Tips for Navigating the Festive Season

This festive season, we’re reminding the community to look after their mental health. While many people look forward to this time of year, it can also amplify existing struggles and be a time of heightened anxiety, stress and loneliness for others. 

We asked Daniel Angus, our Clinical Advisor Primary Care - Mental Health, who is a psychologist and is also a Deputy Commissioner of the NSW Mental Health Commission, to identify some of the key stressors during the season and provide some strategies that may help people cope.

According to Daniel, financial stress, family issues, loss and grief, loneliness and isolation, and anniversaries of natural disasters are some of the key issues that can cause stress and anxiety at this time of year.

Daniel has recommended the following tips to help maintain wellbeing throughout this festive holiday:

Financial Distress

1. Create a realistic budget for the holidays, focusing on essential expenses - Allocate funds for gifts, meals and decorations based on what you can afford without overextending yourself. Consider lower-cost or handmade gift options.
2. Seek financial counselling - Seek help before you reach crisis. Services such as Salvation Army, Wesley Mission and Muru Mitigar provide free, confidential financial counselling to help develop budget and manage debts.
3. Plan meals wisely - Holiday meals can be festive without being extravagant. You can often find low-cost ideas online. There are also local community services who provide food at low or no cost. Anglicare have Community Pantries across the region and you can find your nearest one through their Community Pantry locater. Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Penrith Councils also have lists of local food and emergency relief services on their websites, and for Lithgow, visit Lithgow Information and Neighbourhood Centre.  

Managing Family Dynamics

1. Prioritise your wellbeing over your sense of obligation - It's okay to prioritise your emotional wellbeing over traditional obligations and pressure to participate in family and/or social gatherings over the holiday period.
2. Set personal boundaries and manage your expectations - If you are going to participate in family and/or social gatherings, it’s okay to limit the time you spend in environments that make you feel tense or stressed and to avoid certain topics that can trigger conflict.
3. Self-Care - Taking time to relax, practicing mindfulness, or seeking out positive social interactions can help mitigate stress. Maintaining a balanced diet, adequate hydration (especially given high temperatures) and regular exercise can also help support emotional resilience.

Grief and Loss

1. Accept that grief is a natural response to loss and that it’s okay to feel a mix of emotions - Feeling sadness, guilt or even anger is normal. Expressing these feelings through journaling, talking to a trusted friend or participating in a support group can provide relief. Reach out to services such as Griefline, which provides free, accessible support and resources to individuals navigating grief and loss.
2. Establish new traditions that feel manageable and meaningful - Doing something like lighting a candle, preparing a favourite dish of the lost loved one, or dedicating a quiet moment of reflection during the festivities can help. Alternatively, honouring existing traditions in a way that acknowledges the loss can help integrate the loved one’s memory into the holiday.
3. Surround yourself with supportive people who can provide comfort and understanding - Share stories and memories with those who knew your loved one, or simply spend time with friends who help you feel less alone.

Loneliness and Isolation

1. Connect with others - even small interactions, like chatting with a cashier, local barista or a fellow passenger on the train can improve your sense of belonging. The My Health Connector website is a free online directory to help people improve their social connections and lifestyle supports. The directory provides information about local social and support groups you can join.
2. Volunteer - Helping others can provide a sense of purpose and connect you with likeminded people.
3. Limit social media - While it might feel like connecting, excessive social media can heighten feelings of loneliness and isolation. Try to engage with people in person or via phone/video calls.

Bushfires/disaster anniversaries

1. Take practical precautions – Being prepared for disasters and emergencies and having a Disaster Plan can help to minimise stress. Things like clearing debris, ensuring gutters are clean, having an evacuation plan and other things recommended by the Rural Fire Service or State Emergency Services can help.
2. Use mindfulness and grounding techniques to manage anxiety - During periods of heightened fire or flood risk, these techniques can help focus your mind on the present and reduce feelings of overwhelm. Engage in structured breathing exercises or calming activities to counteract distress triggered by weather conditions or disaster-related memories.
3. Seek help early if you are not coping - If you need additional support, there are a number of free or low cost local mental health services available. The Mental Health Help website provides a directory of services in the local region that can provide support.

For those who need more formal face-to-face support during this time, the Hawkesbury Head to Health (Medicare Mental Health) service, and Penrith Head to Health (Medicare Mental Health) Centre are available for free walk-in support, without a Medicare card or mental health plan, over the holidays (including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day). Opening hours for each service are available on our website. 

Another option is to call the Head to Health (Medicare Mental Health) phoneline on 1800 595 212, which helps you to find free or low-cost local mental health support in the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Lithgow and Penrith areas. This service is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am - 5:00pm, excluding public holidays. 

The festive season can also be a difficult time for young people. We have four headspace services in our region that provide free early intervention support to young people aged 12-25 years across mental health, physical health, work and study, and alcohol and other drug needs. They also host free holiday activities to foster connection. 

It’s important to remember that if you’re struggling with feelings of sadness, anxiety, stress, or just not feeling like yourself, it’s okay to ask for help. One of the most important things you can do for your mental health is to reach out, taking that first step is often difficult but no one needs to feel alone and most people will need support throughout their life.

If you or if someone you know is in crisis, call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14.