Don’t go it alone this Christmas

When I was a kid, Christmas was awesome.

I can vividly recall the expectation and energy that began to build as the nights closed in and November rolled into that magical month. When the Christmas edition of the TV Times turned up on the kitchen table, I would pour over every single day, bursting with excitement as I planned out the movies, cartoons and shows I’d watch (not that I got my way often - but I’d try!)

The sheer possibilities, the endless potential gifts that might just arrive and the freedom to spend time in the world unfettered by school or parents - oh, the bliss!

Now, as an adult with my own kids all grown and fled; not so much.

And for some of us, it can be the hardest time of the year.

It can be a time of high stress, when work, home-life and the pressures of gift giving, planning and socialising can become unbearable. It can be a time of loneliness, when the everyday burden of living without others is compounded to unspeakable levels by what looks like everybody on the planet has others, except us. Or a time when the relative peace of our families is thrown into chaos, with arguments and fights, sniping and feuds.

And it can be a time when those weights become so heavy, that we decide the world might just be better off without us.

Reach out for help, if you need it

If you feel like you need help this Christmas, reach out - help is there and ready:

• Lifeline on 13 11 14

• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978

• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467

• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36

• Headspace on 1800 650 890

• QLife on 1800 184 527

• 13Yarn 13Yarn.org.au on 13 92 76

Reach out to us, if you’re lonely

This Christmas, if you feel you want to talk to someone local, feel free to reach out and talk to us directly. We won’t try and book you in for a session, this isn’t a marketing ploy - it’s an offer of a listening ear, and someone to be there with you, to share that pain with you and listen.

You can call me, Gary Bunker, on 0415 792 055. Or Andrea Garin, on 0401 385 690. If we don’t pick up, leave a message and we’ll call you back as soon as we can.

You don’t need to be alone at this time of year, if you don’t want to be.