Lonely this Christmas?

Many consider Christmas the most wonderful time of year, a time of celebration, parties, and being with the people you love. For many, some of their fondest memories are for the holiday season, and it is understandable with all that festive cheer.

However, for many people, Christmas can be far from a time of celebration and joy. For some, Christmas time can be painful – someone could live alone, have lost a loved one, be estranged from their family, or due to circumstances, are unable to connect to those they love. Even the prospect of being single for the holidays can be enough to make people lose some of that Christmas cheer, but one of the most common things many of us are dealing with in these current times is poor mental health.

To help people through these difficult times, we have compiled some self-care tips and advice for loneliness that we think could make your head feel a bit clearer and maybe create a little bit more cheer for you at this time of year.

You’re not by yourself; you’re with yourself: Try turning being alone on its head – being alone allows you to slow down more easily. It’s a great opportunity to indulge in some self-love when you are without the stress of appeasing others or trying to impress or accommodate people.

Journal: A simple yet effective technique to help clear your mind and ‘brain dump’ all of the internal chatter. Buy yourself a nice new book and get free writing! It really can help you feel lighter and much clearer.

Reach Out: Your world begins and ends with you. If you find it closing in on you, make it bigger. There are many opportunities to reach out to people. Even if you’re without your family for some reason, there are many ways to make connections to others. For example, you could volunteer your time and give back to the community at shelters or charities or join a club like some of the ones listed below.

Merry Christmas to you, from you: Treat yourself – Everyone else is getting presents so why shouldn’t you? That new book from your favourite author has just come out? Buy it. Buy yourself that gym pass you’ve been thinking about getting for ages. Get your hair done, buy those fancy PJ’s, whatever it is that makes you feel good, do that. You deserve to feel good. If you can’t afford anything new, you could take advantage of the library up at Shakespear’s Cafe and Library or take yourself off to one of the free exercise classes down at The Birchwood. There’s a whole host of sessions you can get involved in that won’t cost you a penny but can really help you feel good:

– Arts, Crafts & Flower Arranging

– Cookery Classes

– Yoga Classes

– Meditation Sessions

– Creative Writing Classes

– Photography Lessons

– Knit & Chatter

– Tribal Dance Groups

…and so much more!

Overall, Christmas time can be a mixed bag of feelings and emotions, so if some of the self-care advice above doesn’t help, there are extra services available.

The Birchwood also delivers a “phone a friend” scheme offering simple chats on the phone with someone compassionate and willing to listen.

The Birchwood counseling services are unlike most other mental health services that seem to have large waiting lists spanning months or even years. The Birchwood has virtually no waitlist! This means you can be seen by a professional within just a few weeks of when you first make the call.

A Psy-Tap practitioner is available at The Birchwood on a Tuesday evening by appointment – Psy-Tap is a technique designed to eliminate unwanted negative emotions and behaviours.

This Christmas, The Birchwood will also be offering a drop-in session on Christmas Day where you are free to pop by, have a mince pie and a hot drink, and a gab to some of their volunteers!

There’s a whole host of services for anyone who is struggling, so get in touch with them today to be pointed in the right direction 01695 717115

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