The festive season isn’t always easy.
For many of us, it can bring extra financial pressure, social expectations, and a disruption to our usual routines.
This year, remember that your mental health matters too.
Open Mental Health has created a Festive Wellbeing Kit packed with practical advice and details on how to access support services.
You can explore the full kit here: https://bit.ly/festive-wellbeing-kit – as well as emotional and crisis support, there’s festive help and advice on wellbeing, support, challenges and loneliness.
Here are just a few of the highlights from this collection of resources:
- Health and wellbeing: Somerset Council’s Wellbeing Event Calendar is an advent calendar inspired wellbeing resource has tips for every day of December. Just click on a date or scroll down the pages for information on setting boundaries, feeling good, and trying new ways to manage stress and anxiety.
- Support for families and young people: the festive season can be particularly tough for families and children. Young Somerset and Mindline Somerset offer a 24/7 free and confidential listening service for anyone in emotional distress or in need of support on 01823 276 892 or freephone 0800 138 1692.
- Challenges around food and socialising: food is treated as the main event at a Christmas celebration, but this can be difficult for people with worries about food, eating and body image. SWEDA, who support people with eating disorders, have a dedicated helpline open throughout the holidays as well as resources and information on their website.
- Loneliness and carers support: for people from Diverse and Displaced Communities it can be hard to connect with others and the festive season can highlight feelings of loneliness. Thrive offer English courses and conversation groups where people can meet and connect.
We also want to highlight the vital work of Crisis Safe Space, a service which offers out-of-hours crisis support for anyone struggling with their mental health. Crisis Safe Space is there for when things get really tough, offering urgent assistance when it’s needed most by providing bookable appointments outside of GP opening times in the evenings and at weekends. This service is delivered by Mind in Somerset and Second Step and is open to anyone living in Somerset.
You’re not alone. Help is here. Explore the Open Mental Health festive wellbeing kit today and feel prepared for whatever the holidays might bring.
