Category Archives: Personal care

What is Holding You Back?

31 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Celebrating, Dreams and ambitions, empowerment, Goal setting, having bad days, health and wellbeing, Living, new year, Personal care, Personal Development, Planning 2026, Weekly posts, Winter Wellness

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Obstacles (jumping hurdles)

See above a blog I wrote in 2018 and still relevant because as there is always obstacles but I have learned to deal with them and not allow them to stop me in achieving my goals and dreams. I do a radio show and we have a new system to play music. I have found it challenging but rather than avoid, faced it head on and I know if I keep using it, the less of a hurdle it will become and challenges are there to help you.

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Life has a way of keeping you on your toes and so allow the hurdles or doubts that come into your mind, and life and what you want to do. Do you want the voice of doubt bug you? Are you going to quit?

Quitting is fine, but if it ends up as a regret then take some time to reflect and does it excite you? Mel Robbins says that anxiety and excitement is the same thing. I love my show, I just finding the nerves overwhelming but I know this is what I was meant to do along with writing blogs, books and creating videos. I care so much and want to create my blogs, videos and show to help those. The Radio show is for my local hospital as it is a hospital radio station and I get so much joy.

What does a new year mean to you?

Is there something that gives you a burst of excitement?

I am going to see Bon Jovi once again. Yes it could end up being cancelled, I may become ill, but what ifs are just that. What if it all turns out alright? My son is going to a potential school option and finally get a placement. I have chosen to have less commitments for myself in 2026 to spend my time visiting different places I’d like to take my son to and want to explore more and continue what we did the year we are leaving and yes trains can have disruptions and the buses haven’t been reliable but we have got to where we wanted to be and plan less to do more.

Twenty twenty five has been a good year. Okay my son got sick at the beginning but we still had the meal we wanted afterwards, because he was taken to hospital and Henry was fine, he didn’t have a meltdown and just chilled until we could go home and just a bump in the road. Life will have bumps and as much as we don’t want our kids to be sick, their intolerances and immune system need to develop and so, he wasn’t fazed by it and so I am not.

When we went to the Polka theatre a lot and one of the shows we ended up getting drenched. The Radio event I did for the first time, leading to Christmas in 2025 finished early because of the weather and had issues with music and the choir shows, but we carried on and I enjoyed it and was a good experience and didn’t allow my nerves to talk me out of it.

So face the obstacle but don’t allow them to continue to grow, my word for 2026 and if you fall, get back up again and carry on.

I have written another blog about the Inner Critic on one of my other sites: https://buildingselfconfidencetud.blogspot.com/2020/07/learning-to-love-yourself-instead-of.html

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

If you want to give yourself a break then do so

24 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Celebrating, having bad days, health and wellbeing, Living, Personal care, Planning for 2025, Reflecting, Winter Wellness

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Christmas is a great time to slow down. I am watching a bit of the Royale Family, BBC Sitcom, because it really homely and #Christmas is a good time to chill and not do so much and watch a classic bit of TV. Check out my latest Cheat Sheet Weekly Cheat Sheet: Tips On What to do to Delegate duties to help set up Christmas Day

Our Spread on Christmas Eve 2025.

It is also time to have a bit of chocolate, a festive coffee. My favourite festive drink this year (2025) is the Nutcracker. What is yours this year?

Give yourself time to just chill and tomorrow I am looking forward to not having a no alarm and gonna read and listen to an audiobook and make breakfast. We are having a cooked one. So get out your #DVD’s and go through your planner of #TV saved and take a break to recharge and have good family time to have a good break.

You do not have to be rushed off your feet, if you do not want to. We are going to have Christmas dinner, but I would like to watch a film. I have a cold coffee on the go, on the sofa with a blanket, in my PJ bottoms and Christmas jumper.

If you want to go out and have something to eat rather than stopping then why not? It is good to just do what makes you happy and helps you to wind down. There was a time I worked at Christmas time when working at a holiday camp and it was good fun, but I did miss home and we’d go out, but Christmas days could be very long and glad I no longer have the Christmas hangover. Remember about getting home and a tip, book a taxi before hand and if you can travel with someone else then do or stay at a friends house.

Just having a change can do the world of good and so cooking now. I have put on some sausage rolls and bought wine but I feel like a cup of tea. We just had some cheese and crackers with the sausage rolls, crisps and dip. Light cooking on Christmas Eve is what keeps me sane and as I finished this blog just watched Calamity Jane.

So merry Christmas everyone, and I am vlogging; I will post a vlog on Friday so please check my Vlog channel, along with my other two.

https://www.youtube.com/@typicallondongal

https://www.youtube.com/@financialliving

(128) Carries Education Youtube Channel – YouTube

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Saying Things You Don’t Mean

14 Tuesday Oct 2025

Posted by in Everyday living, having bad days, health and wellbeing, Living, People, Personal care, Personal Development, Positive Habits, Weekly posts

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“Why say it?”

Have you said that?

I have. When having an argument said something you shouldn’t have.

Take a moment to breath and go somewhere you can cool off and reflect.

People clash, its human nature and its a form of protection. It can affect the environment and escalate so do you want to put the fire out or keep it burning?

I have hit out and I am not proud of that. I find anger overwhelming, to the point I am not able to calm down, so I will leave the room or take two or so minutes, but then come back apologised and all has been right again.

It is good to have your say and give your point of view, but calling someone a nob head is not the way. Yes we want to vent and glad I have a journal and this has made a huge difference and use it for my books and looking back, realising that I lost control and I have learned from arguments and to put the smoke out, before its turned into fire.

I have looking back, laughed at myself. I remember when I was with my husband, when he was trying to give up smoking and we argued over a plate of chips and a draw. I remember saying “Have a bloody cigarette”. That wasn’t the best form of advice and should have been a lot more supportive as it can be hard to give up a habit and a lot of people smoke because it to them is calming and a break.

I felt like it was a personal attack, but no it just was that I wanted to share a plate of chips but not draw and now writing this, makes me laugh as actually I get his point.

He did when people were band from smoking in a pub, gave up smoking and he has never gone back. So often it can be that someone is fighting against a addiction or a habit. He just wasn’t in the right mindset to give up smoking. I am very good at weighing up my emotions, by thinking, “Is this going to lead to an argument and is worth venting about?” This helps me think before I speak and defuse the smoke before it turns into a fire.

No human being is perfect. Some may think they are, but noone is. Not that is some excuse to be verbally abusive. I have through habits controlled my feelings. This is journaling, walking and writing. As said weighing up. I will ask myself “How would you feel if someone said that to me?”

I dislike people who are hypocritical and have double standards. It should be one rule for all not specific people and being fair.

There have been times that I know I am right and finding myself wanting to say “Oh shut you shit bag and listen” but stopped myself and asked, “Do I want a good day or not?” and kept my thoughts to myself.

So try to stay calm and write it down. Turn it into a story, write a letter to yourself and if you can take yourself out of the situation, to defuse it before you say anything you will regret later. Try to remain in a good mindset and not lash out.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Autumn Reset: Getting Up at 4am Is Up To You

03 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in Autumn Reset, Everyday living, health and wellbeing, Living, Personal care, Personal Development, Youtube videos

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For a while I had been getting up really early with no alarm, just relying on my body clock and not going back to bed because I’d end up having a nightmare and would feel overly tired.

Last week I was shattered and was even told I look tired and was feeling agitated and yet like as I start this blog, realised I can still read and do a bit of writing on my laptop, by not getting up super early. I would some mornings be wide awake, but by 2pm I’d feel wiped out.

I have changed my routine and still been awake early, but brush my teeth and just chill and the get up at 6am. So do successful people get up at 4am or is it a myth? A trend?

Not getting up a 4am I can still have my first cup of tea, read and be in bed and turn the light off and if I get a couple more hours of sleep, then I listen to my body and obey it.

Steven Bartlett doesn’t get up early. He never books appointments before 11am. I think it is choice and what each persons body, tells them if they are an Early Bird or a Night Owl. Yes my son is an early bird, but I want to stay in bed, then I will. It is what I feel like and what suits me as an individual.

I was going to bed early but I would be awake by midnight fighting with my tiredness, feeling wide awake taking ages to go back to sleep. So now I stay up between 9pm to 11pm and I find it works better for me.

What works for you

Yes I have heard theories about if you go to bed early you wake up earlier but like I have said, my body and mind likes to sleep when I feel actually tired enough and I like to spend time doing a bit of writing in the early evening and then watch some TV and that is what works for me.

When some people do night shifts they still have to sleep and one of my uncles did that for years and so it is what suits a persons lifestyle. They still need to eat and stay hydrated, stay clean and have some winding down time.

So if you want to get up at 4am and it suits you, great, if not then do what works for you. You are your own boss and your choice, going on your lifestyle and what helps you to sleep well, to function well.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Life Coaching: Loving The Image you see.

24 Sunday Aug 2025

Posted by in Everyday living, Friendships and relationships, having bad days, health and wellbeing, life coaching blog, Living, Personal care, Personal Development, Printables, Summer Project

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I did a video about this, please click here to see it: life Coaching Video for my Summer Project programme about Changing Your image

Originally when I wrote this down it was about Body Image, but I now realise it is not just about that. It is all to do with how you treat yourself. This is not treating yourself with a box of chocolates, I mean being verbally kind to yourself and in your mind.

I am in a good place now. I have changed my thoughts of myself and my life in general. There are times in the mornings where I see my hair is all messy, I see unwanted hair growth but also, my room or home is chaotic and have no sense of, Is this it. Is this what my life looks like?

I have just come back from Wimbledon with my mum and step dad and I have case full of clothes, bag full of my notebooks and journals and I have believe it or not I did a declutter. So I am working on it. I will spend time tidying, unpacking and know I can get it back into shipshape.

I wrote a blog about if you were looking in the mirror, what would I’d like to see. Not self image but your life and what changes do you want to make. Self Development: If you had a mirror showing Your life what would you like to see?

Spend time filling in my printable to go through your days, what would you like to focus on and making changes to how you feel now.

The Free Printable for my Life Coaching programme Summer Project 2025 (1)Download

This is free to download. It is reprogramming your thought patterns. I now make sure I read each day, because it slows me down and feel calm in the mornings now. I will have breakfast and go for morning walk. I do a bit of writing each day. These have really helped with stress and anxiety.

What one thing do you want to change in the mornings?

Write down in the printable or notebook of What is the first thing you in the morning. It used to be, for me get up, watch Youtube and before getting my son ready for school and it became a habit that would not help my day, because I would be lazy. It should have been to get my son ready for school. My son was close by, but had to get my priorities right and me and my husband would argue, because of it and if it were the other way around, I wouldn’t have been happy.

There was a time where I would come home angry. I was working in a Call Center, where people would call in, not happy, because I worked as a technical advisor/call agent and would go home and would bring what happened each day, home.

So are you have a lot of arguments?

Is a job, sleep or a relationship?

Is the food that you eat?

It is making sense of it all and creating a picture of yourself and your life and what do you want out of life?

Who do you spend time with?

I make sure that my son is okay and say good morning to him, have breakfast together, read and make sure my bed and his, is made and that my life is functional and do the things in my life that will help me grow and everyone in my life grow. Checking in on them and make the effort to have a good day, facing challenges but not making them stop me, from living.

It is also good to be selfish at times, check out this blog: Its Okay to Be Selfish

Not having too many commitments, but that I have some social interaction and my son does too. I like to have a day off from everything and last Tuesday had a proper lazy day. I still worked on some content but stayed in and it felt so good.

I wish you all the happiness in the world. Life can be joyous and the image of it. Feel good about yourself. I write another google blog site, called Building Self Confidence – The Ugly Duckling: https://buildingselfconfidencetud.blogspot.com/

I really hope you find my Life Coaching Programme helpful and please give me your feedback and what would like to see in my next one.

What is coming up?

My Autumn Reset. Where I will be working on various areas and getting ready for the new season.

My new book is out. It is available from amazon: https://read.amazon.co.uk/sample/B0BGSS7H9K?clientId=share

There are two more blogs to come and so this Programme, I had created two year ago, is ending for 2025, making room for Summer Project 2026.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Life Coaching Programme Summer Project 2025 Changing Your Image From my Own Experience

20 Friday Jun 2025

Posted by in health and wellbeing, life coaching blog, life coaching video, Living, Personal care, Personal Development, Planning for 2025, Positive Habits, Summer Project, Weekly posts

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It has been a life of regret, struggles and low self belief. I had no respect for myself and would avoid looking in the mirror. Check out this video about Changing your Image:

life Coaching Video for my Summer Project programme about Changing Your image

I go through the issues I had and doing things to get over those feelings and feel good about myself.

It has taken many years, learning and understanding to accept myself and proud of the person I have become but do need to recover certain relationships as often it is the inside the person that matters and not calling someone a name and hitting out to the people that I love and who love me back and recovering from a Mental Health diagnosis, psychosis and having terrible anxiety.

I kept feeling the worst and forgiving myself, check out this blog and feeling good about myself: https://buildingselfconfidencetud.blogspot.com/2025/06/be-your-own-bestfriend.html

Things that were happening to me growing into a woman I found tough, being an early developer and felt out of control as my body changed and so my insecurities grew.

Life has a way of hitting you in the face and making you feel lost. I lost myself for a while, battling with my Mental Health, but from the knocks that life makes, where you fall of the rails to make you stronger and feel I do have courage and resilience to not to allow my inner critic get me down and spending time with the right people who do really do love me, has made me see that I Iook fine and the right shape for my height and body.

I blamed others for the way I felt and I had to take responsibility that noone is to blame I just needed to get a hold of myself and stop worrying what I don’t have but what I do have.

It has been a rollercoaster but I now know how to stop it and make an effort to help me to feel good about myself. I hated my teeth, my boobs and my stomach.

So I please enjoy the video and please subscribe if you’d like to be notified of when I post on this site and my educational Youtube Channel.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Remember What Is Important to You

18 Sunday May 2025

Posted by in Everyday living, having bad days, health and wellbeing, Living, People, Personal care, Personal Development, Self Development training, Weekly posts

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We can lose our sense of self worth when things go wrong and feel that we are inadequate. Comparing ourselves to others. Not wanting to be face to face with ourselves.

The question I ask myself when I am having a down moment is, “Why do I feel this way?”

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It can be influence, but I feel it is deeper than that. I feel it is because it becomes habit, i have done for so many years to the point it can be draining. I remember at Primary school and a girl I was sitting with said when I was touching my hair “You love yourself” like there was something wrong with that. Why shouldn’t I love myself? Why can’t we feel good and be happy with who we are?

There is no shame in feeling good about yourself. No more underestimating yourself and celebrate what you bring into the world. The world is happy that you are here and what you bring to it.

  • Document your feelings.
  • Have some quiet time
  • Leave the chores
  • Be in a different environment
  • Meet a friend or relative not seen for a while

You should never live your life by somebody else’s means. It is a personal choice and what makes you feel good about your life and doing things that help to create abundance and that your not just a number but a human being who is kind to others but also to yourself.

I got my hair done this week, I now take my supplements again along with keep getting out. That is important to me. I am fed up of feeling like I don’t matter and dread. I am done with those feelings. I like who I am and feel proud to be me.

Give yourself praise by writing down what you like about yourself aswell as what is bothering you and is there someone who always puts you down and speak with them to address, what they have against you. Don’t pay attention to them. I have come to realise that I am not to everyone’s tastes. I know I can get on people nerves as I can be up and down in terms of mood and indecisive.

Its what is important to me and be the person I wish to be, as long as it isn’t lashing out like I did once upon a time. I have been jealous and critical of others and now I know better than that and want to see people happy not sad and really focus on building my self worth, being Selfish check out this blog: Its Okay to Be Selfish at times and if you continuously feeling down then perhaps speak to someone. I got help. I was falling a apart. I didn’t know what was real and what was not.

I am fully recovered now and no where to go should I relapse and not allow my mind to go crazy but listen to my gut and building my self confidence that I am back to being happy go lucky and living for each day and enjoy who I am and my life.

So today what is important to you? Take time in going through it.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Weekly Cheat: Teach Yourself

12 Monday May 2025

Posted by in Cheat sheet, Everyday living, having bad days, health and wellbeing, Living, Personal care, Planning for 2025, Positive Habits, Printables, Weekly posts

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Hello! I hope you had a good two weeks. Here is a new Weekly Cheat Sheet and this week it is about Teach Yourself. I wrote a blog in Change Your Life in April 2025 and it is about being Selfish and is so important: Its Okay to Be Selfish

I am the happiest I have been doing things that make me feel good each day. I love reading and make sure each day I spend time reading. I like to do home workouts and having a coffee in the morning, not all the time now and popping out going for walks.

Cheat yourself weekly cheat sheetDownload

These are free to download and print. They are on many different topics. If you’d like to be notified when I post a printable or a post, please subscribe.

Just to let you know I will be doing my yearly my Life Coaching programme Summer Project 2025 and will begin in June 2025 to August 2025. There will be a free worksheet for it, blogs and Videos. The Videos will be on my Educational Youtube channel: Carrie Educational Youtube channel – YouTube

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

It’s Never Too Late

17 Thursday Apr 2025

Posted by in Everyday living, Goal setting, health and wellbeing, Personal care, Personal Development, Planning for 2025, Printables

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Hello so if you didn’t read my previous blog then please check it out here: breaking-barriers

I am doing a new training programme which it is called Change Your Life.

Photo by Stas Knop on Pexels.com

It is free and there will be videos aswell coming and is for April 2025, but you can do this training any time. It is not to make you feel pressured but do it when you have a chance as we all lead busy lives and take your time filling in the Worksheet.

So in this blog I want to talk about how It’s Never Too Late. As a kid I loved music and would listen to it everyday and daydream. When I left school I wanted to work on radio and it was my mum who suggested about working on hospital radio, but I had no idea how to go about it. Then last year I saw a banner outside Epsom Hospital about their radio station. I looked on the website and filled in the waiting list and was contacted by email to come to a recruitment evening and now a year later I now presenting on Sunday’s and have my own show. I am 47.

There is a lady that we met at St George’s hospital who is an MP for Tooting who also works in the hospital and she didn’t do well in her GCSE’s as she went to the same school as me. I went to a Westminster school and really wanted work in Medicine and so now she does both.

Never give up on your dreams and ambitions.

I remember saying to a colleague when working in a call center saying to him about following your dreams and now is a nurse at St George’s hospital. It is important to have ambition and what has helped me continue growing as a woman, sister, mum and daughter was my mum. She did a degree when she was in her 40’s/50’s and I admire that.

When doing parkrun there are people of different ages. You have children, teens, middle age and elderly and are as fit as anything and gone on to do 100 parkrun’s, when I have done my 4th and so its never too late.

In fact now I am in my 40’s have more confidence by living and finding out what my capabilities are and feel that I have gone through a tough time and now have a more drive, to follow my dreams, more than anything and glad I have had the jobs I’ve had, taking part in fundraising events and doing things I never imagined. There was no such thing as a blog, Youtube and social media.

Life can be a surprise and when I went to dancing school one of he teachers had a terrible accident which caused her to break her leg and quite seriously and took on dancing and it was through dancing she made a full recovery and became a dancing teacher and I will never forget her. So if there is something you want to do then you can. Believe in yourself, never give up and if you have stories of achieving your dreams, please share below in the comment section.

I will be doing Race For Life again on the Epsom Downs. Please check out my just giving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/carrie-challoner-10?utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL

Here is my Worksheet which is free to download and print and will help you Change Your Life.

Change your life WorksheetDownload

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Weekly Cheat: Having a Reset. Making a Fresh Start

24 Monday Mar 2025

Posted by in Cheat sheet, Goal setting, having bad days, health and wellbeing, Living, Personal care, Personal Development, Planning for 2025, Printables, Weekly posts

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Hello! It is the start of a new week and today I have been updating my google calendar and lists on Notion, getting tasks that are Overdue. This weeks Cheat Sheet is tips on Having a Fresh Start to having a Reset.

Ten Ways of having a Fresh Start by doing a Monday 24th March 2025Download

They are free to download and print. If you’d like to be notified of when I post on this site then you can do so my subscribing.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X