Moseying Through the Final Month of the Year

This time of the year can be full to the brim, as summer emerges, socialising increases and lots of different religious and social celebrations surround. Whether it is Bodhi Day, St. Nicholas Day, Kwanzaa, Immaculate Conception Day, Christmas or Hanukkah; many people come together for shared celebrations at this time of the year. However, for some people these same celebrations can be challenging, for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one, or a change in the closeness of a relationship, for people who feel lonely or isolated, for people who are experiencing health or financial challenges that limit their involvement and participation in the events going on around them.

It’s important to recognise that this time of the year holds lots of different meanings and exists in many different contexts for different individuals and to try to be inclusive and respectful of these varied experiences.  

Resources and Supports

If you’re feeling distressed or overwhelmed: 

• 13Yarn – 13 92 76 
• Lifeline – 13 11 14 
• Kids Help Line – 1800 551 800 
• Mensline – 1300 789 978 
• QLife – 1800 184 527  
• Crisis Care – 1800 199 008 
• Rural Link – 1800 552 002 
• Mental Health Emergency Response Line – 1300 555 788

If you’re in need of food support, or want to offer support to others, Food Bank are a valuable resource for the WA community: https://www.foodbank.org.au/WA

If you need financial counselling support: https://fcawa.org/find-a-financial-counsellor/

Staying Conscious and Connected  

This time of the year it can feel like our calendars and to do lists are so full that we’re just hurling ourselves through every day. Pushing to get through all our commitments, hoping to sleep and rest in January. The volume of end-of-year events you might be expected to show up at: for your work team, the wider organisation, every networking and professional services group you’re a member of, school events, sporting clubs. And then on top of that catch-ups with family, friends and maybe even a neighbourhood pre-Christmas drink… 

In 2020 and 2021 we observed so many of our clients in critical roles increase the intensity of their work, to recalibrate and keep things running during a pandemic. However, so many of those clients report that this pace hasn’t eased. The increased intensity of work output seems to have been set as the new norm. And people are tired. Bone tired. So, if you already feel like you’re holding on by your fingertips to try to make it through the rest of the year, try these 4 ideas: 

Step 1:

Think about how you want to wake up feeling on 1st January 2025

Do you want to wake up feeling energised, both physically and emotionally? Calm? Grateful? Joyous? Positively connected with the people who are important to you?  What 1 or 2 things can you commit to doing every day between now and then to create that vision for future you? If you’ve come up with 5-10 things you SHOULD be doing, be kind and compassionate to yourself and set a realistic goal, which is more likely 1 to 2 things (sign up for BJ Fogg, PhD ‘s brilliant newsletter on Tiny Habits, or buy the book). 

Step 2:

Think about your values – what’s important to you and what’s not? Keep these values in mind when you say yes or no to attend events in the coming month. 

Is it REALLY necessary to respond to that friend who texts ‘We must catch up before Christmas’ with a commitment to see them after your Pilates group Christmas catchup, on your way to your end of year work party, before you head late to your School Reunion (WHY would they schedule this in December??). If you look at the text thread with this friend and the last time you caught up was last year when a similar ‘We must catchup before Christmas’ thread evolved, then just maybe, this is a catchup that can be scheduled in January. By then, you’ll have loads of stories of joys and disappointments from all your other end of year events to entertain each other with. Saying no to some events, may allow you to be fully present, alert and engaged at the events you do go to.

Step 3:

Consider your values before you start spending big at Christmas.

What’s really important to you? Is it the size and cost of the present? Or is it spending quality time and showing care? Are you concerned about adding to landfill with gifts that may have a short ‘life’ with the recipient? If so, can you gift experiences instead? Can you donate to a charity they support? Or maybe coordinate a Kris Kringle where everyone buys one decent present for another person in the family or group which is less likely to end up in landfill…

Step 4:

Try to stay conscious of not just your values, but claiming micro-moments of positive experience on these oh-so-busy days. There are so many ways to do this (saying no to unnecessary events really can be one of them). Here are a few ideas:

• Start each morning with your preferred beverage and sit and wonder at nature for 10 minutes – it might be on your back step looking at the trees, gazing out your window, crunching through the snow if the weather is cold where you are, or with your feet in the sand at the beach if you’re lucky enough to live close 
• Send a message each day to someone who positively impacted your life this year. It doesn’t have to be long and perfect, a voice message is great, or text – whatever is simplest for you, so you’ll actually get it done 
• Sit and do a short mediation through an App (we like Insight Timer) while you’re waiting for a meeting or event to start, rather than scrolling through your phone 
• Find a few times each week to turn your phone off and enjoy some time of disconnection 
• Journal each night, writing about one great experience of the year, and one lesson you’ve learnt this year 
• Give intentional 60 second hugs to the people you love the most every day 
• Figure out your own list of moments of joy and actively create them for yourself 

Additionally, at this time of year, our healthful habits that can sustain us through periods of intensity, can sometimes slip. Stay focussed on the 5 essentials for mental health and wellbeing, and use this chart to track your activities: 

Five strategies for mental wellbeing

How you feel in January, can be impacted by the choices you make each day, to live consciously aligned with your values, on the days between now and then. We hope you can choose to finish the year consciously, so that come January 1, you wake up feeling like you’ve lived these last weeks of 2024 in a way that you’re proud of.