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Supporting children with post-Christmas anxiety

4 mins read Guest Blog
As we start a new year, with Christmas behind us, it’s important to reflect on the festive period.
Michael Samuel is chair of the Anna Freud Centre. Picture: Anna Freud Centre
Michael Samuel is chair of the Anna Freud Centre. Picture: Anna Freud Centre

Thanks to Irving Berlin’s lyrical craftsmanship, the words ‘may your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white’ have been immortalised in British festive culture. This past Christmas may have marked 80 years since ‘White Christmas’ was released but, as 2022 drew to a close amidst a cost-of-living crisis, the festive period was not ‘merry and bright’ for a lot of people. As chair of the Anna Freud Centre, a children’s mental health charity, I have seen the significant toll that the crisis has taken on our country’s mental health.

Around Christmas things got even tougher. The cost-of-living crisis was sadly one of 2022’s abiding themes, and looks set to continue this year. It refers to the fall in disposable income that people in the UK have been experiencing since late 2021 and is the result of high inflation outstripping wage and benefit increases. Its impacts are far-reaching and pernicious. Overall, 93 per cent of adults have reported an increase in their living costs in the last year with consumer and domestic gas prices rising by 10.7 per cent and 129 per cent respectively.

The effects of the crisis are not felt equally. It disproportionately affects lower income households because essentials like food and energy already make up a bigger share of their spending. The poorest 10 per cent of households spend proportionately three times as much on gas and electricity bills as the richest 10 per cent. For those living in poverty, the consequences of these trends are much more severe.

Poverty is a significant driver of poor mental health. Adults living in the poorest 20 per cent of UK households are between two to three times more likely to develop mental health problems than those in the richest 20 per cent. We also know that people living in the most deprived areas are up to 10 times more at risk of suicide than those in the most affluent areas.

Unfortunately, the cost-of-living crisis is only one of the major mental strains that has been put on our nation over the last few years. We are still grappling with the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of Covid-19. In 2021, the Centre for Mental Health predicted that over 10 million people, including 1.5 million children, will need additional mental health support as a direct result of the pandemic. Of course, mental health in early years is a crucial determinant of life prospects. That is something that has been highlighted by the Princess of Wales and her Centre for Early Childhood.

Through my work at the Anna Freud Centre, I have witnessed just how deeply these issues have affected children and young people across the UK. That is why I recently joined fellow leaders from the UK’s top mental health organisations in writing to our Prime Minister to ask him to take urgent action in tackling the root causes of mental ill health and inequality.

The uncertainty and ambiguity that surrounds the cost-of-living crisis, pandemic and war causes anxiety, particularly among young people. The fact that these issues don’t have a clear end date only heightens it. Children as young as five pick up on emotions around these issues and are becoming increasingly worried about their families as well as themselves. Recent reports have revealed that 30 per cent of children are worried about their family having enough money while 49 per cent of young people in the UK feel anxious about their future on a daily basis.

The festive season is a costly one, both in terms of mental health and expenditure. In the run up to Christmas, a typical UK household spends 29 per cent more (roughly £740) than in an average month. In 2022, the cost of Christmas was much higher. Rising prices made heating homes, buying presents and cooking Christmas dinner even harder. An estimated 1.9 million households failed to meet deadlines on bill payments in the run up to Christmas and more than 50 per cent had to make financial adjustments such as cutting back on essential spending due to the cost of living crisis.

It's normal for children to feel stressed or anxious about heading back to school in January and after a holiday period that felt different from usual, these emotions are likely to be heightened. While the crisis has left lots of people feeling helpless, it is important to remember that there are many ways to support children who are struggling with their mental health in the aftermath of Christmas.

We can start by being honest. Comparison around Christmas and presents can be particularly challenging for children and so, for parents and caregivers, it is important to explain the realities of the crisis without being catastrophic. Children are also incredibly perceptive and so sugar-coating or minimising a child’s concerns is not a good idea and may lead to them trying to manage their burdens on their own.

Feeling isolated is one of the most dangerous things for children in challenging times. Encouraging them to share their worries is important, as is conveying that while these issues present a harsh reality, it is not one that they will have to face alone. The security that comes from community and family is also an essential source of support particularly around the holidays.

Perhaps the most important piece of advice I can offer therefore is to build communities of support for caregivers and young people alike. Children aren’t the only ones feeling anxious after Christmas and by reaching out to others facing similar challenges, we can build communities of support that will long outlast the crisis.

Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas’ may be the best-selling song in history, but it stands out from many other Christmas songs in more ways than one. Written during wartime in the late 1930s, it is a blues song in spirit and a melancholic reflection on Christmases past. While many of us may have been dreaming of the Christmases ‘we used to know’ in 2022, this song is an important reminder that the festive period can be a time of hardship for many but also that we should embark on the new year with a focus on supporting children and young people to strengthen their mental health.

Michael Samuel MBE is chair of the Anna Freud Centre


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