The mental health check-in thread

The whole Christmas season is very difficult for some people, notably for the bereaved in their first Christmas without a loved one, but also for those with depression. The compulsory jollity is wearing enough even for the rest of us!

Some English churches now provide a special service called Blue Christmas for people who have problems with the regular Christmas services. A Blue Christmas service is quiet and reflective and provides opportunities to remember those they have lost and express sorrow, anger or hope.

I've never drilled down into why I still really, really dislike Dec 31 through Jan 2, but if I could fast forward through those days each year I would. I feel better about the time in recent years and have mellowed about it compared to the distant past but would really rathe sleep or work or do almost anything active to skip that part of the calendar. It's more than just dealing with "amateur night" and its lead-in and aftermaths. Even the news articles tend to be annoying fluff or various pointless lists. Fortunately there are still a few days of Christmas left after that, though far from the main part of the celebration, and that is pleasant.

Originally Posted by Lysander666 On the one hand this thread has gone rather off-topic by talking about New Year's,

I'm just happy that people are talking.

but on the other maybe it is related since it shows that a lot of people do find this time of year stressful,

Yeah, that's how I saw it, too.