Christmas is meant to be a time spent with family and friends but, with the Omicron Covid-19 variant rapidly spreading throughout the UK, some people may find themselves having to self-isolate over the festive period.
Current NHS guidelines state that if you test positive for Covid, you must self-isolate immediately. The self-isolation period includes the day your symptoms started (or the day you took the test if you’re asymptomatic) and the next 10 days.
This past week, the UK has seen record-high Covid numbers, with 91,743 new cases recorded in the 24 hours to Monday 20 December.
If you are vulnerable or are feeling anxious about the increasing Covid numbers, you may even be considering a self-imposed self-isolation. But whether you’re self-isolating out of choice or necessity, you need to be prepared for the potential toll this could take on your mental health.
According to a report published by the Office for National Statistics in May this year, around one in five (21 per cent) of adults experienced some form of depression during the winter lockdown months of January to March 2021.
This number increased from 19 per cent in November 2020 and has more than doubled since before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when 10 per cent of adults reported experiencing a form of depression.
“Connection to others is a crucial factor of emotional wellbeing. Self-isolating, unfortunately has the opposite effect of the warm feelings that we can get from connecting with others. It is easy to feel disconnected from the world,” Counselling Directory member Sophie Harris tells The Independent.
“This means that our negative thought patterns have space to spiral, often leading us to feel worse. With self-isolation, an element of control is taken away. This can lead to feelings of helplessness. It is understandable why this has such a negative impact on a person’s wellbeing.”
If you do need to self-isolate this Christmas and be away from your family, Harris suggests finding other ways to treat yourself or mark the occasion — using the break as downtime to help you relax, for example. She also suggests video calling friends and family and even video calling them while they eat their Christmas meal so you can be as involved as possible.
“Give yourself some self-compassion,” she continues. “Try to look after yourself in the same way you may do to someone you love who was in a similar situation. Asking yourself the question, ‘I’m sorry you are going through this, what can I do to help?’ can be a useful prompt in difficult times.”
Fellow Counselling Directory member, Laura Duester, says it’s OK to spend time “grieving” the loss of planned festivities. “Make sure to look after your mental health by avoiding ‘compare and despair’ thinking,” Duester advises. “Try to acknowledge and allow yourself to have negative feelings, whilst also focusing on doing enjoyable things that give you a feeling of joy and connection to others.”
Christmas can often exacerbate the feeling of loneliness as there is a narrative of connection and joy and, as the year comes to an end, there is also a sense of reflection which can be hard for some. To combat this, Harris suggests writing a list of the positive experiences you’ve had this year, focusing on the moments of connection where you’ve felt most loved.
“Make space for your loneliness,” she adds. “Provide yourself with compassion. This includes focusing on what you need to support you through difficult emotions.
“It can be easy for your mind to play tricks on you during more difficult times. You might start believing that you are the only one going through a difficult time. Try to put this into context that your feelings are valid and that other people are struggling too. This feeling will pass.”
