This is Me at Christmas

Christmas can be a difficult and lonely time for some.

On Friday 16 December, our membership and engagement team were at Leeds Market event space, handing out Christmas cards with handy tips and contact numbers for services who are open over the festive period. There were lots of fun activities to take part in, including our pop-up Christmas photo booth, as well as messages of wellbeing and support.

Here is a quick reminder about some things you can do to make Christmas easier:

• Don’t forget yourself – plan some time out for you. Relax with your favourite film or book or whatever satisfies you
• Get involved – if you are going to be on your own over the festive period, why not find out about all the activities in your local community? There might be a volunteering opportunity right outside your door, and you could be helping someone else who is feeling alone too
• Remember others – with one in four of us experiencing a mental health difficulty at some point in our lives, you are bound to know someone who might not be feeling too festive. Why not give them a call to see how they are?
• It doesn’t have to be perfect – life isn’t perfect, and the rest of the year won’t be perfect. The world doesn’t end if something doesn’t go quite right. Christmas at best is only one week, so keep things in perspective. The New Year is just around the corner, there is always an opportunity to start again.

Whatever you end up doing, we hope you have a peaceful Christmas or winter break.