It’s ok to find the winter months difficult, and with Christmas approaching, some of us may find this particularly hard, especially after the year we’ve experienced. With this in mind, we’ve summarised below some tips for looking after your mental health and wellbeing this Christmas:
- Self-care - slow down and do something you love for yourself.
- Stay connected– keep in touch with those who are important to you, like planning a group video call.
- Press pause – and breathe. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed; it will pass. Take a moment for yourself.
- Look after your own needs – it’s ok to cancel plans if you’re not up to it - how about a Netflix and pyjama day instead!
- Acts of kindness – be kind to yourself, it’s important and you are worthy of it. Acts of kindness are also good for your self-esteem and can be small gestures, like paying someone a compliment or checking in on your neighbour (outside, at a 2m distance, of course)
- Don’t believe the hype - be mindful of social media and comparing yourself to others. It might help to take a break offline.
- Exercise – being indoors all the time can take its toll, so take some time to go for a nice walk and get some fresh air.
- Take one step at a time – slow down and do things at your own pace.
- Reach out – whether it be to a friend, family member or one of the key contacts we’ve listed below, it’s vital that you ask for help if you need it.
- It’s OK not to be OK – acknowledging things may be difficult this year is totally understandable, so don’t be hard on yourself.
We hope the above tips have been useful, but it’s important to know that support is always available and below are a number of key contacts you can speak to:
- FDAHM (Falkirk Mental Health Association) - 01324 671600 (Open Mon-Thur, 10am-4pm and Fri, 10am-3pm)
- NHS 24 - call 111 (open 24/7 365 days)
- Samaritans - 116 123 (open 24/7 365 days)
- Breathing Space - 0800 83 85 87 (Open 6pm to 6am weekends and 6pm-2am weekdays)
- Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 for 24/7 crisis support
- Call a friend or family member and ask them to take you to A&E or call 999
Don’t forget - as a student, you have free access to Togetherall, an online community for peer support, resources and tools to help you with your mental health. You can sign up to the platform using your college email address here.
The StayAlive (app) is also a great resource with information to keep you safe, helplines and personalised safety plans.
Please always know that you are not alone - support is always available to you no matter the situation you are facing.