 Hey everyone, my name is Rachel and before we get started I want to extend a huge Thank you to Chris for letting me have this little feature on his channel and give me a little shout out like this He's incredible. I've loved his channel for I don't know how long I've been watching now, but pretty affidlty I'll tell you that he's also done a really amazing video that's over on my channel If you want to go see that my name is Rachel. Oh, it says probably a link in the description down below as well If you don't know me I usually talk about like science-y stuff. I'm kind of atheism-y stuff But also like social stuff, lots of like pro-LGBT, lots of pro kind of like talking about mental health stuff And it just feels very varied, you know, I'm just fit all over the place I am someone who suffered with issues around depression and anxiety in the past I've been medicated for probably the last six or so years and I still am now So talking about my experiences with that it's something that I quite like to share with you guys and Talk about like what's affected me in the past and how I've worked through it and gotten over things and how I'm in such a Good place now and I want to kind of like share my experiences to try and help some of you guys out Who might be in a similar sort of position or have friends who are in that kind of position as well and Kind of mostly to let people know that you know There are other people going through the same stuff and there is a way out and there is a way that things get better and Hopefully try and help a few people out giving them some like coping mechanisms and little hints and tips along the way And that's what I want to talk about today because Christmas is such a stressful time anyway And especially for people with mental health problems like depression or anxiety like I had or any range of things I know that kind of winter Christmas time always used to be horrific for me. It used to Oh, bring me down. It was so difficult to get through and so today I'm gonna try and share a few little tips that helped me get through the holiday season that hopefully might help some of you as Well, obviously, not all these tips are gonna be perfect for everyone And but if you guys have any other suggestions, I'm not gonna talk about today Just drop them in the comments below. We can start a really cool conversation about this share your experiences share your stories share what helped you and That would be really great My first bit of advice for looking after your mental health during the holiday season is to simply talk to people Whoever you're spending Christmas with whether it's your family or friends talk to them if you can tell them what you're going through Tell them how they can help support you. I never used to do this I used to try and hide it from everyone and kind of suffer through it on my own and honestly It made everything ten times worse. I remember those this one Christmas where I just like I couldn't face anyone And I spent the entirety of boxing day like locked in my old bedroom at my parents house like trying to sleep Just kind of shut everything out and when I did eventually emerge at like 8 p.m. At night My entire family was mad at me for ignoring them all day and it caused a big argument It just made me worse if I'd actually spoken to them and told them what was going on with me They wouldn't have been so judgmental or angry. They would have been there to support me And maybe I wouldn't have had quite so crappy a Christmas I know it's not always easy for people to talk to their family or their friends And I know it's not always possible But on the whole I think it's really good to give people a chance Most people are way more understanding than you expect them to be and once they kind of understand what you're going through or Understand how to like notice a little like maybe warning signs with you or notice some little things Like maybe you're not quite feeling yourself or you're not feeling your best They can be there to say okay Do you want to just go off and have 10 15 minutes by yourself or they can be there to support you or help you in Whatever way I find just being really open and honest with the people around you always helps my second bit of advice And this might not be one for everyone and also for some people it might be one that's really difficult to follow But my second bit of advice is to avoid or limit how much alcohol you're drinking Especially if you're on medication for me when I first start a taking citalopram I couldn't have like a glass of wine without it really affecting my mood and bring me down and making me Super anxious and it just it messed me up completely. I had no idea where my tolerance for alcohol was gonna be I had no idea how it was really gonna affect my mood if it was gonna, you know Give me this incredible high or bring me on this like horrific low It just it exaggerated everything I was feeling when I started on the medication now I'm in a better place where I'm on Sertraline and While I still shouldn't be drinking with it I can have like a glass of wine every now and again or a glass of wine with a meal or a little cocktail for fun And I know that it's not gonna kind of affect me because I'm in this better place and I'm pretty stable now But at my lowest points I found The not drinking alcohol really really helped it helped me stay in control of my moods and helped me understand How I was feeling better. It stopped me having these big highs and lows and spikes I mean even if you're not Medicated or taking any kind of medication alcohol is a depressant Which if we're gonna put this really really simply basically means it slows down everything in your brain It can seem to be helping at first Especially if you have anxiety because it can seem to be making you feel a little bit more relaxed and chilled out These kind of like positive effects really don't last long and then afterwards you get these like oh horrific heightened feelings of anxiety or depression it really Hightens the lows if that makes sense and can make you feel so much worse So I find that the best thing to do if you're worried about your mental health or having one of these like low points or a Or if you're worried about panic attacks coming on anything like that The best thing is to try and stay in control of your body and that means avoiding alcohol We're also avoiding drugs and things like that and anything that is like a mood altering substance I know it's tough when you know you maybe want to have a glass of wine with Christmas dinner But if that's the case and you still want to enjoy yourself a bit Maybe just pour yourself half a glass instead of a full one something like that and just be very aware of how it is Affecting you while you're drinking it never feel any pressure to drink anything you don't want to and know where your limits are If you want to find out a little bit more about the effects of alcohol on depression and anxiety You know the mental health issues and I'll provide some links Which I think Chris is gonna pop down in the description for you guys you can read a little bit more about it You know from someone who is more knowledgeable than me My third bit of advice might sound really really simple But this was a life changer for me and that's just simply plan in advance One of the big things that would always trigger panic attacks for me and I used to get them really badly One of the things that triggered it for me was feeling out of control. So taking control of Christmas Really helped me. It's oh god It's such a crazy time right cuz I'm not buying anyone else but every Christmas for me I have to take like at least three trains to go visit my family and they're always really long They're always like a really crowded stations. It's always so busy I usually end up stood on the train for like three hours And it's just it's a nightmare and I have to like hold all my presents up there as well really heavy I was always worried about money. So I was I can't do this can't do this Booking trains, but oh god, and now I'd actually get to Peniston And I would be so stressed about seeing people I went to school with and I just like I have all this anxiety Building up and I cannot tell you the number of train stations around this country that I've cried on. It's an embarrassing number So couple of things that helped me there was to start planning early in advance that meant booking trains early So I'd actually get a seat and not be stood up on the trains It meant planning my route really carefully to have like the minimum number of changes But also giving plenty of time between train changes to take into account like late trains And I wouldn't be rushing around the stations and stuff like that Another thing I did was instead of doing my Christmas shopping in person now I do it all online so I can just get everything sent up to my parents house in South Yorkshire And it's all waiting for me there when I go up on Christmas Eve And all I need to do is unpack it and wrap it all up and it's all done ready So there's no lugging big bags across the country. It's just I go up with a rucksack now and Kyra obviously and Dan and it's just it's easy for us It's so much easier and so I don't have to wait around in Sheffield for like an hour and a half waiting for a train And they get a long train back to Peniston and so on and I asked my sister for help And now she picks me up at the train station So I don't have to spend as much time worrying about bumping into people. I don't want to see it's the little things but Planning like that in advance gives me a sense of being more in control It means there's less stuff to go wrong There's less unexpected stuff and it just makes everything so much more easier and simpler for me And I'm less prone to panic attacks now which is very very good Of course It is important to remember that you can't control everything Chances are some things are gonna go wrong in which case have a contingency plan and have some little techniques in place Where if you feel your anxiety rising, you know how to calm yourself down for me It's a series of breathing exercises and counting exercises that really help kind of I always say it's kind of Resets my brain. That's that's what really helped me But there are some great apps out there like headspace and calm harm and stuff like that Figure out what works best for you and have them ready to go if you do feel do feel your anxiety rising That means as soon as you feel a panic attack coming on you can stop it in its tracks. You're ready. You're prepared It's all about feeling in control and taking control because you can do that You have the power and the skill to do that and in a similar vein to this Make sure that if you are taking medication, make sure you've got enough to see you over the Christmas period Usually if you are gonna run out while you're away You can go to a pharmacy or your doctor early and get a little bit extra to kind of tide you over if you're gonna be away But again, make sure you're prepared. You're not forgetting your medication. You're definitely taking it with you You've got the correct doses. You've got the right amount Just double check before you leave and finally my last little bit of advice which again might sound really simple But it's one that I always used to forget So it's something that's kind of worth reminding yourself of is don't overload yourself Christmas is stressful at the best of times when you're dealing with mental health issues It can be a nightmare. Don't feel like you owe it to everyone else to do this and do this and do this and do this Just take a step back and remember that Christmas should be about having fun and relaxing and you deserve to do that It doesn't have to be about everyone else It can just be about you doing what you want to do or what you don't want to do You know if you just want to sit there and veg out for a week, you do that You don't owe it to anyone to do anything fancy or go to these club nights or go here or do this Same thing with buying presents if you're worried about money only buy what you can afford People are gonna appreciate that you put in thought rather than that you've you know gone into debt to them Don't feel forced to go on nights out Don't feel like you have to do anything drink anything take anything that you're not comfortable with if you're visiting Your family and staying with them only stay you know the minimum number of nights that you feel comfortable with Don't force yourself there longer if it's gonna make you unhappy. It is okay to say no to people It's important that you know your limits you know what you can and you can't do and You kind of live within those limits again This comes back to talking to the people around you if you explain to them why you can or can't do certain things There'll be way more understanding if you say sorry I can't really face a club tonight. You guys go out without me or sorry I don't really want to go to the pub maybe we could have you know a little game night in instead or something like that So yeah, I'm gonna end that there I know some of these seemed a little bit basic But they're things that really really helped me over the Christmas period and they still do you know it's what the 13th of December at the minute and I've already got my training tickets booked I've got my plan while I'm up there all in place I've got all my Christmas presents for and ready at my parents house waiting to be wrapped I am sorted which means these next like two weeks before Christmas I can just sit back and relax go to the pub with my friends on the night if you want have some film nights in With them, you know I'm I'm just relaxing and enjoying this because I've already got my plan in place and I feel good about it You know, I mean there's honestly a lot more that I could suggest or you know stories I could tell you guys about things that have helped and things that haven't helped But honestly everyone's different and I think the biggest bit of advice I can give you is just understand yourself Understand what works for you understand what doesn't what triggers you what helps you who can help you Christmas can be stressful, but it shouldn't have to be it should just be about relaxing and having fun and enjoying yourself You deserve to have that you deserve to have a break And if you are feeling stressed or you are at a low point just remember that it's just Christmas in the grand scheme of things It doesn't really matter. It'll be over in a couple of weeks and we'll be another one along next year So it's not really a big deal You don't have to worry about it that much and it's okay to kind of take a step back from things and say no This year I need to focus on me and my health because that's what's important But anyway, I'm kind of rambling at this point Hopefully this at least Helps some of you guys a little bit or gave you an idea of how you can help yourselves or other people I don't know but like I say share your advice for how you deal with kind of looking after your mental health at Christmas and over the holiday period share those ideas down in the comments below because I Definitely want to hear some of your stories and advice and what you guys have been through don't forget to go check out My channel and Chris's video over there and before I finish once again a huge Thank you to Chris for popping me on his channel like this. It's is a really great opportunity I know I'm not as cool or as smart as he is, but I'm trying okay But thank you so much for watching today and even though this isn't my channel. I hope I'll see you again soon