TIPS TO SURVIVING THE SILLY SEASON
NOTE: This blog mentions family violence and other sensitive family related topics that may be a trigger for those who have experienced family violence or who are going through difficult times.
I always find this type of year interesting… for a number of reasons.
People who have been ‘needing to catch up’ for months and months all of a sudden find the time to see each other, as if all of a sudden they have managed to create an extra day of the week to find more time.
People (including me) put too much pressure on themselves to do ‘all the things’, go to ‘all the events’, see ‘all the people’, and expect to have the same energy levels and be their usual self despite burning the candle at both ends.
People focus too much on "what's next" and presents, and forget to appreciate the 'now' and being able to spend extra time with loved ones.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this time of year, catching up with friends and family, being more social, holidays, and who doesn’t love presents!! However, I also know how exhausting, and sometimes damaging, the next month or so can be for people.
On my Facebook live on Wednesday, I mentioned that the number of Family Violence incidents increases by approximately 20% during Christmas / New Year period, which is devastating. Some of the factors that cause this, and may cause other stress and anxiety include: financial pressure, stress, spending extra time with family, children getting ‘bored’, alcohol, food and lack of routine.
I also spoke about some ways that you can take care of YOU during this busy time. So I thought I’d share a few tips to help you “Survive the Silly Season”.
SET BOUNDARIES
If you want to get through December and January without having a massive crash (physically and mentally, not literally) at some stage, it’s so important you set boundaries to protect your energy. The easiest way to do this, is to say no to catching up with someone if you are exhausted, can’t be bothered, or you know they are going to zap your energy and you're going to feel worse for seeing them. If they’re your friend, they will completely understand, and you know what, the world doesn’t end on 31 December, so you can always catch up in January if not before... 😲
** INSERT SHOCKED FACES HERE**