Lonely this Christmas

Christmas can turn out to be the most desolate period for many. Andreios, offers invaluable tips on how to survive it There are few things in life more awful than feeling empty and alone at Christmas. The relentless pressure to be jolly, to feel happy and be surrounded by people, leaves many people feeling isolated and miserable at this time of year. There are plenty of reasons why you might feel lonely at Christmas. Loss is the primary one - the loss of someone you love, who has either died or left you, is bad enough at any other time, but very agonising at Christmas. Being alone is another. You might be new in town, far from your family and friends, or the kind of person who leads an isolated existence and has few close contacts with others. There may be times when this suits you, but Christmas isn't likely to be one of them. Feeling that you don't fit in is a third reason. If your only choice is to spend Christmas with people who are very different from you, then it can dent your self-esteem and leave you feeling lonely, even in the middle of a crowd. So what do you do? No matter how low you feel and how lonely you are, there are always things that you can do to change your situation and the way you feel. Even though it may not feel like it, you always have choices.