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The period of time just before Christmas is always one of the absolute busiest of the year. You’re running around buying gifts, planning meals and frantically trying to make sure that your home looks presentable enough to welcome guests to over the festive period. A lot of us love Christmas, but if we’re entirely honest, there’s often part of us looking forward to the calm period just after the storm of festivities is over, when we can relax again and our lives get back to normal. Here are some tips on how to put your life back together just after Christmas is over…
Your Home
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You might find that right after Christmas your home looks a little like a disaster zone, particularly if you have kids! That means that it’s time to clean and to declutter your house – after all, a clear space around you usually means that you have a clear mind too, and it’s the perfect time of year to start afresh.
If your surfaces are covered in your kids’ Christmas presents, gather them all together, put them in bags, and take them up to your kids’ rooms. Don’t tidy them up for them – just remove them from the communal spaces so they can learn to take responsibility for their own belongings.
If it’s your own clutter that’s the problem, it’s time to get that sorted out. Check out Marie Kondo’s tips on how to tidy up and how to declutter your life. She advises that you should get rid of all your belongings that don’t spark joy in you – and chances are, fragments of old wrapping paper and Christmas cards won’t spark that joy!
Recycle all your trash, and put away your Christmas presents. If you got anything that you don’t want, for instance toiletries that you won’t use, consider donating them to a homeless shelter.
Christmas can also make you realise what the flaws in your home environment are. If you had problems getting enough space to cook in, consider how you can change your kitchen to suit your needs. The future starts here!
Your Finances
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January is often a tough month for your credit card bill. Although it’s a great idea to plan Christmas as much in advance as you can and start buying gifts through the whole year to store away, that often isn’t the way that it actually works out. December can be a huge rush, and also extremely tough on you and on your bank account.
It’s important not to get too carried away with Christmas. The same responsibilities that you have the rest of the year still apply! Any personal unsecured loans that you might have still need to be paid off at your agreed interest rate, and even though using your credit card might not feel like using real money all the time, you don’t want a sinking feeling in your stomach when you receive your bill. In order to effectively budget your hard earned money better, try withdrawing a certain amount from the bank in cash, and spending only that on your Christmas frivolities. When you’re trying to budget in January, it’s a good idea to do the same thing then.
Make sure that you’re fully up to date on what exactly your incomings and outgoings are, and – this is very important – make sure that you live within your means. Overspending and laying down more money than you actually have is the easiest way to get into debt.
Your Health
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Christmas is without doubt one of the unhealthiest times of the year! Not only do you tend to overindulge in delicious and unhealthy food, but it isn’t a time that you ever do much exercise. After all, it’d be pretty antisocial to get up and go for a run when you’ve just finished your Christmas dinner! But it’s important to get yourself in good health for the New Year.
First of all, take a good look at your diet. Chances are, by the time January rolls around, you’ll have spent most of the last few weeks snacking and drinking a little more alcohol than you should! From the start of 2017, it’s time to get a grip on yourself.
Start meal planning: not only does this help you get more organised, but it also cuts down the money you spend on food and helps you to stop snacking in between meals.
Drink more water – not only does this make your skin clear, smooth and flawless, but it will also decrease your appetite so you don’t eat more than you need to.
If you want to get more fit and toned, start going to an exercise class. If you’re an active person who likes to dance, try Zumba!
If you’re a little more chilled and you’d like to give your mental health a helping hand, try out a yoga class. Pilates and tai chi are also great if you want some simple exercise that will help strengthen your core. Finally, put on your walking shoes and go for a hike! So long as you’re wrapped up warm, the cold weather won’t matter.
Your Relationship
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When you’re extremely busy, you often tend to let things slide a little, and your relationship is definitely one of the things that you pay less attention to.
Because you assume it’ll always be there, you often don’t devote as much time to maintaining your relationship as you should.
But it’s important to make sure that you’re connected to each other. After the family oriented hubbub of Christmas and New Year, the next holiday is Valentine’s Day! Schedule a babysitter every two or three weeks so you can go out on a date together. If this isn’t possible, have a night in together at home.
Watch your favourite movie and eat your favourite meal and make sure that you talk to each other. Communication is key to a happy and healthy relationship – if you keep talking honestly to each other, then chances are you’ll stick it out together for the long haul.
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