Protecting your mental health during the Christmas period

We face challenges daily and having a positive mental health enables us to overcome these obstacles. For many of us, these challenges can occur from work, which is a big part of most of our lives. Having a fulfilling job can be good for your general health and wellbeing, but also your mental.

If you’re anything like us, you’re probably already thinking about everything you need to get done before Christmas, both work commitments and personal. Having time off for the festivities should be a relaxing and an enjoyable time, spent with loved ones. But many of us experience stress, whether this is at work or home, caused by jobs which await our return back to work. As a result, we are unable to properly relax over the Christmas break.

So, what can we do to enjoy our break and ensure we take proper care of our mental health over the festive period?

Take a step back and review everything that you have to do. Prioritise and identify jobs which must be completed before the break and what can wait until after the holidays.

If there isn’t time to get everything done, speak with your manager and team to discuss solutions. Others may have tasks which are not a priority and can assist you with your workload. If new work comes in, make sure you manage expectations and ensure you’re providing realistic time frames for deliverables.

Remember to take regular breaks away from your desk. Take a walk outside the office, or pop to the kitchen for a chat with a colleague. A 5-minute break can revitalise us and help us see clearer. It may seem like the last thing you should do when busy, but exercise and daylight can do wonders for your mental health (and physical!).

Make sure you take time to relax and unwind, enjoying the time you’re off. Try to avoid thinking about work and spend time with family and friends. If you prefer to check-in on emails occasionally, make sure you limit this time but, don’t feel guilty for turning off the emails and putting your feet up. Take some time for you and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to achieve more than you can.

Once the festivities end and you return to work, allow yourself time to deal with any backlogs that may have occurred while you were off. Make a list of jobs to stay focused and keep on top of workloads.

Mental health awareness is something we’re very passionate about at Elleteq and is something we’ve been working hard on over the last few months. In 2020, we are going to be launching a range of new courses, which involve mental health so please keep an eye on our website or socials for further information.

One in four people in the UK will suffer from a mental health problem at some point. Mental health problems are common, and most tend to be mild. They are usually short term and successfully treated by a GP.

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems and can often be a reaction to a difficult life event or caused by work stress.

Many fantastic charities offer both employer and employee resources and tools to assist and support those with mental health issues. All employers have a duty of care for the health and support for all of their staff, including mental health.

If you need help during the festive period, please visit the following websites: