Let's talk Seasonal Mental Health | Blogmas 2017

Tis the Season to be Jolly? Last year was the first year -and I hope the only year- I wanted Christmas to be canceled, I felt paralyzed by my mental health most days and found it a ridiculous struggle to even get out of bed some days. My festive cheer was all but gone and I found it very difficult to partake in the annual festive activities. I felt removed, detached from myself and others around me, I could be in a room surrounded by loved ones but feel as though I was watching events unfold from behind an invisible curtain. I wasn't present, despite my geographical location I felt completely lost.

The Holiday period is a tricky one to navigate for anyone suffering from mental illness, and although I have had years of dealing with my mental health, I only really understood the lengths and depths of it last year. I have spent over a year in treatments and pushing myself every day to get better, I'm happy to say this year I am once again looking forward to this festive time of year.

Anyone going through mental illness needs to know they are not alone at this time of year, and if you are reading this and completely dreading the holidays that are about to arrive, I know how you feel and It can get better. During Blogmas, I am going to be writing a few posts on mental health within the holiday period, (starting with today) It's a very important topic that often gets overlooked or brushed aside with the Christmas rush, cooking the food, navigating the larger family and distant relatives, deadlines looming, targets to be met and the petty squabbles that all centre around one simple day.

What to look out for and How to help someone experiencing mental illness?

Please be vigilant, keep an eye on your family/friends/ colleagues and look out for any of these symptoms:

• Headaches, chest pain, dizziness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty or disturbed sleep/ Insomnia
• Change in eating habits
• Change in weight
• Feeling angry, agitated or irritable
• Mood swings
• Feeling worthless, hopeless or restless
• Feeling negative about your life/ not liking yourself
• Feeling guilty/bad
• Feeling lonely
• Frequent sadness or crying
• Withdrawing from friends and activities
• Loss of energy or motivation
• Low self-esteem
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Some of these symptoms are easier to spot than others, Don't overthink it if someone is showing one of these symptoms but two or more is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

What to do if you spot two or more of these symptoms?

 It's really important not to jump to the wrong conclusion, and to approach the individual in a way that won't worsen the situation. It's very important to talk to the person in question, find out how they are feeling before assuming or even asking about their mental health. This includes controlling your state of worry around said person, It is important not to let the person know if you are overly worried about them as this may make them feel more anxious (that they have something wrong with them) or like a burden.

After finding out how that person is feeling it's important to try and let them decide what they want and need to do, you do not want to try to control the situation as a dictator. You may feel you know the best route -and chances are you do but- the individual has to feel comfortable in what they are doing, and you should be there to support. (unless the person is a danger to others or themselves)

If you are a support for the person in question, this will make it easier for them to open up to you and be able to confide a little more of how they are feeling so you can better understand. Know that saying things like "Cheer up, it's Christmas" and "" will only make them feel more isolated and alone or abnormal. Instead try to make them understand a lot of what they are feeling is normal, e.g. let the person know you sometimes feel the same as them: Have you experienced any of the symptoms shown above? Is there something you find difficult about Christmas? Is there a social gathering you are anxious about going to and why? This may help the person feel less alone and again able to open up and become more sociable, as you are focusing time on them, they may no longer feel a part of the background.

Take on board what the person is saying and enable them to plan part of Christmas with you, once you know what they are feeling or which parts of Christmas or the holidays they are worried about you can help to alleviate that worry. Whether it be seeing distant relatives, picking out or wrapping presents, going to the staff Christmas party etc. Having a plan and routine in place will help the individual to feel more stable and ease some stress.

Do not feel offended if someone is not able to open up to you initially, just showing an interest and being there to listen could be a massive help. Seeking help outside is a great option, another family/friend/colleague may help you in your approach with this person (you never know, someone may have been through a rough mental health patch before and will be more than glad to help). The best help you can get is from a professional, either a doctor or psychologist, (if available to you) there are numerous charities with professionals who will be happy to help you in planning the next steps or able to offer ideas of activities to help alleviate symptoms. If the Symptoms continue after a period of 2 weeks it's very important to seek professional help in order to start a course of treatment.

Last year the reason I sought professional help is because my sister -after spending a few weeks at home with me- told me: "I feel like I haven't seen you at all, You've been spending a lot of time alone in your room and when you are around you seem to be elsewhere, almost like in a daydream.". That jolted me out the place I was in a little, my sister was right and she was open about it with me without expressing to much worry, enough for me to realize that I needed to stop hiding. I wasn't ok but that's fine, not everyone is all the time, I'm not a failure and It's ok to ask for help, so I did. That was the most important step I took, help will always be out there if you ask, and It's the first step on the path to recovery.

Over the Christmas period last year, I was kept in the loop with all the plans, communication was very important. I was allowed to sit out of plans to visit extended family, the added social anxiety was not something I could or wanted to deal with. My family were extremely patient with me and got in touch with professionals themselves to look out for any other warnings signs, and/or ask for advice on what to say or how to deal with a situation. Having my puppy Yoda, also helped me to establish a routine in the chaos of Christmas time. I am extremely grateful to my family for the way they have supported me and I could not have asked for anything more. Just having someone, able to sit down and listen to you really does go a long way.

I hope this blog post has been helpful to anyone out there who knows someone with anxiety and/or depression. It is very important to not only look for these signs in adults and teenagers but children too, anxiety and/or depression can happen to anyone at any age. Look out for the symptoms, approach gently and with caution to not raise the individual's worries. Talk to them and let them talk to you, it's very important to listen to what they're saying. Be patient and advise or make suggestions to help, keep them involved in the planning of events or other details in the holiday period they may be worried about. Do not be afraid to seek professional help or contact a Charity or support line for Guidance.

Helplines/Infolines:

...NHS 111, NHS guide to Mental Health Helplines
...Mind Infoline 0300 123 3393 or text 86463, www.mind.org.uk

Open Over Christmas:

...SANEline and SANEmail 0845 767 8000, sanemail@sane.org.uk, www.sane.org.uk
...Samaritans 08457 909090 (24 hours), www.samaritans.org.uk
... Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87 (6pm - 2am 365 days a year),
www.breathingspacescotland.co.uk 

Thanks for reading
Remeber to come back tomorrow to open another post on THEBASH.CO.UK Blogmas Calendar.
XO