Whether it’s to offset festival indulgence, reduce stress, tackle isolation or stick to a budget, we’ve got some great advice for the best Christmas ever!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” – so the song goes. But as well as the “parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and carolling out in the snow”, healthy eating and activity levels often go out of the window, and relationships and finances come under strain. Our expert tips can help.

12 days of wellbeing

1. Eat Wisely

With turkey being one of the leanest meats, Christmas dinner needn’t mean overindulgence. Registered dietician Dr Sammie Gill suggests “keeping half your plate for vegetables, trying figs in blankets instead of pigs in blankets, and roasting potatoes with the skin (for fibre) and using olive oil instead of goose fat.”

2. Eat slowly

“It takes around 20 minutes for the brain to register fullness,” adds Dr Gill, “so mindful eating increases awareness of fullness cues.” This, plus chewing thoroughly, will also reduce the chance of bloating and heartburn.

3. Don’t overdo the booze

Choose lower alcohol beers and wines. Dr Gill suggests, “Alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones, opt for spritzers and keep an eye on your consumption”.

4. Share the load

Hosting Christmas can be stressful says Mental Health Foundation director Alexa Knight, but you don’t have to do it all. Sharing the load with guests and family can ease stress and make the day more enjoyable for everyone.

5. Shop wisely

A maxed-out credit card means maximum stress, so shop sensibly. Agree a budget, exchange ‘promise vouchers’, or make edible offerings like ginger biscuits or chocolate truffles.

6. Ignore the influencers

To reduce stress – and spending – forget online images of the perfect Christmas. Focus on what really makes you and your loved ones happy.

7. Manage family tensions

Set boundaries to protect your wellbeing. If tensions rise, take time out to reset and breathe.

8. Get away from the screen

Turn off devices and play games that everyone can join in with — like charades or ‘Who am I?’.

9. Manage loneliness

Plan your day in advance, enjoy activities that bring joy, and check in with friends or neighbours.

10. Volunteer

Volunteering boosts your mood and helps you feel part of something meaningful. Try Crisis or Salvation Army.

11. Stay active

Try exercise ‘snacks’: short bursts like climbing stairs, dancing, or walking the dog.

12. Catch some Zs

Sleep is essential for wellbeing. For better sleep tips see https://www.ecoursecapital.online/clear-sleep/

Let’s be honest — most of us are sitting on a mountain of phone photos we’ll never look at again. Thousands of snapshots of birthdays, sunsets, pets, and half-eaten brunches, all waiting for some mythical “one day” of organization. But what if that day was now? And what if those photos could transform into something you actually love seeing every day?

Before We Dive In

Here’s a quick snapshot of what you’ll get below:

• How to rediscover your favorite photos (and what to skip)
  
  
• Creative ways to turn digital images into real-world beauty
  
  
• A checklist for making your displays meaningful, not messy
  
  
• Inspiration for gifts, home décor, and personal keepsakes
  
  
• Answers to the most common “but where do I start?” questions

Rediscover What Matters

Your phone’s photo roll isn’t just a jumble of pixels — it’s a living diary. The trick is learning to see it that way again. Start by setting aside fifteen minutes to scroll and mark your favorites. Don’t overthink it. Trust your gut.

Tip: Look for patterns. What moments, faces, or places make you pause? Those are the seeds of meaning.

If that sounds overwhelming, focus on themes — family milestones, pets, travel memories, or even a single year. You’ll notice that once you start curating, your camera roll suddenly feels lighter and more personal.

The Creative Pathways: Ideas for Everyday Displays

Photos shouldn’t live in hiding. Below are some easy, inventive ways to give them new life:

• Gallery Walls: Mix prints of varying sizes and frames. Include textures — ticket stubs, letters, or postcards — for depth.
  
  
• Digital Frames: Modern models can rotate thousands of images, perfect for the minimalist who still wants variety.
  
  
• Mini Books: Services like Artifact Uprising make it simple to print compact, themed photo collections.
  
  
• Fridge Grids: Magnetic squares let you swap photos, keeping your space fresh.
  
  
• Memory Jars: Print small, foldable photos and drop them in a clear jar — one for each year or event.

The Calendar That Tells Your Story

Here’s a subtle, year-long way to keep memories close: create a personalized photo calendar. Imagine flipping to a new month and being greeted by moments that matter — your child’s smile, your favorite hike, that vacation sunset.

You can explore options for a custom calendar that let you start with a template, upload your chosen photos, and personalize layouts, text, and stickers before ordering. In less than an hour, you can turn an ordinary tool into a meaningful daily companion.

Quick How-To: Your Mini Photo Revival Checklist

1. Define a theme — family, travel, pets, or seasons.
2. Select 20–30 core images.
3. Choose your display format — wall, print, or digital.
4. Edit lightly. Natural is better than perfect.
5. Print or upload to your chosen platform.
6. Add personal touches — captions, notes, or quotes.
7. Display proudly. If you smile every time you see it, you did it right.

Beyond the Wall: Other Ways to Use Your Photos

Project Type	Description	Where It Fits
Photo Journals	Combine short reflections with weekly photo highlights.	Perfect for mindfulness routines or creative journaling.
Greeting Cards	Personalized photo cards for holidays, birthdays, or thank-yous.	Keeps relationships warm and personal.
Custom Gifts	Turn photos into puzzles, mugs, or tote bags.	Ideal for grandparents, newlyweds, or travelers.
Slideshow Keepsakes	Set your best moments to music for events or reunions.	Great for digital storytellers.
Shadow Boxes	Mix 3D mementos (tickets, flowers, notes) with printed photos.	Ideal for anniversaries or milestone décor.

These projects keep memories visible, not buried — they move your story from “camera roll” to “conversation starter.”

FAQ: Common Photo-Overwhelm Questions

I have 10,000 photos. Where do I even start?
Choose one folder or event at a time. Curate in short bursts instead of marathon sessions.

Do printed photos still matter in a digital world?
Absolutely. Physical photos engage your space — and your memory — in ways screens never will.

I’m not creative. What’s the easiest project?
A personalized calendar or mini book. They’re quick, guided, and instantly rewarding.

How do I make it look cohesive?
Use recurring colors, themes, or lighting. For a cleaner aesthetic, stick to one filter style across all prints.

Try Digital Frames

If you’re starting small, digital frames like Nixplay collections are surprisingly elegant. They sync directly with your phone, letting you upload favorite photos instantly — perfect for rotating memories without another printing session.

Bonus: You can share access with friends or family, creating collaborative albums that update automatically.

Why This Matters

Turning your photo clutter into tangible stories is more than decoration. It’s a daily reminder that life’s fleeting moments have a place in your present, not just in the cloud. These creative acts connect you back to your own history and the people who shape it.

Conclusion

Your phone already holds the raw materials for art, memory, and meaning. You just have to set them free. Start with one small project — a framed print, a custom calendar, or even a photo jar. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s presence.

So open that gallery app, choose a handful of moments that make you feel something, and bring them into the light. Your walls, your desk, and your heart will thank you.

By Dr. Regina Lark

There are more benefits to a tidy home than being able to find what you need quickly and easily.

Clutter often creates hidden costs that add up quickly. Chances are good that you’re buying duplicates – or more – of what you already own for the simple reason that you can’t find what you’ve already got.

Every square foot in your home is valuable real estate, and when it’s consumed by things you don’t use or love, you’re essentially putting a price tag on clutter and paying rent for your stuff.

Overflow means paying for storage units (the land of emotional mismanagement) or installing costly shelving in the garage.

The financial impact of clutter goes beyond the tangible, too.

Living in a cluttered environment has been linked in studies to higher stress and lower productivity, which can impact mental health and even your earning potential.

What looks like a messy closet can quietly sit in the background, draining a bank account.

Once people recognize that clutter has a real dollar cost, they begin to see clearing out as a financial decision as much as an emotional one.

How to clear clutter and regain financial control

To set yourself up for a successful decluttering session, first, take a breath, and develop a sense of awareness – taking an inventory of what you own versus what you’re actually using.

So many clients tell me, “But I love everything“, to which I respond, “Then let’s see if you can change your definition of love” – because a lot of this stuff doesn’t love you back.

When deciding where to start when decluttering, I suggest focusing on one drawer, one closet, or one room at a time. This way, you gradually regain both financial and emotional control without descending into decluttering when overwhelmed.

Then, set small, achievable goals to reduce duplication and free up space. One of my best decluttering tips is to set a date to declutter with a friend, utilizing the motivating boost and emotional support of body doubling, and add it to both calendars.

Facing up to your financial burdens can be very emotionally draining. When it comes to working out what to do with the items you are decluttering, see where you can reclaim some of those previously lost finances.

Sell unused items online, or donate to the nearest non-profit for a tax deduction, and eliminate the need for off-site storage. All of these steps will move you toward a clutter-free lifestyle for free.

Think of clearing clutter as an investment in your future self and how you want to live moving forward. Every bag sold or donated, every duplicate returned to circulation, every storage bill canceled – it all adds up.

Less clutter means less financial waste, more time, and a greater sense of calm at home. That’s a return on investment you can feel every single day.

Of course, one of the best ways to save money is to stop clutter before it starts. The ETC Method is ideal for this, helping to cut spending and reduce waste and clutter.

by Patrick Holford

For many, the day doesn’t truly begin until that first cup of coffee hits the system. It sharpens the mind, lifts the fog, and gives an instant boost of focus – which explains why, in the UK alone, we drink an astonishing 100 million cups every single day, about two per person. But is this daily ritual really fuelling your brain, or quietly robbing it of long-term vitality?

Coffee is more than just a stimulant. Yes, it contains polyphenols – those antioxidant compounds that can protect the brain. But it also delivers caffeine, which fires up your adrenal hormones to give that short-term buzz. The problem is that this instant lift comes with a hidden cost: over time, it can deplete energy reserves and, more worryingly, raise homocysteine – one of the strongest predictors of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

How Much Coffee is Too Much?

So, does coffee protect against dementia – or put you at greater risk? The answer depends on quantity.  A UK Biobank study involving 400,000 participants compared those drinking 1-2 cups a day with those drinking six or more cups a day and found both a 53% increased risk of dementia and smaller brain volumes in those drinking 6 or more cups. The UK Biobank didn’t measure the homocysteine of the participants, but this is the most plausible mechanism.

Yet the story isn’t entirely one-sided. A review of all studies up to 2020 concluded: “Caffeine effects were more often positive when consumed in moderate quantities (100–400 mg/day), consumed in the form of coffee or green tea, and in women.” The most recent UK Biobank findings confirmed that moderate coffee or tea drinkers had a lower risk of cognitive decline than abstainers.

A double espresso delivers 200–300 mg of caffeine, so moderation seems to mean no more than two to two and a half cups a day — and only if unsweetened.

Sweetened or Unsweetened – Does it Matter?

It matters a lot. The UK Biobank found a modest reduction in risk in those drinking up to 2.5 cups a day, compared with non-coffee consumers, but only in those drinking unsweetened coffee. Those drinking sweetened coffee had a higher risk.

This is consistent with research at Canada’s University of Guelph. Participants were given a carbohydrate snack – such as a croissant, muffin, or toast – together with either a decaf or regular coffee. Those having the coffee-carb combo had triple the increase in blood sugar levels. In addition, insulin sensitivity, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels, was almost halved. The lesson? Enjoy your coffee on its own, without sugar or a carb-laden pastry.

Don’t Drink Coffee on Waking

Timing also matters. In the first hour after waking, your body naturally peaks in cortisol, the long-acting adrenal hormone that gets you going.   That is why it is probably better not to have coffee, which further promotes adrenal hormones, for at least an hour after waking. Otherwise, you may stop producing enough of your own cortisol and become dependent on the caffeine hit.

In the evening, it’s the opposite story. Cortisol should be reducing and melatonin rising, but caffeine can affect this for up to 10 hours. The results? Over time, poorer sleep, which can contribute to a whole host of health problems, and greater difficulty waking in the morning, leading to a cycle of dependency on coffee.

One cup of coffee a day, in the morning, ideally not on waking but at least 30 to 60 minutes later, seems optimal. However, the more tea you drink, the better, according to two studies, with green tea being the most beneficial.  This benefit, however, was not found in a UK Biobank study, which reported tea and coffee drinking to be associated with worsening cognition compared with abstainers. 

The Japanese have a tradition of making a pot of green tea and, if they want a second, simply add hot water to the teapot. I do the same with coffee – if I have a second cup I run the coffee through the filter paper again. In this way it is progressively weaker.

But let’s be honest: coffee is an addictive stimulant and, while it may not be as harmful as alcohol, it is ultimately an energy robber. Having used coffee to help me through an intense month of early mornings and book writing, I quit and experienced a severe withdrawal headache that lasted 36 hours!

In Short …

• One to two cups of unsweetened coffee a day, taken 30–60 minutes after waking, is probably optimal.
• Avoid combining coffee with sugar or high-carbohydrate foods.  
• Consider switching to green tea or more weakly brewed coffee where possible for a gentler stimulant effect.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks after noon, especially if you have difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep.
• If you rely on caffeine to function or alcohol to unwind, it may be time for a reset.

Do you feel overwhelmed trying to juggle working from home with constant distractions and interruptions?

All you have to do is inhale!

Essential oils can be powerful tools to help increase your focus, concentration and mental band-width to manage overwhelm.  And they offer the easiest channel into the body. Your sense of smell, which is part of our olfactory system, is one of the most powerful channels into the body.   In fact, olfactory cells are brain cells, and the olfactory membrane in the nasal cavity is the only place in your body where the brain is directly exposed to the environment.

Research shows that inhalation can be the most direct and effective method for using essential oils. The entire process from the initial inhalation of an essential oil to a corresponding response in the body can happen in a matter of seconds.  Which means, the fastest way to calm overwhelm is to inhale essential oils.  It’s so simple and so small that you can carry it in your pocket.

Essential oils can immediate calm anxiety and increase focus.  Inhaled or topically applied essential oils can help increase blood flow to specific regions of your brain, like your pre-frontal cortex which helps enhance your focus and brain power and calm anxiety.

I want to share my favorite essential oil blend that I personally use before jumping on back to back Zoom meetings or when struggling to meet a big deadline that requires mental focus, while simultaneously juggling home schooling and parenting responsibility that require calmness and level headed function.

3 Essential Oils for Focus

1. Focus™

Similarly, research from the University of Cincinnati found that inhaling peppermint oil increases the mental accuracy by 28%.

Apply 1- 2 drops across brow, back of neck, collar bone or on temples and wrists to increase mental focus.

2. Attention™

The four oils in the Attention™ blend – Vetiver, Frankincense, Lavender, and Cedarwood  — all showed substantial benefit, with Vetiver  helping 100% of the test cases.  The blend further synergizes the positive impact of the individual oils.

For best results, apply 1- 2 drops on brain stem (back of the neck), temples, across the forehead and the bottom of the feet.

3. Brain Boost™

Apply 1- 2 drops on the back of the neck, on the temples, the bottoms of the feet and especially on the big toe.