How might Christmas affect my mental health?

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’s struggling.

…“Listening to other people’s exciting plans makes me feel like an alien being, 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.

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. The team @ PMA Recruitment Services will be on hand over the festive break to take any calls and offer any support where we can.

Craig & Ashleigh

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