Christmas Wellbeing Tips

Christmas is nearly here and it can be a difficult time for some people. In fact, Mind found that 1 in 10 people feel unable to cope around Christmas time.

If you find Christmas a difficult time of year, we have shared some tips to help you cope:

Plan ahead.

If you’re going to be somewhere unfamiliar for Christmas, think ahead about what you need to help you cope. Are there things you can bring to make you feel more comfortable? Manage relationships by planning ahead. Think of answers to any difficult questions in advance and have some activities ready to suggest if you need to move on from an uncomfortable conversation. It’s also a good idea to make a list in advance of any services that you might need and their Christmas opening hours, as well as to make sure you have enough of any prescription medication you need over the holidays. 

Stay active.

It’s so easy for our routines to be disrupted over Christmas. Try to maintain balance by doing some gentle activities like yoga, walking in the park, or joining in with Christmas fun and games. Staying active can help reduce your anxiety, improve mood and increase energy levels.

Get enough sleep.

Sleep is vital for our wellbeing, and not getting enough sleep can leave us irritable, with low energy and unable to function properly.  Maintain a good sleep routine by keeping regular sleep hours, resting after busy periods and stopping screen time the hour before bed. 

Self-care.

Whether self-care for you is being around nature, cooking your favourite food, or colouring in, continue to make self-care a regular part of your routine this Christmas to best support your mental health. You can find festive colouring activities, recipes and our wellbeing advent calendar on our website. 

Get support.

⁠⁠If you are experiencing poor mental health, struggling with emotional distress, suicidal ideation or feeling overwhelmed, please utilise our Breathing Space service by calling 0808 175 1369.

The Breathing Space telephone line is open from 5:30pm to 11.00pm every day of the week, and the Breathing Space face-to-face service is open from 6pm to 10:30pm every day of the week.