Hello Autumn – Mindful October Goals

Well, hello Autumn. The weather has got much colder, my coat has come back out and it all feels very Autumnal now. This month is crazy busy so I wanted to make sure my October goals allow for that so that I don’t set myself up for a fall. Being mindful is key.

Goals should feel good and not like a drag. They need to be a challenge so you feel good for having accomplished them, but they need to be achievable so you don’t give up before you even get started.

This month we are moving home and leaving Bournemouth behind to start a new life in Dorchester.

Now as much as I’m really excited, I’m not gonna lie I’m an emotional wreck too. Our new home isn’t ready for 9 months, but to get the kids into Schools and the fact our current home is being sold we have to move now. This means living with family for 9 months till our place is ready.

That also means having to get rid of about 80% of our belongings as they can only store so much. Yeah I know we could pay for storage, but we really don’t wanna waste money on storing our things as our new home has everything we need already. It would just feel like we’d be throwing money at the wind.

Now as much as I’m happy to be having a mass declutter the pressure to make sure we are really mindful about what we keep (and do so within a small timeframe) has been immense. I mean I always have a huge declutter before we move anyway, but usually, if time is running out we always have the option to just throw stuff in boxes and worry about it at our new home. Not this time. This time we really have to be conscious packers.

So with all that going on and a holiday this month I’ve made sure to be really mindful of our circumstances and chosen my goals accordingly.

October Goals:

1) Wellbeing 1st

I’ve found myself struggling with anxiety with worrying about everything I need to do before we move and feeling totally overwhelmed. At times I’ve felt like I’ve just not been coping well at all so I know through all the mayhem I need to remember to prioritise my wellbeing to keep my sanity. Easier said than done, but I know I need to.

That could be simply making time to work out (which I’m pleased to say I did last month) or as easy as listening to an inspiring audio before bed. Just something to support my emotional wellbeing every day.

2) Lose Two Inches From My Hips

For September I had a goal to slim down with healthy habits and I struggled with that. I still want to lose some weight and so I know I need to be consistent and not give up on that goal, but last month I really didn’t feel that much different. I need a more specific measurable goal.

I’m pretty happy with my size except for my mid-section after knowing I didn’t take care of my body over Summer. Body confidence starts from within, but it’s also hard to feel body confident when you know you haven’t been taking care of yourself. I don’t know about anyone else, but I end up feeling bad about myself when I know I’ve abused my body. Now that is just wasted energy that I’m working on overcoming. I’m fed up with body guilt. More on that in a blog post soon.

Anyway, this is something really measurable, which I need. Wish me luck.

3) Practice More Patience

Man alive I’ve been a shouty Mum recently. When I’m feeling overwhelmed and stressed I’m more irritable and have considerably less patience. I’m having serious Mum guilt at the moment and feeling like a crap Mum, that is forever telling her kids off.

I’m going to make a conscious effort to try to have more patience and remember that whilst I may be feeling emotional and stressed with the move, they too are going through a big change. They need my reassurance, not my temper, no matter how anxious I’m feeling.  I need to practise compassion for myself and them. Beating myself up and then taking my frustration out on everyone else is helping no one. Kindness is needed all around.

4) Be On Top Of My Blogging Schedule

I now have 2 monthly features and one weekly feature. My monthly goals (if you’re reading this – it’s done for this month, go me lolz), my accountability check-in for said goals and the weekly Wellness Wednesday Feature. So at the very least, I need to get on top of these for October.

A few days before we move I’m not going to have time to write posts. Whilst on holiday I don’t want to worry about having to write blog posts and I don’t want to be panicking as soon as I return from our holiday either.  This means I need to have posts written and scheduled for about two weeks to avoid feeling very stressed. The exception to this will be the accountability post as I can’t write that ahead of time for obvious reasons, but I’ll just keep notes so that it won’t take me long. The key is to be focused and organised with my blog.

I know I could take a few weeks off and treat it as a holiday, but as I’m aiming to make my blog my full-time career by next September, I really don’t want to have no new content for a fortnight. I’d feel more comfortable and relaxed knowing that at the very least my regular features went up as normal.

5) Make Calls by 7th October

We have so many calls to make with moving home, cancelling the dentist and finding a new one etc. Simple errands but all time consuming when you have a lot of them. This is something that sounds daft but I feel a bit stressed about it. Purely due to the sheer volume of calls and other essential to-do’s I have to get through this month. I’m just feeling really overwhelmed by it all.

So instead of worrying and putting them off because I feel I don’t have time with packing, I’m just gonna aim to get them all done within the 1st week. That way, it’s not in the back of my mind causing unneeded stress.

It probably doesn’t sound much of a goal, but that’s the point. Sometimes the things that don’t seem much of a big deal, are in fact, the cause of a lot of our stress. If we just deal with them we can start to feel better. It’s so easy to think I don’t have time for that and have the mindset that I’ll worry about it later, but in reality, it doesn’t happen. You just end up fretting it’s not done. Sometimes the best course of action is to simply bump it to the top of the priority list. So that’s the plan.

Right, that’s it for my October goals. I’ll let you know how I get on at the end of the month. If you’re setting goals this month then loads of luck and happy October! x