
The Christmas & New Years holiday period is one of long summer days spent with family and friends chatting over barbecue, sharing pavlova or a game of cricket without a care in the world. A time to truly unwind from the monotony of the daily grind and the ruthless “chronic busy-ness” that has become the reality of twenty first century life in the ‘burbs. During this time, most professions go through a “shutdown” period, where everyone takes time off work for two weeks to recharge and celebrate the end of the year and the hope and endless possibilities offered by a new one!
Unbeknownst to some, this time of year is actually the hardest time of year for many and for parents navigating their own chronic illness or additional needs, it can be extremely distressing.
But HOW?
Well, holidays involve a lot of loss of routine, structure, loss of predictability, which all usually support a sense of safety, control and stability in daily life. We design our daily lives so they work for us, reduce burnout, maximise our capacity to meet our goals daily.... then a grenade is thrown into the mix.

To add to this loss of routine, waking up and having no idea what is going to be expected of you or who might just drop by, depending on others to confirm plans, sensory overload. High expectations for socialising, late nights combined with early wake ups for those who have young children can be tricky to navigate.
Children home for six weeks means endless cook-up, clean-up, tidy-up, entertaining and definitely not much down time to unwind, regulate & recharge. When parents have additional needs, and are raising children who also have additional needs, it can be a relentless and painstaking road to complete burnout. At a time where everyone else seems to have less to do, you have a whole lot more. Does this resonate with you?
Despite the big break after a year of growing, learning, working, parenting being well received by most, it's still undoubtedly still a very hard time with high demands and minimal opportunity to rest, combined with the strain of reduced mental health resources being available.
So, for those feeling overwhelm, fatigue... end of their tether-ness, know you're not alone and also know that true to the name of my business "ASK Counselling", all you need to do is reach out and ASK, and I'll be happy to support you, even if it's a time where most services have closed down.
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