{"id":102793,"date":"2025-12-12T10:02:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T08:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=102793"},"modified":"2025-12-12T10:03:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T08:03:00","slug":"festive-season-strain-sadag-report-reveals-deep-emotional-and-financial-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/festive-season-strain-sadag-report-reveals-deep-emotional-and-financial-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Festive Season Strain: SADAG Report Reveals Deep Emotional and Financial Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read | 11 December 2025<\/p>\n

\"\"

Behind the festive lights: South Africans face rising emotional and financial strain, SADAG study shows<\/p><\/div>\n

Urgent attention is needed following the release of SADAG\u2019s latest Festival of Feelings study, which paints a sobering picture of South Africa\u2019s emotional well-being heading into the December\u2013January period. While the festive season is expected to bring warmth and joy, the data reveals \u201chow many South Africans are carrying silent emotional and financial burdens,\u201d according to SADAG volunteer training coordinator Lebohang Mokoena.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Your World Today, Mokoena highlighted one of the report\u2019s most striking insights the emotional divide between men and women. The survey showed a \u201cdifference between men, which is 14%, and women, which is 85%, where men often disconnect more and struggle with conditions like OCD or depression more than women.\u201d Women, meanwhile, reported loneliness, safety concerns, and heightened family responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Financial stress remains the leading pressure point. \u201c73% of respondents worry about making financial ends meet in January,\u201d Mokoena noted. The expectation to contribute during December, combined with back-to-school expenses and routine demands, leaves many overwhelmed. \u201cWhere is that money going to come from?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

SADAG\u2019s study identifies three emotional categories: thriving, surviving and disconnecting. While a small group enjoys the festive period, most South Africans fall into the surviving or disconnecting groups. Men, in particular, feel the weight of unemployment and financial expectations. \u201cHow am I supposed to provide if I don\u2019t have the financial means?\u201d Mokoena explained.<\/p>\n

Loneliness and emotional fatigue also peak during December and January. Nearly half of respondents reported feeling isolated, while suicide risk rises due to financial strain, exhaustion, disrupted routines, family conflict and grief. \u201cPeople feel burnt out, they don\u2019t have anything else to give,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, individuals already diagnosed with a mental health condition cope better than those without diagnoses. \u201cKnowledge is power, the more I learn about what I’m going through, the more I am able to cope,\u201d Mokoena said, highlighting the role of therapy, medication and support groups.<\/p>\n

In closing, she urged those struggling to reach out: \u201cIf the festive season is not as jolly for you, SADAG is here.\u201d The organisation\u2019s 24-hour helpline, 0800 456 789, and website www.sadag.org remain open for support.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on Your World Today<\/em> with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and Lebohang Mokoena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read | 11 December 2025 Urgent attention is needed following the release of SADAG\u2019s latest Festival of Feelings study, which paints a sobering picture of South Africa\u2019s emotional well-being heading into the December\u2013January period. While the festive season is expected to bring warmth and joy, the data reveals \u201chow many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":102795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Stress-Pixabay.jpg?fit=756%2C426&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-qJX","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-26 11:59:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}