Christmas is only six days away and it's slightly terrifying if you ask me. It feels like only yesterday us Brits were loving life in the heatwave and our unexpected success in the World Cup (unless you were me and spent most of those weeks recovering from a panic attack that had the paramedics round because you couldn't feel your limbs and kept talking about bringing the Pope flowers...)

Anyway...

Christmas is typically a time for us all to be happy. For us to spend time with those closest to us and to celebrate by eating lots of good food, enjoying each others company and opening and giving gifts. While this is all brilliant fun, it's important that we don't forget about those who are less fortunate. And while yes, we should definitely be considerate of those people who don't have a family this Christmas, and considerate to all those families who can't afford to have a beautiful Christmas, this isn't what this post is about.

Toxic relationships can be within your immediate family. They can also be in your not-so-immediate family, basically you could have a toxic relationship with anyone. The important thing to remember is that you don't have to see anyone. If you'd avoid this person on a day-to-day basis for the sake of your mental health then please remember that when it comes to having the opportunity to see them for Christmas. It's your choice, and your mental health is important, especially at Christmas which would be the worst time for you to make yourself miserable by talking to and seeing people you would otherwise avoid.

Likewise if it gets to the point where you're supposed to go and see someone for Christmas, and you don't feel mentally up to going then just cancel or reschedule. There's no shame in doing so, you wouldn't apologise if you had to cancel because you broke your leg, and having a difficult time with your mental health is a similar situation, while there might not be any physical pain, it can sometimes limit your capabilities just as much.

The last point I want to make is, if you're like me and are having a slightly difficult time financially, then please don't feel bad about not being able to buy the gifts you wanted to buy for people. The people who truly care for you will just appreciate your company, and (not to sound cheesy) your smiles and conversations. Christmas should be about spending time with the people you love, not about who got who what and how much it cost them. Just enjoy your time with your loved ones, and those who truly deserve your love and time won't care that you struggled with gifts.

My main point in this post is that no matter how you are mentally, it's important to put yourself first sometimes. I get that it can feel selfish, but sometimes that's healthy. Sometimes your body needs rest, and needs time to recover, and that's the same for your brain. So don't feel bad about putting your mental health first this Christmas. Remember that you're just as important as everyone else around you, and how you'd feel if someone told you they couldn't see you because they felt too depressed or anxious to leave the house.

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year, and I'll speak to you all later.

Until next time,
-M x