Financial Support
Set a realistic budget
- Base your budget on what is left after you pay monthly bills
- Include food, gifts, and travel
- Adjust the budget as you spend
Create a list of gifts and food
- List prices along with gift and food items
- Avoid unplanned and frequent trips to the store
- Meal alternative: potluck
Alternative gift options
- Be creative with personal, homemade gifts
- Start a gift exchange with family or friends, so that you’re only buying one gift instead of several
- 3-gift rule: one they want, one they need, one they read
Avoid buy-now, pay-later
- Buy-new, pay-later often comes with high-interest rates, late fees, and other costs, especially with any missed payments
- Create repayment plan if you cannot avoid using buy-now, pay-later or credit cards
Mental Health Support
Stay Connected
- Include family in preparing for the holidays
- Serve your community by volunteering at a local organization or cleaning up your neighborhood
- Get creative with video chat by playing online games, virtual field trip, taking a virtual class, etc
- Create new connections (meetup.com)
- Find a support group
- Invent a new tradition
- Ask for support, be specific
Get ahead of stress
- Put all activities and breaks for yourself on a calendar
- Set an alert on your phone for planned self-care
- Create escape and coping plans. Keep it with you.
- Say “no”, guard your time
Let it out
- Acknowledge and accept feelings
- Write in a journal
- Create manageable to-do lists
- Keep a gratitude list
- Connect with others
Self-care
- Keep time for yourself
- Have a list of activities you enjoy and do one thing every day to reset and recharge
- H.A.L.T (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?): Take a break!
Healthy habits
- Avoid numbing or avoiding feelings
- Include healthy meals and physical activity (even if it is walking around the kitchen!)
- Stay hydrated and well-rested (6-8 hours of sleep each night)
- Reduce news and social media
- Stay present
- Try breathing exercises
Finding help
- Insurance provider directory
- Consult professionals
- Local university
- Church
- Community organizations
- Social worker
- Physician
- Human Resources at work
HFA Financial and Mental Health Resources
Emotional and Financial Support for the Holidays
The holidays can be both wonderful and very trying. HFA provides you with financial resources and mental health tips and strategies.
Non-HFA Assistance for Insurance and Medical Expenses/Equipment
Living with a bleeding disorder can be a great financial burden among expensive treatments, health insurance costs, travel to specialty medical appointments and necessary medical equipment. These resources provide assistance in covering medical expenses, medications, medical items, and medical travel.
Non-HFA Financial Assistance
Managing a bleeding disorder has unforeseen crises including hospitalizations that cause missed wages from work. With these added costs and potential emergencies, families may find themselves having difficulty affording basic living expenses. This is a robust list of financial assistance programs available nationwide including information on government benefits, utility and housing assistance, dental care, baby/child items, food, grants, insurance help, and utility discount programs.
Job Readiness Grants
The Job Readiness Grant provides up to $1,000 for courses, training programs, or certifications that will help community members gain or maintain sustainable employment. The grant can include computers or items (i.e., scrubs, specialized shoes, supplies, etc.) needed to complete the course, certification, or training program. Applications are processed as soon as they are received.
Mental Health Support
This robust list of mental health resources ranges from hotlines and text lines, self-care, and resources to identify warning signs that indicate someone is in crisis, common warning signs of suicide, and what to do or say if someone is in crisis/at risk of suicide.
Disaster Relief
Disaster Relief provides immediate financial relief to bleeding disorder community members who are displaced or impacted by a natural disaster and have needs such as temporary housing, replacement of necessary home items, household bills, and necessities like food and clothing.