It is often described as the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ but Christmas can affect our mental health in lots of different ways.

Celebrating it can sometimes feel stressful due to other events happening in our lives or leave us feeling alone if everyone else seems to be feeling happy when we’re not.

Marking Christmas can also be a time where we might look back at difficult memories, regret things about the past, or worry about the coming new year.

It can also be tough to cope with the financial pressure of Christmas and, for many of us, rises in the cost of living will have made things even harder.

Whatever our reasons may be, Christmas can be a difficult time of year for many of us. To help, Mind Cymru has some tips for those of us who may be struggling with our mental health this Christmas.

They include:

Looking after yourself

- Be patient with yourself – it’s understandable to find Christmas difficult.
- Remember it won’t last forever.
- Set boundaries – try to say no to things that aren’t helpful to you.
- Take time out – read, watch or learn about non-Christmas things.

Talking to others
- Let others know if you’re struggling.
- Access online communities like Mind’s Side by Side service as a safe place to connect with others if you need to.
- Tell others how they can help, what they can avoid doing, and which activities you’re keen to be involved in.
- Remember – you don’t have to justify yourself to others.

Managing relationships
- Think about how to end unwanted conversations – you could suggest playing a game as a way of moving on, for example.
- Think of answers to questions you might not want to address at festive gatherings in advance – it’s ok to change the subject.
- Talk about your plans with others beforehand – perhaps you could agree on budgets or timings in advance so you feel more prepared.
- If you can’t avoid people you’d rather not see at Christmas, think of ways to keep your distance when you are together.

For those of us living with mental health problems, facing Christmas without the right support in place, or with daily routines being disrupted as a result, can feel challenging too.

If this applies to you, thinking about what your needs are and where to get help if you need it during the Christmas period can also help by:

Planning ahead
- Think about specific items that can help you cope – especially if you’re spending Christmas in unfamiliar surroundings.
- Avoid places you find uncomfortable, or bring back difficult memories, if you can.
- Make a list of services you might need access to and their Christmas opening hours.
- If you take medication, make sure you have enough to last the Christmas period.
- Plan something nice for when Christmas is over – having something to look forward to next year could make a real difference.

Sue O’ Leary, Director at Mind Cymru, says: “Christmas is a time to celebrate but it can also be a time of year where our feelings are magnified as a result, and not always in a positive way. Sometimes there are other, less joyous things going on in our lives that make taking time out to be ‘merry and bright’ feel like less of a celebration, and more of a challenge.

“There are so many reasons why someone might not feel like celebrating this Christmas and we just wanted to remind everyone that it’s ok to feel this way, and that there is support available for anyone who may be struggling with their mental health over the festive season.”

If you are finding it hard this Christmas, you can also seek support for your mental health in a number of ways by:

Calling one of Mind’s Helplines at www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/ (open except for on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day).
Reaching out to Mind’s online community Side by Side, available 7 days a week and 24 hours a day at https://sidebyside.mind.org.uk/
Calling Samaritans on 116 123 (freephone). Their English language line is always open and their Welsh language line opens daily from 7pm to 11pm.
Texting SHOUT to 85258, a free 24/7 crisis text service.
Visiting the Mind website for information on coping with money worries here.