health.
Christmas stress? How to say no!
What are your plans for the festivities? Have you had the tinsel out for months, preparing to go big after last year’s restrictions? Or did you relish spending Christmas Day in your pyjamas last year, with no travelling or cooking for a crowd? The most important thing, says Sue Quinn, is to decide what’s right for YOU
Regardless of whether your Christmas is shaping up to be hectic or relaxed, solitary or social, one thing is certain: each of us needs to look after our mental wellbeing this year. The pandemic touched us all in some way: losing loved ones, illness, financial problems, loneliness, the pressure of home schooling. As a consequence, say experts, we’re more vulnerable than ever to Christmas stress.
“Mental health has been significantly affected during the pandemic, with some suffering from anxiety and depression for the first time and others with a history of mental health issues relapsing,” says Somia Zaman, a psychotherapist registered with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). “I’m seeing people who are very anxious about the idea of returning to normality.”