Starting the Year with Care: Supporting Survivors Beyond the Holidays

Content Warning

This post discusses sexual violence and its emotional impacts. Please take care while reading and engage at a pace that feels right for you.

A Gentle Beginning

The start of a new year is often framed as a time for renewal, goal-setting, and optimism. For many survivors of sexual violence, however, the weeks following the holidays can feel unexpectedly heavy.

When social expectations ease and routines slow, difficult emotions may surface. Feelings of exhaustion, sadness, anxiety, or isolation are common during this period. These experiences are not signs of failure or regression — they are natural trauma responses.

At Victoria Sexual Assault Centre (VSAC), we recognize that healing does not follow a calendar. Survivors may need care long after holidays end and public conversations move on. Support matters not only in moments of crisis, but consistently, throughout the year.

Start the year with care—prioritize yourself and your well-being.

Why the Post-Holiday Season Can Be Especially Difficult?

The weeks after the holidays often bring unique stressors for survivors of sexual violence, including:

• Emotional letdown following weeks of heightened activity and expectations

• Triggers related to family gatherings, social obligations, or past experiences

• Reduced access to informal support as others return to work or school

• Cultural pressure to feel hopeful or motivated simply because it is a new year

On Vancouver Island and across British Columbia, winter can also bring shorter days, colder weather, and fewer opportunities for connection. These environmental factors can intensify feelings of sadness, numbness, or anxiety.

Trauma often becomes more noticeable during quieter periods. These responses are valid and understandable. They are signals from the body and mind that care is needed.

Trauma-Informed Ways to Support Yourself

There is no single path to healing after sexual violence. Survivors are experts in their own experiences. Trauma-informed care centres choice, safety, and self-compassion.

Honour Your Pace

There is no requirement to set resolutions or timelines for recovery. Healing is not linear, and rest is not avoidance — it is an essential form of care.

Choose Connection That Feels Safe

Connection may involve trusted friends or family, counselling or support groups, or solitary practices such as journaling, art, or time in nature. What matters is that the connection feels safe, respectful, and on your terms.

Support Your Nervous System Through Grounding

When emotions feel overwhelming, grounding techniques can help create moments of stability:

• Slow, intentional breathing

• Gently noticing physical sensations, such as your feet on the floor

• Naming what you can see, hear, or touch in the present moment

These practices support regulation without requiring survivors to revisit or explain their experiences.

Practice Self-Compassion

Survivors often carry unfair self-blame or expectations about how they “should” be coping. Gentle reminders can help counter these messages:

• My reactions make sense.

• I am allowed to move at my own pace.

• I deserve care and patience.

Ongoing Support at Victoria Sexual Assault Centre

VSAC provides free, confidential, survivor-centred support to people of all genders who have experienced sexual violence. Services include:

• Individual counselling

• Support groups

• Advocacy and accompaniment

• Crisis support and referrals

All VSAC services are grounded in trauma-informed practice. Survivors remain in control of their choices, pace, and goals, and there is never pressure to share more than feels safe.

For those outside Greater Victoria, VSAC can assist with referrals to sexual assault support services throughout British Columbia and across Canada.

Supporting Someone You Care About

If someone in your life is struggling after the holidays, your response matters. Supportive care includes:

• Listening without judgment

• Believing what they share

• Respecting their autonomy and decisions

• Offering resources without pressure

You do not need to fix or solve their experience. Presence, patience, and belief are powerful forms of support.

Moving Forward With Care

As the year unfolds, it is important to remember that healing does not move in straight lines. There may be moments of strength and moments of struggle — both are part of the process.

VSAC remains committed to supporting survivors through every season, offering care that honours dignity, choice, and resilience.

You are not alone. Support is available — today, and throughout the year.

Support and Resources

Free, confidential support for survivors on Vancouver Island:

• Victoria Sexual Assault Centre (business hours) 250-383-3232

• Vancouver Island Crisis Line (24/7) 1-888-494-3888

If you are outside the region, VSAC can help connect you with sexual assault support services across British Columbia and Canada.