Merry Christmas!

Article Date: 24/12/2019

How to Stay Safe This Holiday Season

In the lead up to the 2019 Holiday season, we discussed what staying safe means to us. Interestingly as a team we came up with two central themes which were staying safe financially and staying safe emotionally.

• Stay safe – financially

While the holidays can be a fun period filled with events and activities, not to mention gift giving, these things often come at a true financial cost. Natalie explains: “Safety to me over the holidays includes planning ahead and budgeting for Christmas gifts, activities, and drinks and food, to avoid falling into unexpected financial problems in the new year.”

Our newest consultant Kelly agreed, and had some great insights to share: “I come from a country and more specifically a culture where it is customary to pump every last cent you make into the Christmas holidays. I am talking new clothes and shoes, food hampers and renovating your house. And while I understand that for most of us it is the most wonderful time of the year, we often find that people fail to plan financial for the period after Christmas. January is long and tough and people feel the burden of not budgeting for those three months rolled into one. So, I urge everyone to consider their financial safety over the Christmas period, by being smart with their earnings and planning for the future. We are all allowed to enjoy the holidays and spread a little Christmas cheer, but remember to save some for a rainy day.”

• Stay safe – emotionally

As well as the financial cost of the holidays, the increased events and activities can also come at an emotional cost. Penny shared: “While Christmas is usually a time of fun and joy, I think Christmas can be a very hard time for some people. As Christmas is generally about family, connection and for some religion, this can make people feel uncomfortable or down for various reasons. I think it’s important for people to mentally prepare themselves if they know it’s going to be hard, such as, having coping strategies and a plan in place to help them get through tough times.”

Rachel identified a similar theme: “I mean, for me, it’s a lot about self-care and not over-extending yourself during all the holiday meet and greets that we have happening. If you know you have busy days or weekends coming up, or you have a lot of people around, make sure to factor in time to recharge in whatever way works for you. If that means stepping away from a party early, taking an afternoon to yourself to read a book or catch up on a tv show you love, or time out to go to the gym and keep up a normal routine despite the hectic parties and family do’s. I would say take time to check in with yourself and be honest with yourself as to what you need to look after yourself and your own mental and physical health. It’s amazing to catch up with family and friends and this time of year is always so much fun, but just make sure it doesn’t get to be a chore or exhausting.”

Penny created some fantastic tips for looking after yourself:

• Visiting family or friends who you enjoy spending time with.
• Recognise when people who don’t make you feel good about yourself and try meeting new people who do make you feel good.
• Be around like minded people and maybe try something new such as, joining a gym or a recreational activity group that is new to you.
• Go somewhere out of the ordinary, a day trip to the beach or the mountains.
• Treat yourself to some delicious food like seafood, fresh fruit and of course desserts!
• Catch up on rest, like laying under a shady tree and read a book.
• Do activities that will help you relax, like a nice walks or get a massage.
• Drink in moderation.

The Ascent Rehabilitation wish you a happy and safe holidays.

If you would like to access additional support over the holiday season, Beyond Blue has some great online resources, or can be contacted on 1300 22 4636.