Back in September I was asked to write a short piece for the Christmas edition of Sainsbury’s Magazine, suggesting six ways to make the most of being alone at Christmas. The journalist’s article I was writing the piece for didn’t make it in to the magazine unfortunately so I thought I would share the tips with you instead.
So, if you will be spending Christmas or New Year’s Eve on your tod this year, then no worries, try out the following:
- Take the opportunity to get a long-standing project done: Maybe you’ve been meaning to bake a cake for ages, paint your bedroom, put photos in frames or throw away old clothes. Write yourself a realistic plan, with very specific tasks, of what you want to achieve during the day. Completely immersing yourself in such tasks are proven to reduce stress and elevate positive emotions.
- Volunteer: If you fancy doing something for your community, sign up to volunteer at your local soup kitchen or nursing home on Christmas day or NYE. Studies show that Altruism is great for improving your emotional well-being.
- Ask to join a friend’s celebration: Contribute to the feast by bringing something yummy to share. Couples and families might relish something a bit different this Christmas or NYE. Alternatively, invite friends and/or family to yours.
- Give your friends and/or family a call: Get up early on Christmas or New Year’s day and call every friend and family member you're able to and wish them all a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year. Hearing their voices and interacting with them on the day will give you a real boost.
- Pamper yourself: We never allow ourselves time to truly indulge and relax. Take this opportunity to soak in the bath, light some candles, give yourself a facial, paint your nails, apply a hair treatment; all the lovely things we never seem to have the time or space to do.
- Find a group of people with similar interests who plan to meet up and do something unique on Christmas day or NYE. There are loads of social groups doing this on meetup.com for example.
Have fun everyone. A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. 2013 is going to be a great one!
