2020 has been a year like no other. If you’re still standing, take a moment and say Amen for God’s grace keeping you this far.

 

I’ll be honest—this video took a while to edit, and fear had a lot to do with it. I kept waiting for the right moment to put it out, but God spoke, and all I heard was: It’s time. So here I am, sharing the beginning of my journey.

 

If you’ve ever felt like healing is out of reach, I want you to know—it’s not.

• Let the Holy Spirit walk with you. 
• Face the pain. 
• Allow time to heal your wounds.

Scripture of the day:
📖 Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

I pray this encourages you. Watch the full video below. 🎥

Song mentioned: This Is Not Enough – Hammock

 

💭 Quote to reflect on:
"Heal before someone else has to heal from you."

 

Let’s stay connected! 💬👇🏽
📸 Instagram: @authenticallyZ_
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🌍 Bluesky: @authenticallyZ.bsky.social
📬 Substack: AuthenticallyZ

Night Terrors | Toddlers

3 Ways to Help your Baby Get Through Night Terrors 

Hey guys so last month, my baby was experiencing night terrors, which equates to no sleep for us both. It's been a very interesting experience for me because I've been sleep deprived and scared but trusting God to get me through the day. 

I remember when this first started, my son was about 3 months old and it scared the heck out of me. I thought he fell or someone was in the apartment. I prayed over my baby when it happened and I thought we were done with this situation. But in August this terror became a terror in my home. 

What is a night terror? A night terror is when your baby wakes up screaming and scared but still sleeping. It's equal to a person who is sleepwalking. 

When this consistently happened for 3 nights in a row some concerns begin to arise in me like is something wrong with my child, is his spirit disturb, or is he having a nightmare?

I couldn't find an answer so I just went to the Lord because I refused to get suggestions from google who would have you thinking you have cancer from a cough. He gave me such peace and these 3 steps to take care of this terror. We haven't experienced any since.

1. Bring your baby to God

This is so important. As parents, we have to realize our kids are not ours, they're Gods. You must begin to pray over your child especially in trying times as such.

Including specific prayers for my child has helped me in ways I could never imagine because when you bring your children to God, you are trusting God to help you in situations you have no control over.

2. Create Structure for your Kids

This means having them on a schedule with included naps, which is super important. Taking daily naps for kids is crucial to night terrors. So if they are on a schedule this helps their sleep patterns sink in.

If you need an idea of how to create structure, grab the daily routine sheet I created for my baby here.

3. Be their comfort

Another important step. When this recently started back up. I woke up scared poop-less asking my baby “What's the Matter” in a loud voice which is big no-no with night terrors. Saying things such as Its ok, I am here, and you are safe are some words of comfort your baby needs to hear.

 

Bonus 

4. Cry if you need too 

Trust this is a hard process but we are built for hard. The last time this happened I was sleep-deprived, tired, and drained because we were up for 2 hours and I just went to sleep and had to get right back up in 3 more hours. I was completely depleted. 

I also wanted to share with you a few things “not to do”.

• Depending on your child, do not touch your baby unless they reach for you. 
• Do not talk in a loud tone.
• Do not turn the light on (this makes things worse).

These are some things that helped us get through the night. I hope you're encouraged.

Tags: Baby night terrors, night terrors, my baby has night terrors, Night terrors 1 year old.