If you celebrate Christmas, it's generally regarded as an exciting time of joy and celebration. For many people though, it can be really challenging.

If you struggle with your mental health, have financial worries, have experienced grief or loss, are struggling with loneliness, or you are neurodivergent, Christmas can bring with it feelings of stress, anxiety and sadness.

It's also normal to have mixed feelings towards Christmas. On the one hand, you might be feeling excited to spend time with your loved ones but on the other, you might be feeling worried about the cost of Christmas and the pressure of buying presents for everyone.

For others, Christmas may have been an exciting and happy time for them in the past, but if someone has experienced a recent loss of a loved one, it might feel very different this year.

We often put expectations on ourselves that Christmas should be a happy, joyous time and this additional pressure only makes the festive period even more challenging if you don't feel like that. You could be forgiven for thinking you're the only person who isn't feeling positive about Christmas, but the important thing to remember is - you aren't alone and however you feel about Christmas, it's completely normal. 

Here are some helpful tips and advice if you find the festive period difficult. 

Christmas can be a difficult time for many people and can have a negative impact on our mental health. If you already have a mental health problem like anxiety or depression, then you might be feeling particularly worried about how Christmas is going to impact your mental health. For example:

  • Your mental health problem might make it more difficult to spend Christmas how you want to.
  • You might not be able to access services that normally help, if they're closed during the Christmas period. See the 'if you need urgent help over Christmas' section below to find out what services are available to support you over Christmas. 
  • Your usual routines may be disrupted, which might make it harder to manage your mental health.

The Mind website has some useful guidance around coping with Christmas. 

If you need urgent help over Christmas 

If you need urgent mental health support over Christmas, our mental health crisis line is here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week - including bank holidays such as Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. 

Please call 0800 145 6485 and our dedicated local staff will support you to access the help you need. The phone line is open to people of all ages, including children and young people. 

Alternatively, the Shout text messaging service is also available 24/7 if you are unable to call. Text 'BLUE' to 85258 to start a conversation, via text, with a trained volunteer, who will provide free and confidential support. 

In a life-threatening medical emergency, go to A&E immediately or call 999.

Food plays a big part in celebrations at Christmas, particularly on Christmas Day, and this can be really challenging and overwhelming for anyone who is struggling with an eating disorder. The unpredictable situations and public eating often associated with eating at Christmas can also add to this. However, there are plans you can put in place to help you manage the period. 

You can watch a short video below from our CWP dietitians around coping with Christmas if you have an eating disorders.

One of our experts by experience Ruth has also shared her thoughts around coping with Christmas if you have an eating disorder in a blog post, which you can view below: www.empowerednw.nhs.uk/our-news/blog-consequences-christmas 

Beat eating disorders charity also has some helpful guidance around coping with eating disorders at Christmas. 

Christmas can be a very expensive period - from buying presents for loved ones to cooking Christmas dinner. If you're worrying about money, this can have a big impact on your mental health. 

You may be worried about:

  • Not having enough money or being in debt. See Mind charity's website for money and mental health tips and guidance .
  • Worrying about how you're going to afford Christmas. Citizens Advice has some helpful information on how to get help with the cost of living.
  • Coping with the timings of payments, benefits or wages over bank holidays. 
  • Things being closed when you need them. For example, food banks and other support services might be closed on public holidays. Our page of useful contacts has information on the opening times of some services over the Christmas period.
  • Extra costs and pressure to spend money, such as the cost of buying presents or food. Money Helper has more information on managing money at Christmas

 

Most people experience grief when they lose something or someone important to them. If these feelings are affecting your life, there are things you can try that may help. If you've experienced the loss of someone close to you, the festive season can be a particularly challenging time, especially if that person was someone you'd usually spend Christmas with.

Symptoms of bereavement, grief and loss

Bereavement, grief and loss can cause many different symptoms and they affect people in different ways. There's no right or wrong way to feel.

As well as bereavement, there are other types of loss such as the end of a relationship or losing a job or home.

Some of the most common symptoms include:

  • shock and numbness – this is usually the first reaction to loss, and people often talk about "being in a daze"
  • overwhelming sadness, with lots of crying
  • tiredness or exhaustion
  • anger – towards the person you've lost or the reason for your loss
  • guilt – for example, guilt about feeling angry, about something you said or did not say, or not being able to stop your loved one dying

These feelings may not be there all the time and powerful feelings may appear unexpectedly.

It's not always easy to recognise when bereavement, grief or loss are the reason you're acting or feeling differently.

Things you can try to help with bereavement, grief and loss


Do

Don’t

  • do not try to do everything at once – set small targets that you can easily achieve
  • do not focus on the things you cannot change – focus your time and energy into helping yourself feel better
  • try not to tell yourself that you're alone – most people feel grief after a loss and support is available
  • try not to use alcohol, cigarettes, gambling or drugs to relieve grief – these can all contribute to poor mental health

Most people feel lonely sometimes, for many different reasons. These feelings can feel more intense during holiday periods like Christmas, especially if it doesn't match up with your ideas and expectations of what Christmas should look like. 

If loneliness is affecting your life, there are things you can try that may help.

Things you can try to help with loneliness

Do

Don’t

  • do not try to do everything at once; set small targets that you can easily achieve

  • do not focus on the things you cannot change – focus your time and energy into helping yourself feel better

  • try not to compare yourself to others. On social media you usually only see things people want to share

  • try not to tell yourself that you're alone – many people feel lonely at some point in their life and support is available

  • try not to use alcohol, cigarettes, gambling or drugs to relieve loneliness; these can all contribute to poor mental health

Christmas can be an exciting but often stressful time for many people who are neurodivergent. 

For anyone who struggles with sensory processing difficulties, the bright lights, noise and intensity of Christmas can be very overstimulating.

It can also be a time with lots of change, social interaction and expectations, which can be particularly difficult for autistic people. The National Autistic Society has put together some useful guidance, including a list of resources that may prove helpful in making this festive period as special and stress free as possible for autistic people. 

For anyone with ADHD, Christmas can cause a lot of stress and feel very overwhelming, especially for anyone who struggles with cooridnating the different elements of Christmas - from buying presents and sorting all the food for Christmas dinner to arranging to meet with family and friends. 

Try not to put too much pressure on yourself and make sure you schedule some down-time over Christmas, so you're not packing your schedule with back-to-back activities, which could result if you experiencing burnout.