Looking after your mental health over the festive season is important
Christmas can be joyful, but it can also bring stress, loneliness, and can feel overwhelming. On this page, you’ll find a range of resources, tips, and support to help you manage your wellbeing, stay connected, and take care of yourself during the holidays.
Stress is something most of us experience, but when it builds up, it can impact both our mental and physical health. Spotting the signs early can help you take control. Watch our animation for simple tips and support to help you manage stress and look after your wellbeing.
If you've been feeling stressed or overwhelmed for a while, find out how our Talking Therapies service can help.
As the festive period approaches, many people start to feel a mix of excitement and stress. The lead up to the holidays can be a busy and emotional time, with expectations around gift giving, social gatherings, and family commitments. This period can also bring challenges for mental health, as people may feel overwhelmed by the added pressure. Whether you're looking for ways to manage stress, maintain balance, or simply enjoy the season more, there are plenty of resources and strategies to help make the festive period enjoyable for all.
If you feel you have been struggling for a while and are finding it hard to cope, our Talking Therapies service can help.
We offer free and confidential support for adults aged 16+. Whether you're dealing with stress, persistent worries, or feeling down, our team provides practical tools and techniques to help you feel more in control.
Our Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) short films
Our Talking Therapies service series of short films aim to demystifying Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and helping people understand when and how they might access it as part of their mental health journey.
The films, presented by therapists from the service, explains that CBT is a Step 3 intervention - typically offered after individuals have tried Step 2 support such as computerised CBT without achieving meaningful recovery.
Our ‘Help Us Help You’ website page aims to give Cheshire and Merseyside residents advice and tips to support their general wellbeing during the colder months.
The web page, a one-stop shop for tips and advice about keeping warm, looking after your physical and mental health and when to go to A&E or ring 999.
Ambulance services, hospitals, walk-in centres and urgent treatment centres can get especially busy over winter. By choosing the right health service, you will help to relieve pressure whilst also being better placed to look after yourself and others.
Our urgent treatment and walk-in centres
Our videos have been designed to help ease the strain on services this winter and urge residents to go to their nearest walk-in centre (WIC) or urgent treatment centre (UTC) for non-emergency issues.
The five videos have been released to raise awareness on how to use these services and help ease the demand on A&E services during the winter months. The videos (see below) cover a number of different topics:
Information about your local walk-in centre or urgent treatment centre
If you need medical help fast, use NHS 111 online or by phone. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they’ll know the best service for your treatment need. They can also book you in to be seen at your local UTC / WIC, or you can turn up without an appointment.
However, for life threatening emergencies, please dial 999 or go straight to A&E.
Self care is about looking after your health in all aspects of life
It means staying active, eating well, and understanding how to take medicines safely. It also includes knowing how to treat minor ailments at home and when, where, or who to turn to for extra support if you need it.
Watch our animation to learn more about practical ways to practise self care and take charge of your wellbeing.
Being part of a caring, supportive community can make a real difference to how we feel
At Christmas, when emotions can be heightened, feeling connected can help us feel safer, more understood and less alone. Even small gestures of kindness can have a big impact during the festive season.
This Christmas, let’s make time to:
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Reach out to someone who may be struggling
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Start a conversation
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Check in with neighbours, friends or colleagues
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Help build a community where everyone feels they belong
Together, we can spread kindness and create a more connected community this Christmas. A little care can go a long way.
Take a look at our animation around the importance of community for mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health is just as important as physical health, and the rise in mental health challenges among children and young people, means it’s important that the right support is available. Whether it's anxiety, depression, or the pressures of growing up, our website has a variety of tools, resources, and services to help.
At Mersey Care we work in partnership to improve the health and wellbeing for children, young people and their families. Our Children’s services are delivered by a highly trained and well supported staff.
Digital interactive workbooks
Our Mental Health Support Teams in schools have launched interactive workbooks designed to help young people, parents and education staff learn new ways to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Find out more on how you can support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people every day.
As the winter nights draw in many people can be gripped by stress, anxiety and loneliness.
Feeling lonely isn't in itself a mental health problem, but the two are strongly linked. Having a mental health problem increases your chance of feeling lonely, and feeling lonely can have a negative impact on your mental health.
To help people cope with loneliness we have produced a short animation, with handy tips and advice on how to maintain good mental health and wellbeing.
A mental health crisis often means that you no longer feel able to cope or be in control of your situation. It often involves a sudden or continued worsening of your symptoms. You may feel great emotional distress or anxiety, feel you can't cope with day-to-day life, think about suicide or self-harm, or experience hallucinations and hearing voices.
Watch our short animation which describes what to expect if you, or someone you know are experiencing a mental health crisis.
We provide a range of mental health services to support wellbeing, including community support teams, therapy services, and specialist crisis intervention. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis is encouraged to contact one of Mersey Care’s dedicated urgent help lines for immediate assistance.
Crisis Cafes
Crisis Cafes are an alternative to A&E and provide a listening ear, a safe space, crisis and recovery interventions and referrals to ongoing support services on:
- Debt advice, benefits and welfare services
- Domestic violence support
- Access to housing and homeless prevention services
- Substance misuse and addiction support
- Health, wellbeing and counselling services
- Establishing a safety plan
- Access to peer support worker for additional, follow up support.
Our Crisis Café’s, based in Liverpool and Southport, which offer advice and referrals to ongoing support services. Watch our video to find out more.
The following organisations can also help your health and wellbeing:
Urgent mental health crisis lines
We provide phone support for people experiencing a mental health crisis. Call NHS 111 and select nu 2, the mental health option. More information can be found on our website.
Our self help guides
Our self help guides offer support on a wide range of mental health topics, including depression, anxiety, and stress.