Christmas can be a really hard time of year.

There can be a lot of pressure that can build up and it can be hard to cope.

But don’t think that there’s nowhere to go – Tauranga and New Zealand hotlines and helplines are there for you whenever you need for any issue you may be facing.

“Every year Christmas can be stressful financially,” says Shaun Robinson from the Mental Health Foundation.

“Given that we’re in a recession and there’s very high inflation, that’s going to be even more so [this year].

"I really encourage people to pull back and think what actually the best thing about Christmas is,” says Shaun.

“The best things don’t necessarily cost you money.

"It’s about the times you spend with people, with your family, your children, your friends,” says Shaun.

“There are lots of low-cost things that people can do.

"Just getting people together and having a simple meal or going to the park or the beach.”

“Spend time together rather than having to go out and buy lots of presents and putting yourself in debt,” suggests Shaun.

“What we do [at the Mental Health Foundation] is teach and encourage and support people to look after their own mental health and to have the knowledge and habits and skills to boost the mental wellbeing and their mental health and to support other people,” says Shaun.

“Often Christmas and the summer are one of those really challenging times.

"For me what I do, is I really double down on the five ways to wellbeing,” says Shaun.

“It works for people like me with clinical depression and it works for people who already feel good.”

Connect

Number one “is connecting, connecting with people,” says Shaun.

“Even if I’m feeling really depressed and I don’t want to go out and connect with people, I try to make sure I have some human contact every day.”

“It might be just having a chat to my neighbour while I get my post out of the letterbox, it might be texting a friend, it might be spending some time with family members,” says Shaun.

“We are social animals and we are designed to have contact with other human beings.”

Move

The second is “move”.

“Actually doing some form of physical exercise. For me that could be a half-an-hour walk around the neighbourhood,” says Shaun. 

“There is an absolute correlation between our bodies and our minds.

"Even just a couple of hours of mild exercise across a week has a huge impact on depression and anxiety and other mental health challenges.

"We need to move our bodies to move our moods and our minds.”

Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson. Photo: supplied.

Give 

The third is “give”.

“Look for ways to be kind to other people, time and attention to other people,” says Shaun.

“Trying to look for opportunities to show kindness to others.

"It’s a great way to help connect us with other people.

“It might be taking a couple of pieces of fruit off my tree and giving it over to my neighbour. It might be helping my kids with something,” says Shaun.

Keep learning

“Keep learning” is fourth way to wellbeing.

“Keep your mind active and open.

"It might be learning something more on the guitar.

"Listening to a podcast, reading a book, observing nature and the seasons.

"Our brains are designed to be open and learning and inquisitive.”

Take notice

Lastly is “Take notice”.  

Shaun says this means try to live in the moment.

“Don’t live in your head, ruminating about the past.

Do something that keeps you right in the moment.

Gardening or listening to music, or colouring in.

“Connecting with nature is a very, very positive thing,” says Shaun.

“Spend some time out in the garden or at a park or the beach or the bush.”

NZ’s Mental Health Crisis team operates 24/7 on 0800 800 508.

Call when you need help.