Christmas may not be here yet, but it’ll be over before you know it. When it is, you’ll need a plan to get yourself back on track. Who doesn’t love Christmas, with its family, food and time off work? Even with these benefits, this can be a hard time of year to cope with in a few different ways. That’s why we thought we would write out a contingency plan to help you through the aftermath. Don’t let yourself slip into those post-Christmas blues. Take steps to save yourself beforehand!

Help Your Waist

Who doesn’t over indulge during the festive season? It’s never easy to stay in shape over Christmas. Everyone experiences a little waist line growth after all that food. You’ll be able to enjoy what you eat more if you’ve already put an exercise plan in place to shed the extra pounds. What better excuse for indulgence? Heading into the new year a little larger can lead to dissatisfaction. Give yourself the Christmas and new year period to let loose and have fun. Then, get exercising in January. You could even set it as a resolution on new year’s eve! You’ll need to recover from all the alcohol you’re sure to consume over that period, too. There’s a growing trend of people going alcohol-free during January. Why not join them? Staying sober for a month can only help you with your exercise journey.

Help Your Wallet

Unlike your waistline, you’re bound to have a slim wallet by the time January rolls around. Let’s be honest; Christmas is never cheap. To help avoid the shock, keep track of all the money you’re spending on presents. Financial shocks are never nice, and you’re bound to get one if you’re going by guesswork. Knowing exactly how much you’ve spent will also help you to get an idea of what budget you’re working with. You may need to tighten those purse strings for a little while, but it’s easy to do. Besides, you don’t need to treat yourself when Christmas has just gone by. Planning is essential here. Set out a clear budget for food and extras. Taking it easy for the next month will allow your funds to rejuvenate a little.

Help Yourself

Christmas can take it out of us all. It’s lovely to spend time with the ones we love, but the financial and emotional stress can be exhausting. Take it easy on yourself through January. Take time to de-stress. Not drinking during January might help for this, too, but take some time for you. Get stuck into your hobbies. Have film and game days. Let the stress of Christmas shopping and cooking Christmas dinner ebb away. Not taking this time will lead to your heading into the new year with the wrong mindset. Give the new year the best chance possible by starting on the right footing. Taking this time will also give you the chance to put the previous year behind you, and look forward to the future