It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Whether or not Christmas is part of your life, your mental health might be affected by it happening around you. It’s a time of year that often puts extra pressure on us and can affect our mental health in lots of different ways.

For example, if you:

• Feel alone or left out because everyone else seems happy when you’re not.
• Wish you didn’t have to deal with Christmas or find it stressful because of other events in your life.
• Feel frustrated by other people’s views of a ‘perfect’ Christmas, if these feel different to your experiences.
• Want to celebrate with someone who is struggling to cope.

“Listening to other people’s exciting plans makes me feel alienated, as I don’t have all those wonderful relationships in my life.”

The festive period could affect your mental health in other ways too. For example:

• Your mental health problem might make it hard for you to spend Christmas how you want.
• Difficult and stressful experiences at Christmas could make your mental health worse.
• Enjoying Christmas might also affect your mental health, for example, if it triggers hypomania or mania.
• It can be harder to access services that normally help you. Some of these services may be closed during the Christmas period.
• Your experiences of last Christmas, during the Coronavirus restrictions, may affect how you feel about this Christmas.
• If you celebrate other religious festivals or holidays, you may feel overlooked if it feels like Christmas is given “special attention”.
• New Year may also feel like a hard time if it makes you look back at difficult memories, or worry about anything in the coming year.

“I used to get so excited; I guess you could say hypomanic –when Christmas came around. But year after year the expectation versus reality would be a bit of a comedown and cause me to dip into a depression soon after the New Year.”

What can I do to get through Christmas?

If Christmas is a hard time for you, it’s important to remember that you are not alone. There are things that you can try that might help, such as:

• Learn about why Christmas is hard for many people
• Read tips to help you cope at Christmas
• Find ways to support others during Christmas
• Discover useful contacts for finding support at Christmas

Remember, the greatest gift that you can give this festive season is your love, understanding and support to someone who is suffering from mental health problems.

It’s not the most expensive gift you can give, but it is the most valuable gift you can give.