Explains how the period around Christmas and new year might affect your mental health. Gives tips on how to cope and suggestions for supporting someone else.
Christmas can be difficult for anyone, at any point in their life.
You might be struggling this year for the first time. Or you may have found Christmas difficult in the past, and you're dreading it again this year.
You may also enjoy Christmas, but not be able to celebrate it how you'd like to. Or you might find some parts enjoyable, but other parts stressful.
This page covers some of the reasons that Christmas can feel tough:
“Although I was expecting it, it was like watching it all happen to someone else.”
“I usually have to visit family but as I have autism I find this difficult as it breaks my normal routines and my coping strategies are not accessible. I try and keep the visits as short as possible and then usually come home and sleep.”
“Feeling 'other' in conversations about how people had happy holiday seasons can really take a toll, and it can make you nervously anticipate or resent upcoming holidays where a happy nuclear family is idolised in the media.”
See our pages on loneliness for more information.
“I find it extremely lonely and isolating. It all seems to drag on for months as well.”
“I'd go for the meal to be polite and then escape as quickly as I could from the packed pub or restaurant.”
“[My advice is to] take your time. Christmas can be a very busy time of year, if you need a break don't feel bad about taking one.”
Visit our treatment in hospital pages for more information.
“Christmas is still really difficult because of all my memories of the time I spent in hospital. I get flashbacks to how things were.”
This information was published in October 2021. We will revise it in 2022.
References and bibliography available on request.
If you want to reproduce this content, see our permissions and licensing page.