Supporting your Mental Health at Christmas time

Festive cheer or festive fear? The pressure to feel festive and enjoy the Christmas period can feel overwhelming at times for many of us. The expectation to socialise, buy gifts and prepare for the occasion can bring along dread and stress as well as potential loneliness, money worries, family feuds and anxiety. A time of joy is what we hope for but it is not always the case and this time can be particularly tricky for those struggling with their mental health.

If you find Christmas time challenging for your mental health, you are not alone and here are some tips to help you cope.

Self Care

• If you are feeling overwhelmed, it is okay to seek time out for yourself and your needs. Find some time for your favourite self-care regime and to let yourself have the things that you need, such as listening to music, reading, cooking or going for a walk.
• Take a few moments to reflect on what you are grateful for in your life. Make a note and look over it when you need a reminder.
• Try to maintain any routines you find helpful for your wellbeing, such as doing exercise, attending appointments, taking medication or taking time for self-care.
• Remember that although Christmas can be a difficult time, it won’t last forever and can be treated as just a normal day.

Relationships

• Manage your boundaries with family and friends. Christmas can hold a higher expectation to be around others, so have those conversations early to prevent disappointment or friction on the day.
• If you can’t be with the people you would like to spend Christmas with, you could arrange a phone or video call to see them.
• If you are worried about difficult conversations, you could perhaps practise ways to end conversations or change the subject away from something you don’t want to talk about.
• You could speak to someone you trust about how you feel to let them know you are struggling. You could perhaps also let them know if there is anything they could do to help or if there’s anything they could avoid doing.

Finances

• If you have gifts to buy, try to start budgeting and making lists for Christmas shopping in order to help plan and prioritise the essentials. If you enjoy arts and crafts, you could get creative and save money by making gifts and decorations.
• Try to avoid comparisons with the Christmas you may see in adverts and on social media as these can make us feel bad about ourselves with unrealistic standards. Perhaps take breaks from social media from time to time to avoid this.

Community

• Christmas can bring people together at a time of need. Attending a service at your local church, helping at a soup kitchen or volunteering at a dog shelter could build new connections and relationships.

Supporting others

If someone you care about is struggling at Christmas, there are steps you can take to support them:

• Be a listening ear with patience and non-judgement. Christmas is not a ‘one fits all’.
• Check in and let them know that you are thinking of them. Those small gestures can mean a lot.
• Acknowledging that Christmas can be tough helps to normalise the experience and reassures those that are struggling.
• Remember to look after yourself too.

Further Support

Helplines:

• Samaritans – Call 116 123. Open 24 hours, 365 days a year. https://www.samaritans.org/
• Talk to Frank – Call 0300 123 6600. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. https://www.talktofrank.com/contact-frank
• Childline – 0800 1111. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/
• Combat Stress – Call 0800 138 1619. Open 24 hours, 365 days a year. https://combatstress.org.uk/contact-us
• Shout – Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. https://giveusashout.org/get-help/
• In an emergency call 999 or go to A&E.