Holiday self-care

It has been a very different year for us all. With the COVID-19 pandemic all of us have lived through a time of great uncertainty. Many of us have faced the unpredictable and even though most of the country is doing relatively well, this year's ‘festive season’ will look and feel very different. For some of us travel is not possible to see those we love and care about, others have had economic or health factors that means we can’t do what we usually do, and some of our traditions are not able to be carried ou

However it doesn’t mean all is lost. This year has shown us that we are resilient and are able to adapt to changing situations. The festive season is often a difficult time, even in the absence of a worldwide pandemic there may be strained family relationships, expectations that are unrealistic and exhaustion from the end of a busy year.

To help you look after yourself this year, we wanted to share with you these simple but important tips:

We all have the right to choices, and the right to say ‘no’ to anything that does not feel good or is helpful for you. Maybe this year you don’t want to fly to see family like you usually would as you don’t feel safe to with COVID.

Maybe you want to help out in a charity for Christmas or host something for people who don’t have any family around, maybe you want to get away and have some down time without any pressure. It is important to know and respect our personal limits around being with family and around socialising.

If you notice yourself feeling overwhelmed by a situation, take five minutes out.

This may include going for a walk, getting out by the water, spending time with your pet, making a cuppa, watching a funny clip on tic toc, doing some deep breathing to ground yourself, whatever helps you and then get back to it.

Simply focusing on another’s needs releases a great amount of the feel good hormone oxytocin and so we feel better about ourselves and the world around us.

It doesn’t have to be huge stuff, small acts of kindness such as holding a door open for someone, letting a person go first in a line, or helping someone to their car with groceries, all make a difference.

Then there is giving- Kmart has a ‘wishing tree’ in every store where you can buy a gift for children or adults doing it tough this year, or there is the local salvos where you can give your time in their soup kitchen, or if you know of someone doing it really tough why not buy/make them a meal?

A little effort goes a long way when it comes to helping others.