It’s that time of year again: the holiday season! While the holidays are an exciting time for many of us, for others it is a time when it is hard to ‘be expected to be happy.’ With holidays being advertised as a time of the year to show love and appreciation through excess, many people struggle with past mistakes, extremely tight budgets, and focusing on maintaining sobriety or positive mental health.
Many of our residents live on less than $10,000 per year to cover food, rent, transportation, and clothes. This does not leave much, if anything, to spend on things that allow you to feel valued or rested. As a result, this can be a time of the year when it is difficult to maintain forward progress and avoid relapse in areas such as positivity, good spending behaviors, etc. Parental guilt can lead our residents to overcompensate and get themselves in financial trouble, or if they can continue to watch their budget, guilt and depression can set in. When everything in society tells you to be happy and rejoice in what you have, it can often lead to reflecting on what you don’t have and people you have lost or lost touch with or trigger past traumas.
This holiday season, we ask that you enjoy your time with your family and friends, go for second helpings at dinner, but also do not forget those who have less than you. You can help support our residents during the holiday season by making a donation today. Click here for more information.