There is no worse time of the year to be lonely than at Christmas. At the time of the year that is all about family, community and coming together, being alone with no one to share it is difficult. This year why not make a difference in someone’s life and reach out?
It’s so easy to get carried away with your own family and friends and be so caught up in the festive spirit and everything we need to do at the busy time of the year, that we don’t find the time to take a moment and look at those around us who may be suffering in silence.
During lockdown, this year we saw our communities coming together like nothing we’d seen before to help each other out during a difficult time. People began to think local, we took the time to appreciate the people living on our streets or in our neighbourhoods. People reached out to those they saw were struggling and made a massive difference with gestures as simple as taking the time to say “hi, how you holding up” or “do you need anything”. Although it seems small, this simple act of checking in with someone really could make all the difference to someone who is isolated or living alone.
During this busy Christmas period let’s not forget the renewed sense of community and generosity we had earlier in the year and at this time when loneliness and isolation is felt most sharply let’s put it into practice and look out for those around us.
Reaching out to the Elderly
According to the Age UK, more than 850,000 older people in the UK will find themselves spending Christmas alone this year. “I’d like to go to sleep on Christmas eve and not wake up until New Year’s Day and miss the whole thing”. This is a quote from Majorie, one of the women that Age UK have helped in recent years and it is frankly heartbreaking. If we can stop just one person from feeling like that this year, that would be a Christmas well spent.
For more information on how you can help the elderly in your community, check out Age UK and Health Assured’s top tips on combating loneliness.
The Younger Generation Facing a Christmas Alone
Although the older generation is the first group of people you think of when you think of loneliness at Christmas, they are not the only generation suffering. New figures from the Charity Mind have discovered that millennials (people aged from 25 – 34) are twice as likely as the elderly to be facing Christmas alone this year.
So this Christmas, between all the hecticness of the Christmas season try and find some time to check on those around you, whether they are young or old and make sure everyone is set for a happy Christmas, though a simple act of consideration and kindness really could make the world of difference in someone’s life.