With Christmas approaching, many people will be looking forward to a time of turkey and tinsel, carols and crackers, pudding and presents. But not everyone will feel that way.
For some, Christmas can bring many challenges for mental health, with a recent YouGov survey showing that around 30 per cent feel anxiety and 20 per cent stress as the pressures to get a lot of things done, spend scarce money and meet family expectations take their toll.
In addition, both depression and loneliness affect 25 per cent of people at Christmas, with those particularly vulnerable to this including those who live alone or who have suffered a recent bereavement.
If this is you, now may be a good time to get counselling in west London to help you cope with the upcoming festive season.
Not only will that help you cope better with Christmas itself, but it will enable you to move beyond it into the new year of 2023 in a better and more positive frame of mind.
Mental health challenges can affect some people at all times of the year, but more so at Christmas such as eating disorders, due to the high volume of food such as Christmas dinner that is not only available, but something you are expected to eat.
You might also suffer depression and lethargy at this time of year not because of Christmas itself, but seasonally affective disorder, or SAD. This impacts most in the middle of winter when the daylight hours are at their shortest, but can last through the season until spring arrives.
Whatever your biggest mental health challenges at this time of year, you do not need to suffer in silence. Christmas is not a time to grin and bear and put on an act, but a time you should be free to enjoy and celebrate as much as anyone.