For many, Christmas is the best time of year, full of happiness and festivities, spending time with loved ones and dancing around the Christmas tree. Christmas is celebrated in many ways all over the world, if not by culture, every family has its own Christmas traditions, a true meaning of Christmas. Originating from Christian religion, over many years the Christmas holidays have become more Cultural, a universal message inviting celebration worldwide. As human beings, one of our fundamental human needs is social interaction, helping us to feel like we are part of a collective, getting together with our loved ones to stay connected as a family. Socialising at Christmas helps us to feel a sense of belonging and purpose, increasing happiness and improving Self-worth. Yes, it is just as important to enjoy alone time as it is to be Socially interactive, but it is important to keep an equal balance between the two. Some people spend Christmas alone by choice and enjoy it – and that’s great, but for some, this decision is taken completely out of their hands. How would you feel if you were alone at Christmas?

Understanding loneliness at Christmas.

Why should people feel lonely at this time of year? It is important to reflect on those who are less fortunate at Christmas, over 200,000 adult individuals spend Christmas alone each year, whether they have bereaved loved ones, live far away from family, or spend Christmas alone by choice. Loneliness can hit differently at this time of year, causing you to feel isolated and shut off from the rest of the world. If you are familiar with being surrounded by others during the festive period, having this taken away can be extremely hard to come to terms with.

Are you spending Christmas alone this year? It is widely perceived that Christmas brings ‘good cheer’ and ‘good spirit’ and people look forward to it all year, but not everybody feels this good spirit – and that is okay!! If you don’t like the feeling of loneliness at Christmas, the good news is - there are things you can do. Think deeply about what is making you feel lonely, not having many friends or family? You haven’t spoken with your family/friends in a long time, and you are unsure how to approach them? Identifying why, will guide you to come up with a solution, allowing you to regain control and develop a positive mindset. Try to make new connections, join clubs/take time to do activities that make you happy, you may meet someone with the same interests as you, forming new friendships will increase your confidence and boost your self-esteem. Volunteering is also a way in which you can meet new people, helping others may make you think about your life from a new perspective, focusing your mind on the things you are grateful for rather than the negatives. There are many organisations searching for volunteers this Christmas, if volunteering is something that interests you, take a look here Christmas 2021 - Volunteer Cornwall, or if you are reading this and you are not based in Cornwall you can search for volunteering roles local to you at doit.life/volunteer , searching more than 1 million volunteering opportunities based around your interests/location.

It is also possible to feel lonely at Christmas, even though you are surrounded by your loved ones, speak with those who care about you. Opening up to someone you trust and speaking about the challenges you face will help you in more ways that you may think. The key is to be honest, if you are not honest, those who love you will not be able to support you. They may be able to offer you advice, comfort and make future plans with you to help you feel more connected.

Tips to overcome loneliness this Christmas

Try not to shut yourself away, keep active, get fresh air to keep up with your usual routine.

Be kind to yourself.

Focus on what makes you happy.

Overcome your struggles slowly, be realistic when planning arrangements. Set yourself achievable goals/challenges to help build your confidence levels.

Support available to you

Reach out and get the support you need:

Home | Mind, the mental health charity - help for mental health problems

Home | Campaign to End Loneliness

Remember – Every individual is different! Be happy and be kind to yourself and others!

PS- If you want some more guidance and to ponder the big questions in life, why not check out the Philosopher-in-Residence series. Out every fortnight on a Thursday, and written by our Principal Planner, Anna Pascoe. You can take a peek at the latest edition here https://www.makemeaplan.com/news/on-20-29/