So rather than give individual gifts, why not buy for the whole family with one big gift. Buy the family a beauty pack for the whole family to enjoy.
It is good to be inventive and what you can afford. Prices of things are going up and so I hope these gift ideas help you to budget and have a good Christmas without worrying about the price as its the fact you have given a gift that means the world to the people you love and care for.
Even a collage of family photos. I love being creative and I ask those I buy for of what they’d like.
So I will back with more Cheat sheets as we move forward towards Christmas and wish you a good week.
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A cup of tea and breakfast: I look forward to breakfast now and plan what I am going to eat that will boost my energy each day.
Reading: I love a good book to read and its nice to do a bit of reading and helps build my knowledge and helps me with my writing.
Go for a walk: I read at the doctors last Monday, as I had my Mental Health review and on the wall was a leaflet saying, that just a 10 minute walk is still exercise and vary my walks and routes I like to walk that is peaceful and love a pond or a river.
Do some studying: I have been doing a lot of courses and this has helped me use my time wisely as there is so much I’d like to do and helped me with writing my blogs and focus on my own wellbeing and understanding the body and mind, and love studying and learning new skills and building my knowledge on life to help me and pass on my knowledge to others, build their wellbeing.
Set your goals: A lot of time we can feel overwhelmed when we hear about setting goals and take a lot of time, but that is not the case. Focus on what you want and can be a small goal or a large goal. I did my 2025 goals and didn’t take long at all and looked the areas and things I enjoy and will help me feel good and enjoy life as much as possible as it goes to fast.
Change jobs and lifestyle: I have worked for many large companies, like I was a steward at Fulham Football club, the manufacturer Philip and International Tennis Federation and Diners Club and it has helped me shape my life and found the working world suited me, because I like earning my own money, but often found I would get bored and as soon as I found myself dreading the day, knew that it is not for me anymore and moved on. I currently do volunteer work and I really enjoy it. I work for Epsom Hospital Radio and have my own show on Sunday’s 4pm to 6pm, and been focusing on the things I enjoy and why I have been doing courses and getting back into fundraising. I am doing a Winter Walk in London in January and so glad to be able to do these events again as I have had battles with my Mental Health and so focusing on what I really want to do, like writing and working on radio, doing more volunteer work.
Family Time: I like family time and taking my son out and playing sports and walking. I feel privileged to be his mum and love that he loves my attention and this week after dinner and bath time, in the evenings been watching Deal or No Deal and playing table tennis. This week was his birthday and I was nervous about it but seeing him enjoy himself and love his presents make me appreciate time I have with him and with seeing other members of the family, because it flies by and like feeling like I have had a good day being productive and love the little things, as well as the big things.
Sometimes we just need a break. From devices, cleaning, socialising and do nothing, which Mel Robbins has talked about and it so true: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNPgn_qfoNk to recharge.
Yesterday we went out for my sons birthday and did a bit of planning using my notebook and Notion and taking a break to have a bath, watching and listening to the football scores and listening to Epsom Hospital Radio.
I have forgotten how good it is to do nothing. On Saturdays I love spending time sitting on the sofa listening to Marcus Tattersall who does the Saturday afternoon show on Epsom Hospital radio and can be heard in the UK and so please check it out. I also do a show show on Sundays, 4pm to 6pm. I’m not doing my show today, Sunday, as I am celebrating my sons birthday but back next Sunday and is free to listen.
It is good to sit and be present, taking in what is around you and so just chilling with a brew and with family is so fulfilling and love having days where I don’t need to go anywhere and stop in, so I get a good boost to go out on somedays but not putting too much pressure on myself and helps aluminate stress.
After my son came back from celebrating his birthday, going to the Ninja Warrior Adventure Park and it was good to take my makeup off, get into my Pjs and one of my nieces loves staying in her Pjs at the weekend and there was a time I did this too on some weekends and not having to lift a finger. I like to be ready to get back to sort the home out, going to appointments and just the daily grind after the joy of doing nothing.
I like Sunday mornings watching repeats of Cheers, Match of the day and normally my son will go to a rugby club, but he didn’t want to go, but is going to his football club later and I get to see it as I normally be doing my radio show.
So it is good to just relax, take some well earned time to just be doing sweet FA and enjoy.
I am going to do series of blogs called Body and Mind and making sense of the things we fear and how to control our mind and understand what our minds are trying to tell us.
To clarify I am Coach, Writer and Radio DJ and so not a medical expert, but from experience want to teach you to have a better look off life, with its obstacles. I suffer with anxiety and feel anxious a lot and now I use to help me, but not haunt me.
This is the first blog called, Thinking of the Worst Case Scenario:
I think it can be easy to the think the worst and there was a time where I would be fearful of my own shadow and when going out would be paranoid about having my belongings taken, missing the gap between the trains and platforms especially when travelling with my son and my anxiety became too much. Now though seeing things differently, I have come to see that our minds protect us and this is from a person who can and have been careless at times and thinking the worst is not always a bad thing.
Its our minds helping us, to see the danger, to warn us, of the worst case scenario, reminding us that life is full of unexpected events and seeing the dangers before they happen, to put things into play for potential risks and dangers.
This is what I do, to keep myself safe to stop the potential thoughts, thinking the worse case scenarios happening:
I do routine checks, so before I go out and or go to bed, check to see if my back door is locked and that the front door is locked.
In the mornings make sure my son has his water and snack as he has his lunches at school, as I always fear forgetting to do that, and not being able to fuel up and stay hydrated. Doing positive habits.
Make sure that my phone is fully charged each day. I was born during the time where there was no such thing as an mobile phones and so it amazes me, how times have changed and that my phone is a tool, so my sons school can get in touch with me and keeping in touch with friends and family and have my calendar set up and put notes into my phone, aswell as writing it down, so I keep track of health appointments and will be implementing another way of keeping tabs of appointments and special events by carrying around a diary with me, aswell as my phone.
I don’t disclose my personal details when vlogging or to scam emails and phone calls, along with messages.
I make sure address labels on packaging are destroyed when disposing packaging and that I wrap up food and the bins have been put out ready for the bins to be emptied by the dustmen and washing my hands after I have touched the bins and I keep areas of my home clean and food is not left out and open.
Be vigilant on buying chargers and electronic devices secondhand and make sure they are in good condition and things are not left on charge and electrical equipment is lying around and not switched on all of the time.
I have put phone the TPS system on my mobile to stop cold callers and make sure anyone calling is someone I know and if I sniff a scam that it is dealt with immediately by ending the call and anything on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are reported and blocked and I do my research when it comes to being followed and are legitimate followers.
Making sure I am aware of roads and not, unless it is a park, have my earphones on and fully alert.
Create habits that help you not to worry and don’t avoid the thoughts that can cause a negative movie in your mind and you have reassurance by taking precautions and have more good days, rather than bad.
I have had a successful week and please tell me how you are getting on if you are doing the Autumn Reset. There is a comment box below. So the one thing I wanted to completed was my courses I was doing. I did one in life coaching and then counselling and have now been completed and it is good feeling and so I can focus on the other areas, like my next book of a series I am creating called mum and me. My first one has already been published and so here is a link if you’d like to check it out: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mum-Me-Gucci-Tits-Virtue/dp/B0BGNF4LNF
I want to complete the first draft of the second book and sort out my bedroom. Yesterday, I did film a quick declutter of my closet and getting rid of items and what I want to keep and feels good to say good bye to stuff and the clutter is going.
I am using my mornings to focus on my book and reading to help get it together and going through the first book and going to do a bit more plotting and using my notes to help build my story and it is taking shape.
What one thing can you do each today that will help you stay on track?
So I have a weekly planner on Notion but you can us a piece of a blank paper and with open with a calendar in front of you to work out the time you have to spare. If you do the school run mark this down, along with appointments and travel, and what gaps do you have. I remember watching Sunday brunch ( a UK TV programme on Sunday’s on Channel 4) they had Tom Fletcher from McFly sister, Carrie and she writes her books on the train to work and what time of the day do you have the most energy? I find it is the mornings.
I use google calendar and to block schedule.
What’s your main focus to reach the outcome in doing this years autumn reset?
So why are the areas you want to complete important to you in completing?
For me it is having the items that make me feel happy and have a good more productive space where I can write and want to get back into crafting and so the more I can sort out the more I can have a space to do my crafting, writing and sleep in.
I like to have a space to have a cup of tea beside my bed and a mirror and just make it a perfect nest for me and not have too much on the floor and not feel so closed in.
I want to eventually do everything in the shed and workout there and this will take time, because we have had the outside and roof sorted and cleaned and decluttered in there, but still needs to be decorated and made so it not cold being in there.
Do what you can and set your goals for it and reflect.
Can you have peace when you are trying to get to your kids to school or catching the train to go to work and have to come home and do some housework? It can be a juggling act and so when on the train just spend time looking out of the window and visioning your day and at lunchtime catch up on listening to a playlist or audiobook on your phone away from colleagues who may want chat about work, but is the last thing you want to do.
When I am working on building content I will have the TV off so I can be fully focused and walking noticing what is around me and allow my feet to walk and really helps to clear my mind and refocus.
Listen to your body and mind and what it needs. Yesterday I was not good, I had an allergic reaction to something and hadn’t slept, so took some medicine and didn’t film a vlog (vlog Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@typicallondongal) took a break from my laptop and just did nothing and I feel so good for that and today Saturday 28th September, I feel myself getting back to feeling normal, and it so happened to be my birthday.
Sometimes you just need to rest and your body will tell you. If your sick it means you have to slow down as your health is priority. Noone wants to be sick, everyone wants that boost of energy and positivity, so if your body is aching, your nose is running, like me had a rash and didn’t sleep well feeling “This is too much” pull yourself back and rest.
Everybody wants peace and quiet at times and this is why the reset is good, because if one of your areas you want to work on it is too have more peace and quiet, then make that happen. Schedule it in and let your family know and put a “Do not disturb” on the door and have a afternoon nap, do a bit of reading, journaling, meditation or watch a TV series, without your children interrupting, let them know its parents rest time. You can involve your family to all have a bit of peace and quiet, by doing a puzzle, watch a film or a reading hour for example and wind down properly each day.
I am a lot better today as I slept and glad for that time and reminded myself to “Switch Off ” and “Concentrate on my health” and thankful that I did that and so if your feeling rough, as also I am on my period, sorry if TMI, but can affect me too, in terms of sleep and energy, so listen to what your body tells you and look after yourself.
I hope these blogs help you and lets all work together to grow in learning about your body and mind so you become healthier and calmer.
If we didn’t have a Queen, we would have never had a King and now we have a King, he now will be head of the monarch and it has been a massive adjustment and I bet that he feels that too. It is not the title but the thing they do that has a massive impact and the Queen did that.
She had problems of her own, but she always showed up. You have Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned and became a figure head and helped stop black people being used as slaves and being mistreated and became a leader of his country and did so much to improve lives.
When I talk about Nelson Mandela, I think about Bob Geldof who used his talent of music to make a difference to those in Africa that were starving and created Band Aid, with it still to this day the song “Do they know it’s Christmas time” is still being played at Christmas and there have been different versions since then, but as far as I am concerned you can’t beat the original song. It sends a real message that we, including myself have taken special days and events for granted and there are many people who don’t because we still have people trying to have a normal life but because of money they aren’t able to.
Then there are children and Michael Jackson for example who were iconic because of his status in the music industry, that his music made a difference and with many being written by himself and still being played, long passed his life and his family lives. He was star from a child and he didn’t know anything else. Then there were the Spice Girls who became iconic, because they achieved success that beat male bands out of the air and still today they make an impact. Victoria Beckham, is now a fashion designer and Emma Bunton has been working on radio and helped the girl bands and that it okay to be a woman in music, and did get in touch with young girls and I remember when they became iconic, because I was living in a housing estate at the time a couple of girls upstairs were singing and copying the dance that they did to “Wannabe” and still today their music lives on.
I think it is because it takes people out of their lives for four to five minutes and helps them get through their lives. Music to me has had a massive impact and it takes me back to certain times and addresses how I am feeling. Sports like football helps you switch off from your life and that is how Paul Gascoigne became a famous because him crying made everyone else feel it, when we lost against West Germany in 1990. We saw them as human beings, which we can often forget and got in touch with people’s hearts. It boosted the football in England as we were so close in getting to the final and then the Premiership came to light and this changed the view on football and the leagues had all been shuffled and been changed.
Those who make such a impact has made us all wish to do the same and inspired us to be somebody by making a difference.
My grandparents and parents have been a massive impact on my life as it made me stand on my own two feet and that I do have a good effect support around me and grateful, rather than thinking of what I didn’t have, and embrace life now thinking of those who have helped me grow and will continue to do so.
If you’d like to share who was your biggest impact in your life. Please share you story if you wish and please subscribe to help grow this site and keep creating content that helps you.
I thought of this cheat sheet this week by doing my monthly shop where I by bits for the local food bank in Wimbledon/Merton to give back and also because my step dad helps an elderly lady and it is so rewarding to help others and we should all be working together for no more war, hunger and seeing families struggle to put food on the table.
These are tips on how you can do different acts of kindness if you know people that on their own and just need to see someone who wants to give them some company each day or week, but brightens up their day and not left all alone.
These are completely free to download and print and let me know your feedback on them and if there are other printables you’d find useful based on the content on this blog site and I do have many and do post a lot on my Pinterest and my social media platforms too: