How to survive the silly season
lights and radios.
★ Don’tmention on your voicemail you will be away fromhome.
★ Be aware that burglars have access to social media. If you are going away, don’t post this publicly.
★ Get aneighbour or friend tomake regular checks on your property and even closecurtains in theevening and turn on lights.
★ Before you leave on your holiday, turn parcel packaging inside out before disposing of it, so passersby can’t see if you’ve been buying expensive items.
■ Toptip
❏ If you see anything suspicious and it’s happening now, call 111. If it’s already happened, you can report it through the police non-emergency line, 105.
9
BECONTENTWITH‘GOODENOUGH’: “Don’t always go for bigger and better” when planning your holiday, advises Loretta Laroche, author of Life Is Not a Stress Rehearsal.
If all your friends are off on exciting holidays but you’re stuckworking, don’t despair, you can still enjoy yoursummer.
Afterwork or on theweekends, be a tourist in your own town. Make a list of the awesome things in your ownhometown and get out there.
Plan evening barbecues and picnics, or seekout some serenity with an after-work swim or a leisurely drive.
At nighttime, take a stroll through your neighbourhood to viewthe Christmas lights.
Most importantly, as thenewyork Times puts it: “Feeling like a sad sackof coal during the holidays is far from unusual”.
■ Toptip
❏ Give yourself a break, and if you can’t shake the blues, seek professional help.
10
CELEBRATEYOURWINS: Inayear that’s delivered its fair share of challenges, youmight be surprised atwhat you’ve achieved. Give yourself the opportunity to reframe 2020, says Rotorua life coachannie Canning, and acknowledge and celebrate yourwins no matter howbig or small.
“The very act of celebration changesyour physiology and psychology. When you fail to celebrate your accomplishments, you are training your brain that what you have achieved isnot important.”
When it comes toeyeing up 2021 as the best year ever, let’s face it, Newyear’s resolutions often don’t last.
Instead, Canning suggests taking time to do something that will add value to your life and shift you from “reactionary to deliberate and intentional”.
She suggests assessingwhere you’recurrently at with your health, wealth, relationships and finance, and establishing a baseline for yourself in these areas. Thendecidewhere you want to be in a year’s time, and put in place actions alignedwith your goals.
■ Toptip
❏ Review 2020 and consider what worked and what didn’twork. Take the learnings. Success comes from consistently taking one small action at a time and moving forward. Treat everymoment as if you are stepping into a newyear.