For those who celebrate Christmas, I’m sure it’s going to be very different this year due to the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions, but there will still be plenty of opportunity to treat yourself and your loved ones with a magical experience to get into the festive spirit. I’m certainly looking forward to a long break from work. You can find out about how Christmas is celebrated in lots of different countries and cultures around the world if you are interested.
For those who do not celebrate Christmas, then hopefully this will still be a good opportunity to spend some quality time at home with your friends or family and a chance to relax after what has been an incredibly challenging year for most.
Things to do during your time off
If you are looking for inspiration for places to visit during your time off, you can access a varied range of ideas for family days out within your region. There are lots of fun events going on in Manchester this year to try out too.
Looking after yourself and others
At this time of year, there’s a lot of pressure to make this a magical time for everyone. It can feel like you are being pulled in every direction – by family expectations, the financial pressure of finding perfect gifts, making sure everyone is having a good time, and finding it hard to say ‘no’ to requests – and that can quickly become overwhelming.
Remember to turn that wonderful attention you give to everyone else towards yourself, and to ask yourself every day: ‘What do I need?’ Then, make sure you meet that need. It could be rest, chatting with a friend, going to bed on time, and so on. This will help you to avoid running on empty and will instead mean that when you do give to others, it will be from a place of fulfilment.
If Christmas is a hard time for you
Many of us may find Christmas difficult this year, for lots of different reasons. It's important to remember that you are not alone and it’s ok to feel this way, there are things you can try that might help such as:
- Be gentle, generous and patient with yourself
- Plan ahead
- Manage relationships
- Look after yourself
- Talking to other people
- Get support
If you're struggling this Christmas, you may want to find additional support for your mental health. There are a few ways that you can do this:
- Call Samaritans on 116 123 (freephone) To talk about anything that is upsetting you. They're open 24/7, 365 days a year. You could also try Samaritans Self Help App to keep track of how you're feeling, and get recommendations for things you can do to help yourself cope, feel better and stay safe in a crisis.
- Text SHOUT to 85258. This is a free 24/7 crisis text service run by Shout.
- Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), offers a range of support that is available to you throughout the festive period. Resources can be accessed through the Health Assured portal using the username ‘Growth’ and password ‘Company’ or you can contact 0844 891 0352 which is a free, confidential helpline available 24/7.
- Visit Mind useful contacts page for a list of organisations who can support your mental health or help with practical problems.
Regardless of whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I wish you and your loved ones a relaxing break during your time off and I want to personally thank you for all of your hard work and commitment through such difficult circumstances.
Let us look forward with optimism and the belief that we will all enjoy a happier and healthier 2021, but in the meantime, let’s all do what we can to stay safe and well until the restrictions begin to ease. As difficult as this will be, it’s the right thing to do after we have all worked so hard to stay safe so far this year.
Vicky Barton,
Director of HR and Organisation Development