News and Insights

If this is your first Christmas alone after splitting with your partner, Christmas can be a lonely and stressful time. This is even more the case if you do not have children, or they are not going to be with you particularly on Christmas Day.

The following thoughts may help you survive what may be a very new experience.

• Try to make different memories and traditions to the ones that you were used to as a couple. Doing new things will hopefully ease the stress and even the sense of missing your ex or your children and who knows you may also have an opportunity to make new friends.
• When thinking about making new traditions try to concentrate on what you really enjoy or have always wanted to do. These may well be things that with your ex you were never able to do.
• Christmas Day can be the most difficult day if you are newly separated so perhaps consider doing something that will bring you into contact with other people, such as perhaps some charity volunteering. This might be a really good way of making Christmas special for you.
• Take the time to take the opportunity to plan for the New Year. This is perhaps the one time during the year that you have time to think about yourself and only yourself. What do you want to achieve in 2024? What would you like to start doing or indeed to stop doing? Giving yourself some time to focus on yourself can be a really beneficial way of looking forward to the next 12 months.
• The most important tip of all is try to be positive when it seems everything is negative. See being divorced or separated as a new beginning that can be full of fresh opportunities.

This may be a difficult time, but you will feel so much better if you keep yourself busy, focus on your needs and even if it is a struggle at times, remain positive for the New Year that is ahead.