6 tips for helping you and your family navigate the post-Christmas blues
With Christmas excitement seeming like a distant memory, it can be easy to fall into a New Year rut, which is why NI4Kids’ Beth Mason has put together six tips to help your family beat the Christmas comedown.
Family challenge
It doesn’t matter if you have already set your New Year’s resolutions, create a shared goal for the family to work towards in 2025 to encourage connection. This can be a fitness challenge, a large jigsaw, or even a read-a-thon. Working on a challenge together can help strengthen bonds within the family unit and inspire communication between siblings who may not have a lot of shared interests. Currently taking social media by storm is the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge, a global movement that encourages families to reduce screen time and spend more time outdoors with an aim of completing 1000 hours in nature over the next 365 days.
Embrace routine
While you might long for the wild-west of the Christmas period, where it was acceptable to eat Celebrations for breakfast at 1pm while still wearing your pyjamas, families thrive on routine. Knowing when things are happening and what is expected of them provides children with a sense of security and builds healthy habits that they will hopefully carry with them into adulthood. Start by re-establishing morning and evening routines and gradually adjusting bedtimes back to normal so that it doesn’t come as a shock the day before school starts. Talk to your kids about what is happening and use visual planners, if necessary, to remind them of daily tasks like teeth brushing.
Spend time with family and friends
Spending time with loved ones helps to combat isolation, which is a key contributor to anxiety and depression. After a Christmas period filled with family visits and parties it can feel disheartening to go back to everyday life. Try to keep the momentum going by scheduling play dates and meet ups with family and friends in January to strengthen those relationships going into 2025. It can be easy to let relationships with friends wane as busy family life gets in the way but making time to foster connections with those closest to you will set an example to your children of how to maintain healthy relationships.
Get outdoors
Nothing resets the mind quite like getting close to nature. Exposure to natural light helps kids absorb Vitamin D which is essential for bone health and immunity. The sensory stimulation of being outdoors not only aids brain development but will help to regulate mood and stress levels post-Christmas, in addition to alleviating boredom. It might be cold outside but wrap up warm and take advantage of the many outdoor spaces Northern Ireland has to offer.
Plan something for 2025
There is a reason why January is a popular month to book a holiday. According to a survey by Travel Counsellors, nearly a quarter of UK consumers report that booking a holiday would make them the happiest during the most depressing month of the year. If a holiday isn’t in the budget this year, why not make a vision board of activities for 2025? Get everyone to pick their favourite day out and check local council websites (and NI4Kids’ WOW list) to see what events will be taking place in the next few months. Include a mix of free activities and big days out and you will soon see how much there is to look forward to this year.
Declutter and reset
No matter how much I declutter before Christmas, the influx of presents means that every year I am still at a loss of where to store everything in January. Nothing feels as satisfying as finding a home for every last present, so start small and look at what storage options you have available to you. Don’t try to tackle everything at once, instead choose one drawer or storage unit and break it down into manageable chunks. Consider any duplicate Christmas presents and whether they can be regifted for birthday parties throughout the year. If you received similar toys to ones your kids already own you can donate or sell the older version to make room. To prevent overwhelm set a time limit of 15-30 minutes of decluttering per day. It might not seem like much but consistent, small efforts can make a big difference over time.
