Conversations can change SA\u2019s tragic suicide narrative<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cEven if you are spending the festive season on your own this year, there are many meaningful ways to stay connected and embrace the joy of the season,\u201d says Megan Gonsalves, Netcare Akeso\u2019s Crisis Line Manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indulge in the luxury of time for yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cFor a start, see this as a great opportunity to connect more with yourself. Spend some time on self-care and relaxation, tuning into your own physical and emotional needs. The rest of the year is often so busy that we may not find time to explore new interests, hobbies, or discover new talents, making the holidays the perfect time to immerse yourself in your passions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Love reaches across the globe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWith families often scattered across different parts of the country or even separate continents, it can sometimes be impractical to get together in person. However, distance shouldn\u2019t prevent you from sharing special moments and feeling close during significant times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf your family and friends are far away, technology can help bridge the gap. Try playing a game over a video call with your loved ones, setting up a virtual meeting to have a meal together, or consider watching a Christmas movie simultaneously, providing an opportunity for shared laughter and joy,\u201d she suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Tis the season to be generous with your time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMany organisations need extra hands and care over the holidays, and volunteering your time is so rewarding when it can help brighten the world for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhether you are drawn to helping out at a local soup kitchen or shelter, bringing festive cheer to residents of a retirement home, or volunteering with a charity or animal rescue, opening your heart to others can help keep you engaged, offer the opportunity to meet new people, and make a meaningful impact potentially helping others to feel less lonely over this time,\u201d Gonsalves says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start a year-end tradition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThink about what brings you joy and meaning and start your own traditions celebrating what is important to you. These traditions could be great or small, private or shared with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThink out of the box, as traditions may include thoughts, actions, and behaviours that reflect what you would like to see happening in your future or the change you would like to see in the world. You could also consider inviting others to join in your new tradition, either people you know or others who are perhaps spending this time by themselves too,\u201d Gonsalves says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor example, if you love baking, you could expand this to baking a cake for a place of safety or residential care facility each year to bring some sparkle to their festive season. Or consider starting a tradition-for-one, such as watching your favourite holiday movie with a special meal on a particular day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Join in community activities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cKeep an eye on your local newspapers, noticeboards and community social media groups for events or support groups that are taking place nearby. This might mean stepping out of your comfort zone to meet new people; however, it could be a very positive experience. You may look back on this as the start of a new friendship or interest that could enrich your life for years to come, if you allow yourself to take the chance,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gonsalves points out that, for various reasons, the holidays can be an emotionally difficult time of year. Fortunately, there are multiple resources available to provide mental health support at this time of year \u2013 and all year round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou never have to feel alone in a mental health crisis, as the Netcare Akeso 24-hour Crisis Line is available on 0861 435 787 throughout the festive season, where trained counsellors are available to listen and guide you through the options for assistance,\u201d concludes Gonsalves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spending this time of year alone can feel daunting for some, as the holidays are so strongly associated with togetherness. Loneliness need not rob you of a fulfilling festive season, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":294761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"68","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"4","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"0","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Reporter","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[93,7874,8233],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-294759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured","tag-local-news","tag-mental-health"],"yoast_head":"\n
Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season | PE Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This festive season, discover how to enjoy being alone without feeling lonely. Embrace self-care and meaningful connections.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This festive season, discover how to enjoy being alone without feeling lonely. Embrace self-care and meaningful connections.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PE Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-24T13:33:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-24T13:38:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@express_newspapers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@express_newspapers\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"PE Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/46d3a3fe4ef03892348a907387c87ace\"},\"headline\":\"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-24T13:33:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-24T13:38:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":684,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Featured\",\"Local News\",\"Mental health\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/\",\"name\":\"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season | PE Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-24T13:33:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-24T13:38:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"This festive season, discover how to enjoy being alone without feeling lonely. Embrace self-care and meaningful connections.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"PE Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PE Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/pe-express-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/pe-express-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"PE Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/express_newspapers\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\\\/videos\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/46d3a3fe4ef03892348a907387c87ace\",\"name\":\"PE Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"PE Express\"},\"description\":\"This is some test biographical information for PE Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/author\\\/peexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season | PE Express","description":"This festive season, discover how to enjoy being alone without feeling lonely. Embrace self-care and meaningful connections.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season","og_description":"This festive season, discover how to enjoy being alone without feeling lonely. Embrace self-care and meaningful connections.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/","og_site_name":"PE Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2025-11-24T13:33:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-24T13:38:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":853,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Reporter","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@express_newspapers","twitter_site":"@express_newspapers","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/"},"author":{"name":"PE Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/46d3a3fe4ef03892348a907387c87ace"},"headline":"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season","datePublished":"2025-11-24T13:33:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-24T13:38:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/"},"wordCount":684,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg","keywords":["Featured","Local News","Mental health"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/","name":"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season | PE Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-24T13:33:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-24T13:38:03+00:00","description":"This festive season, discover how to enjoy being alone without feeling lonely. Embrace self-care and meaningful connections.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg","width":1280,"height":853},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/alone-dont-be-lonely-this-festive-season\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Alone? Don\u2019t be lonely this festive season"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/","name":"PE Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#organization","name":"PE Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pe-express-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pe-express-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"PE Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/x.com\/express_newspapers","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000\/videos"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/46d3a3fe4ef03892348a907387c87ace","name":"PE Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png","caption":"PE Express"},"description":"This is some test biographical information for PE Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/author\/peexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/christmas-7657689_1280.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295352,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/police-arrest-30-drunk-drivers-in-festive-season-crackdown\/","url_meta":{"origin":294759,"position":0},"title":"Police arrest 30 drunk drivers in festive season crackdown","author":"PE Express","date":"18 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"More than 30 motorists have been arrested, in two days, for driving under the influence of alcohol as part of a SAPS festive season safety campaign.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Roadblocks are being conducted as part of a festive season safety plan.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/festive-crackdown3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/festive-crackdown3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/festive-crackdown3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/festive-crackdown3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/festive-crackdown3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":270903,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/police-deploy-131-new-vehicles-in-festive-season-safety-launch\/","url_meta":{"origin":294759,"position":1},"title":"Police deploy 131 new vehicles in festive season safety launch","author":"PE Express","date":"29 October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Eastern Cape's top police brass orchestrated a dramatic display of readiness as they launched the Safer Festive Season operations.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nelson Mandela District received the largest allocation of 28 new vehicles during the Saps festive season safety launch.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/festive-launch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/festive-launch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/festive-launch.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/festive-launch.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/festive-launch.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/festive-launch.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":295420,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/sanparks-brings-festive-joy-to-tsitsikamma-communities\/","url_meta":{"origin":294759,"position":2},"title":"SANParks brings festive joy to Tsitsikamma communities","author":"Kouga Express","date":"23 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Tsitsikamma park carried out festive community outreach initiatives on 17-18 December, supporting local children and families.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Christmas tree alongside a fireplace.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ai-generated-8375574_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ai-generated-8375574_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ai-generated-8375574_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ai-generated-8375574_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"PE Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294759"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=294759"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=294759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}