Coping with Christmas

London, like every other city in Britain, becomes a ‘tinsel town’ during the holiday season. Streets are lined with twinkling lights and store front windows are aglow with Christmas revelry. Carols play in every shop, café and corner bistro. It’s ‘…the most wonderful time of the year’, or so it should be. Why then are some people are basking in merriment, while others are stressed, depressed or filled with dread?

Like it or hate it, when it comes to Christmas, one fact is certain: it’s stressful. But why? Seeing the family can drag up old rivalries, and there’s pressure to spend, spend, spend. And what if you don’t have a family? Christmas can be the loneliest time of the year for people with no one to come home to. Then there’s the added stress of a huge religious holiday that for some people simply isn’t relevant. All of this can affect your mood and mental state and provoke anxiety. However, the New Year is traditionally seen as a time to begin afresh – after Christmas we have the chance to start again with new goals and aspirations.

Psychiatrist, Paul Salkovskis will give insights into what goes on in the brain when we are stressed. Anthony North from The Big Issue will tell us about homelessness and Emma Richards will describe crises that Home-Start UK helps families sort out, while life-coach Heather Waring will talk about strategies to help you cope with Christmas and look forward to the year ahead.

Organised by:
The European Dana Alliance for the Brain and the Institute of Psychiatry

Speakers:

Anthony North, The Big Issue
Emma Richards, Home-Start UK
Paul Salkovskis, Institute of Psychiatry
Heather Waring, WaringWell

Chair:
Alan Stevens