Disaster Davis

Lots of changes. The month of March will be a month of madness indeed, continue reading this post to learn of the exciting and particularly busy times ahead!

1. Disaster Davis is moving to Blogger!
I should have probably gone with Blogger to start with although had I done that, then I’d have not befriended my lovely WordPress blogging friends! I feel that there’s a greater scope for communicating with other’s via Blogger, what with most people having a Google+ account, whereas on WordPress it’s much more limited in terms of communicating with other’s and getting feedback. Disaster Davis will however still be available on WordPress, I’ll instead have two platforms with the same content being posted. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this change! Meanwhile, head on over to Disaster Davis on Blogger at disasterdavis.blogspot.co.uk, take a look around. It’s very much still under construction as I have only started work on it today, it will be business as usual in time for my Monday upload but for now is a game of playing catch up with my previous posts!

2. Did I hear YouTube?
Yeah you are reading the above correctly. I’ve been toying with the idea now for some time, to start up a YouTube Channel as an extention of my blog. I know a few of my other blogging buddies are planning on also starting YouTube or have already dipped their feet in, it seems like such an exciting and fun change. I will still be keeping my blog and Disaster Davis will remain the main priority. If there’s anything you’d like to watch in particular then please leave me any suggestions you have, until then, watch this space!

3. I have a new job!
Taking more of a personal turn here, on Monday I handed in my notice at my job – I also have a new one! I already feel so much better about this change, the people I’ll be working with are absolutely lovely and I feel I’m going to fit in well. This isn’t the time or place to state my reasons for leaving my previous job but lets just leave it at the fact I were incredibly unhappy. Not only do I have a great feeling about my new job but it’s also got so many more positives to it and will also free up a little more time for me to embark on other endeavours!

4. Watch this space – new adventures in the pipeline!
Speaking of new endeavours, this is another personal change. Without going into too much detail and giving too much information away, I have decided that I’m going to try out a few different things. I’m really excited about these changes and can’t wait to get started on my plans. Life is filled with so much possibility for myself right now, I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome new adventures and experiences into my life and I will be sure to update you on these new additions to my life in time.

5. Mother’s Day!
I can’t forget that it’s Mother’s Day around the corner, can I? I hope you all have some epic plan in place to spoil and cherish your mother’s, they’re truely precious beings and you only get one! I’m personally so excited for Sunday and spending lots of quality time with my Mom once I have gotten work out of the way. I wonder if my fur babies have got me anything this year.. Hmm. How are you celebrating the day?

Is it just myself getting excited by all of this? If not then I’d love to be jointly animated in conversation via the comments below. I’d welcome suggestions for possible YouTube videos of which you’d like to see, also don’t forget to view, like, comment and follow my new blog space.

With Love,g
Disaster Davis x

(Original Post on WordPress)

Hello m’darling, as it’s ‘Motivational Monday’ here on the blog and it’s a few weeks into 2016 I thought now would be a good time to check in with the elusive new years resolutions. If you would like to familiarise yourself with my previous resolutions post of which I published on new years eve, then here it is: “Reach your Resolutions!”. Surprisingly, I’ve got off to a really good start.

1. Be happy and become more mentally stable. 
This is definitely a work in progress and something I always strive to achieve, I included this on my list of resolutions however in order to be more aware of it myself and because I need to learn to start putting myself first. As a naturally selfless person this is an incredibly hard thing to do. I wanted to try new things that could help towards stabilising myself mentally, of which I have already either started to do or have plans to attempt. My next resolution correlates well with achieving this one, though I have also put myself out there to hopefully receive more professional help, I’ve made a decision about my job which I feel can only be a good choice and I’ve been creating a little more time solely for myself by going swimming, allowing me to get away from other people and distractions. Although I’ve not wanted to leave the house recently (a great explanation for that can be found in my recent post: “Defeating Depression & Attacking Anxiety”), I have made it my mission to still get at least ten minutes of sunlight every day by sitting in the garden whilst planning bloggy bits and bobs or reading. I will admit that most days I haven’t done this, but it’s definitely increased. I’m in the process of recovering from a rather large breakdown therefore it’s only expected that this can’t be put right overnight! Spending more time with my pets certainly helps!

2. Get Healthy. 
Now this one included looking at my diet, how much I exercise (or didn’t) and my sleeping pattern. I had planned many things for this including drinking more water, watching what I ate, ensuring that I didn’t have crazily unhealthy foods all of the time and that I cut out the comfort eating, as well as having a set wake up time and going to bed earlier regardless of if I could get to sleep or not. I’m ecstatic to say that I’ve been doing REALLY well with this one, when every other year I’ve failed within the first few days. Whilst I’m doing this primarily for the health benefits both emotionally and physically, I’m also thrilled to say that I’ve managed to lose weight already in the process! If you’re trying to lose weight right now and would like to know what I’ve done to achieve this then please do feel free to request that I write a blog post on my journey so far.

3. New Skincare Routine.
Yeah it’s safe to say I’m not doing as well with this one. I clean my face morning and night with baby wipes and my Mom bought us each some micellar cleansing water which I’ve also been using once a day. Due to being house bound recently I haven’t had the need or desire to wear make-up therefore that will surely be doing my skin a favour. I do still need ideas of a good exfoliator and such though, therefore if you have a recommendation then please pop it in the comments below!

4. Tidy & Organised.
Like with the getting healthy, I’m definitely improving big time with this one too! I’ve blitzed my bedroom and have been keeping up with putting things away after making a huge mess of clothing, make-up, bags, shoes etc. I still have a long way to go as there’s the insides of my wardrobes to tidy out and some cardboard boxes to empty, but I’m getting there! Organisation has definitely improved, if this also has anything to do with the fact I’ve been a recluse I don’t know, oh well. I’ve been using my 2016 diary as my bible, jotting down everything I need to and checking ahead of things to make sure I’m prepared for stuff. Due to putting a better routine in place and improving my sleeping pattern it also means I’m much more productive and organised when it comes to completing every day tasks around the house – freeing up more time to spend on my blog or clearing out the cobwebs from my mind. It will be interesting to see how I fare with this one once I’m back at work.

5. Learn to Drive!
This has been a non-starter for me so far, although only because I will need to use my ID very soon. As soon as the 25th of this month rolls around I will be sending off my provisional for it’s necessary address changes (it’s a little ridiculous that it’s taken me five years to do this), then it’s full speed ahead with hunting down an instructor and booking my lessons. I guess if I wanted to I could get looking now but y’know, I’m great at procrastinating and such.

6. Get my first Tattoo!
Last but not least is to get my tattoo. I have been planning this for nine and a half years now so I have figured why not wait a little longer? The tattoo I have planned has an extremely precious sentiment behind it and later this year will be the ten year mark of said sentiment. This resolution won’t be completed until September 27th, until then it’s mega money saving time, of which I’ve already been working on!

All in all I’m really proud of the things I have achieved already this year, I’ve never started out as well as this or even stuck to it for as long! How are you doing with yours? Leave me a comment below and we can motivate one another!

With Love,
Disaster Davis x

(Original Post on WordPress)

It’s that time again, when everybody tells the world that they’ve had a lousy year and then proceeds to saying that it’s pointless to set any resolutions as they’ll never stick to them, or there’s those of which will set them without a real plan in mind or something incredibly vague. I’m going to be different and today’s post is about embracing the coming year with wonder and taking full advantage of the golden opportunity to both set and strive to accomplish goals, whilst being thankful of the positives and negatives of the past year. Read on if you wish for inspiration, motivation and to generally make the most of and celebrate life for what it is! Lets all help one another to find ways of building better lives for ourselves and smashing our goals into the back of the net with determination, gaining fulfillment. No matter what our dreams and goals are as individuals, make a promise to yourself to resolve to reach your full potential!

So this year hasn’t been the best for me, I’ve had family situations to deal with, lost close friends and been the target of abuse from groups of people, depended too much on vices to help me ‘cope’ and experienced both previous and new symptoms relating to my mental illness. None of us, I’m sure, will have had it easy and there’s always somebody out there who has it worse. We must always focus on the positives and only use the negatives as fuel to strengthen us and to learn from. The flip side to my year is that throughout I have battled, cutting back on said coping mechanisms and vices (of which only served a purpose of making me feel worse in the long run), I’ve stood up for myself in so many situations no matter how hard that’s been for me, made new and genuine friends or rekindled friendships of which I’ve had all along but not been quite as close to or put as much effort into the friendship before or in recent years. I’ve learned more about picking up on when I need help and have forced myself to accept that sometimes I do need to reach out and get that help – that I can’t do everything alone despite having the curse of a prideful personality. There’s been some incredible memories made this year and many laughs have been had, I became the mother of my youngest fur baby, Jeremiah and of course started this blog! I’ve kept going, kept fighting and I’m still here – we all are! So lets learn and grow from the past year then leave the negatives behind only carrying with us the positives.

The beautiful thing about goals is that what’s perceived as failure is merely just a learning curve, something from which gives us an increased chance of success for when we try again. Resolutions are never a bad thing even when they haven’t been mastered as it’s the perfect opportunity to reinvent ourselves and change the things that we’re unhappy with. It takes courage and bravery to go for our goals but the main point of them is purpose. Who are we if we don’t have dreams? We become a simple shell with no motivation or desire for anything and that is not living, that is not being alive! As long as we have dreams we have something to live for. We should of course be pushing ourselves to get better all year round but the New Year is a pleasant foundation from which to start from in my opinion because if this is the year we finally make these things happen then won’t that be amazing to look back on at this time in 2016? Maybe your goals are big or small – it doesn’t matter, only that it’s personal to you and is something which you honestly and truly want. Tasks, dreams and goals are much more easily attainable when it’s something we have an interest in and a passion for, when it’s something we feel inspired by. This is because it will act as an instant motivation largely eliminating procrastination and is something we will put our all into as it’s something we are captivated by. Don’t simply put up with what you have if you yearn for more, go out there and get it. Have a little faith and achieve your dreams, you can do this!

It would be a little unfair of me to not share my own resolutions after all of this, although this may also benefit me by doing so as I feel by publicly sharing these it will somehow make me feel as though I’m being held accountable for them and will aid as a motivation tool, I could use all the help I can get as some of these I have come back to time and time again already. We may well have this in common and if we don’t have the same goals then this could potentially inspire your own resolutions if you are yet to have this figured out.

1. Be happy and become more mentally stable.
This is obviously a very personal thing for me and because of it being so in such a substantial way this also means that it’s going to be incredibly intricate and challenging. I could write a vast amount about this as it’s something of which takes up such an extensive portion of my every day life however, I feel this post isn’t the place in which to do so. I’m huge on the whole positivity and self improvement vibe because aside from my illness I have a very happy and positive disposition, due to this I’m constantly working on this goal already on a day to day basis and have put so much work and effort into achieving it. I feel that there will always be more that I can do and I will continually strive to do so, I guess this is kind of vague without going more in depth but lets say this – that I want to minimize any low and desolate states of being and increase the highs to create as near to the best 2016 as is possible.

2. Get Healthy!
Again this is extremely vague and we really mustn’t be vague with our goals because it creates the likeliness of giving in easier due to having not pin-pointed exactly what we are wanting and how to go about getting it! The reason for my vagueness with this though is due to the fact I have so many things I want to do of which all fall under this category! I’d like to get fitter – not necessarily to lose weight although that would be a welcome bonus, but because I find myself fatigued so easily from the slightest amount of physical activity, considering the fact that I’m only 24 years old that’s quite concerning – I should be in my prime! I also want to make small changes to my diet, again for the health benefits. Whilst I don’t have the worse diet there is I do know that it could improve and due to currently working in a fast food restaurant this means shoving greasy burgers into my cake hole on a regular basis. I never used to have any problems although I have noticed since re-joining the store (I worked elsewhere in between leaving and coming back) that my body seems to be intolerant to unhealthy foods and I find myself ill much more often as a result of this. There are so many other reasons and benefits associated with a balanced diet of course such as faster metabolism, improved sleep and more, the list is quite extensive. I don’t wish to cut out everything but rather put things into moderation and cut out my episodes of comfort eating. Another huge thing within this is to regulate my sleeping pattern, this is going to be hard to do considering I work a range of shifts although I never get enough sleep and it’s getting rather tedious now! I’ve needed medication in the past because of my terrible sleeping habits, which has still failed to help in any way. Of course all of which I’ve mentioned here are contributing factors towards either a positive or negative impact on mental health with regards to potential chemical imbalances particularly, hence why getting these points in check is of tremendous importance to me.

3. New skincare routine!
I say new but I guess this would be more like introducing one to start with! I use wipes to remove my make-up and to clean my face morning, night and when I feel it needs it at any point in between. Sometimes I use a facial sauna and I use face masks but rarely. I’m so lazy with my skin care and I don’t want to be. I guess I’m pretty apprehensive with respect to trying new products or using too many on my skin for the fear of a bad reaction or increase in acne because I suffered badly with this in my teenage years. This has improved dramatically although still effects me especially when I suffer from break outs either at the feminine time of the month or when under increased stress and pressure. If you have any product recommendations or tips for improving my routine then please let me know! I usually have quite an oily skin type other than in the winter months where I seem to be very dry/flaky yet oily at the same time! I will also admit that I’m not the best when it comes to removing my make-up when I’ve been out drinking which is so bad! This year I’m going to make a greater effort to remove all make-up every time and to clean my brushes more too!

4. Tidy & Organised.
You may think that I’d be organised already due to having a blog – you’d be very mislead. This is the only thing I have ever been partially organised with in my entire life, every other aspect of my existence is in complete chaos. I’d like to change this and my best friend bought me an incredible 2016 diary of which I intend to use as some form of bible! I’d love to tackle tidiness as I’m a little bored of sleeping in what resembles some form of prehistoric abandoned ruins!

5. Learn to Drive!
I’ve been intending to do this since I turned 18 years old, that is now six years ago and is honestly rather ridiculous! There’s no doubt about it that I’d easily get an award for the world’s best procrastinator!

6. Get my first tattoo!
I’ve been holding off on getting any tattoos reason being the one I have planned for my first is especially important to me. I have a reason for the design itself and the placement of which I want this, the only thing that has been stopping me is finances however this year marks an anniversary directly related to the tattoo itself and the whole notion, consequently after ten years I feel that this year is notably greater in importance. 2016 is THE year!

You may think these are simple or silly, you could of course think that they’re well thought out and great ideas, though none of this matters as these are my goals and have a reasoning specific to myself, the same should apply to your own. I’d like to share a mixture of further ideas with you to aid with your own resolutions if you’re feeling a little stuck! Therefore behold a list of 50 resolutions for a prosperous 2016.

1. Get Fit
2. Improve your diet
3. Learn to meditate
4. Learn a new language or skill
5. Go back to college 
6. Keep a journal
7. Practice gratitude more
8. Spend more time with loved ones
9. Make gifts rather than buying (the same can apply to cards)
10. Limit time spent online (though not with regards to my blog please tehehe)
11. Change your career
12. Travel more
13. Learn to meditate
14. Start a blog/YouTube channel
15. Doing something for others – such as charity work
16. Give genuine compliments to others
17. Face your fears
18. Quit smoking/drinking/substances
19. Adopt! This can go for children or pets.
20. Learn to cook and cook fresh more!
21. Join an acting class (or any of your choice)
22. Write a book
23. Start your own business
24. Spend less, save more
25. Become less/more selfless
26. Make time for yourself
27. Discover a new hobby
28. Drink more water
29. Read more
30. Accept yourself
31. Move home/buy a house
32. Use lists to your advantage
33. Stop procrastinating
34. Get outside more often
35. Un-clutter your work space or home
36. Practice self improvement such as becoming a nicer person
37. Validate and appreciate others
38. Quit judging yourself and others
39. Listen more, speak less.
40. Back up your devices (it may sound silly but I’ve realised how important this is recently!)
41. Try everything once (within reason of course)
42. Reconnect with an old friend
43. Learn to be in the moment
44. Get regular health check ups
45. Accept help!
46. Spend some time alone to learn more about who you are
47. Treat yourself
48. Don’t let the opinions of others define you
49. Follow your dreams
50. Reflect & reinvent

I hope this post will help you in some way, either to inspire or motivate. I’d love to hear what you have planned for the year ahead so get in touch then we can support and cheer on one another too. No matter what you have in store I wish you the greatest 2016 imaginable, my blog is only three months old tomorrow and already it’s brought me so much happiness and purpose – I want to thank you so very much for supporting me and providing me with a happy place in which I can be myself, you are the best and I’m so truly grateful. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

With Love,
Disaster Davis x

(Original Post on WordPress)