Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year for others it can mean the Christmas Blues. IF!… You have children or are in a loving relationship, can afford presents or even just food!, have family to whom you are close, or are a practising Christian, this may well be your favourite time of the year.
For others, this period can be a bit of a trial.
Christmas can be a particularly difficult time. When it seems everyone else is having fun, every TV advert is happy families and, sometimes it can take all your energy to just get through an ordinary week. So lets not be too hard on ourselves.
It isn’t all tinsel, glitter and ho, ho, ho, busy mums who already have too much on their plate, let alone Christmas lists, Christmas shopping, wrapping, organising, ferrying kids to carol concerts, parties, discos and school plays! Feeling obliged to see family and travel away from home.
Here are some of the common issues that can cause and trigger Christmas blues:
- Feeling under pressure to please
- Loneliness
- Family feuds
- Finance anxieties
- The loss of a loved one
- Unrealistic expectations
- Overindulgence
- Social anxiety
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
You might already be feeling a little low due to ‘seasonal affective disorder’ (SAD for short) because of the shorter days and dark cold nights.
Here are some tips I am trying this year to help with the Christmas Blues
- Spend time outside: With the days being shorter and colder, it can be easy to fall into the habit of spending all your time indoors. However, the fresh air and sunlight, even on a bitter cold, cloudy day, can significantly improve your mood and health in general.
- Limit alcohol: I quit 3 years ago. Alcohol is more readily available than ever at Christmas, but that doesn’t mean you have to overindulge. As a depressant, alcohol can leave you feeling down and even more depressed after the initial buzz has worn off.
- Make a budget: Having a budget in place for your Christmas expenses, such as gifts, food and decorations might help you to feel more in control and less overwhelmed. Try to review your budget every once in a while to ensure you are sticking to it and try and start earlier in the year so December isn’t one massive bill.
- Limit social media: Spending too much time on social media can have negative effects on your wellbeing, especially at Christmas. Comparing your own to ‘perfect’ Christmases may leave you feeling envious or disappointed that your day doesn’t look the same.
- Give yourself a break and don’t judge yourself. Focus on what is going well. See who you want to see and be assertive with those you don’t Take some time out, sit quietly with a coffee and take some deep breaths and recognise all you have achieved and look around for smiling faces.
If you need to talk over Christmas here are some useful contacts.
- Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email **@sa********.org or visit some branches in person. You can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).
- SANEline. If you’re experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).
- National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. Offers a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (6pm to midnight every day).
- Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can call the CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to talk. Or if you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could try the CALM webchat service.
- Shout. If you would prefer not to talk but want some mental health support, you could text SHOUT to 85258. Shout offers a confidential 24/7 text service providing support if you are in crisis and need immediate help.
- The Mix. If you’re under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (3pm–midnight every day), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service.
- Papyrus HOPELINEUK. If you’re under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (24 hours, 7 days a week), email pa*@pa********.org or text 07786 209 697.
- Nightline. If you’re a student, you can look on the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too.
- Switchboard. If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email ch***@sw*********.lgbt or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.
- C.A.L.L. If you live in Wales, you can call the Community Advice and Listening Line (C.A.L.L.) on 0800 132 737 (open 24/7) or you can text ‘help’ followed by a question to 81066.
- Helplines Partnership. For more options, visit the Helplines Partnership website for a directory of UK helplines. Mind’s Infoline can also help you find services that can support you. If you’re outside the UK, the Befrienders Worldwide website has a tool to search by country for emotional support helplines around the world.
