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Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

Unknown userMember

Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

Hi there SANE Forums Community,

This fortnight we invite you to join in a discussion about strategies for coping during the holiday season. As we near the end of what has a been a particularly difficult year, many of us will will be looking forward to festive celebrations and rejoicing in farewelling 2021. There will also be many of us for whom the holiday season may be a particularly trying time, stirring up emotions such as loneliness and isolation, grief and sadness.

With many support services closed for the holidays, this makes accessing support tricky, which is why our next Topic Tuesday will be dedicated to a discussion on strategies for coping during the silly season. We'll be joined by a SANE counsellor who will be sharing their tips for coping with all the difficulties that may arise for members of the forums during this period.

We all bring our own experience with us to the holiday season, so we will look forward to hearing from the community about your experiences and strategies for coping with some of the obstacles during the Christmas and New Years period.

Join us in exploring strategies around:

  • Isolation
  • Navigating family tensions
  • Grief and bereavement
  • Service closures
  • Where to seek help

Please join the discussion here on Tuesday the 21st of December 2021 from 7:00pm-8:30pm AEDT to follow this conversation.

Want to know what time this event starts in your time zone? Check out the picture below:


Want to receive a reminder on the night? Hit the 'Support' button below and we will tag you 30 minutes before the event starts.

New to the forums or want to get involved in this discussion? Check out the How To Guide for Topic Tuesdays.


124 replies

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In response to: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

cloudcoreSenior Contributor

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

"Communicate clearly and stay on topic. Use ‘I’ statements to ensure that you’re taking ownership of your feelings and staying focused on your personal experiences, rather than someone else’s actions. By doing this, the other person will not feel that you are criticising them." @pisces_1

Such a good communication tip! I've really had to practice using this one, I had a habit of putting the burden of my feelings on others in the past (which led to a lot of conflict). Happy to say now it's much easier communicating with people around me now about my struggles during this period

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

LaniSenior Contributor

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

I just judge my self on what I’ve seen my husband do when his parents passed away and how I see my family dealing with mums passing and I really feel like I’m not doing the right thing and I should be over this

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

HenryXSenior Contributor

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

Hello @Lani and other members here

I can understand how you feel Lani. My Mum passed away just over two years ago. At that time, as someone else said to me, why hadn't the world stopped. Everything seemed so "normal" and yet to me it wasn't. I hope that we can catch up on the forum over the next couple of days

Best Wishes

@HenryX

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

Unknown userMember

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

@MDT having some downtime and stepping away from social media etc. can be a really helpful way to clear the mind and gain some perspective. There is A LOT going on in the media right now and for me, it's been a bit too much to keep up with.

Switching off is a great idea, kind of acts like a mini refresher of sorts.

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

LaniSenior Contributor

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

Thank you. I guess with my dads passing we expected it he was given 1yr to live because he had COPD even though it’s still difficult to loose someone so close but with mum it was different. She was physically active 6 weeks before she passed, gardening, shopping, looking after herself, driving and then she had a fall and she never came home. There was so much negligence from 2 hospitals that were the cause of her death. I should have spoken up at the hospital for her but I let her down and because of that she is not here. I will never get to apologise to her for that. It’s something I will live with forever

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

MDTSenior Contributor

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

Exactly @Former-Member
Enough is enough

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

MDTSenior Contributor

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

I haven't got much of a social life these days so I guess I just make do

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

cloudcoreSenior Contributor

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

@MDT , I can relate to having feelings of loneliness being heightened by social media. I think for me though, the TV leads more to anxiety about the world rather than loneliness.

I'm wondering what you do, when you mention doign something on your own?

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

LaniSenior Contributor

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

Definitely supportive. Thank you for your time to listen to me. I appreciate that so much

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

Unknown userMember

Re: Topic Tuesday // Strategies for coping during the holiday season // Tuesday 21st December, 7:00- 8:30PM AEDT

@cloudcore for me, and in answering question 4, family conflict can bring up a fair amount of anxiety – whilst the festive season comes with the opportunity to celebrate, for some, this can cause an increase in social anxiety.

With COVID still a presence in many communities during Christmas 2021, it may signal a significant increase in anxiety/social anxiety.

Question 5: @pisces_1, what are some of the common experiences you’ve noticed around social anxiety as we move closer to Christmas? And what tips can you share with the community around coping with social anxiety during this period?

Question for our community: How has anxiety/social anxiety showed up for you during the Christmas/festive season?

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Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.

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Aboriginal flag
Torres Strait Islander flag
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Transgender flag

SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.

SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.

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