‘Give them a little bit of thought’: ‘Reach out’ to loved ones over Christmas

The best way to support those around us during Christmas is to “give them a little bit of thought” and “reach out”, says Mental Health Peer Worker Glenn Cotter.

One in five Australians have agreed they often feel very lonely, from a study between 2001 and 2021 by the Household Income and Labour Dynamics Australia.

While many people will be opening presents and indulging in turkey and Christmas pudding, for millions of Australians they won’t be.

“It’s a day that brings so many emotions for people. We’re so connected but so disconnected at the present point in time,” Mr Cotter told Sky News Australia.

“To me, the best way to support those around us is to just give them a little bit of thought, reach out. We’ve got the ability now to just send text messages – just touch base, say hello, just ask them how they are.

“It is a period of time that brings, as I said, a lot of mixed emotions - if somebody is missing somebody for the first time over the Christmas period, or they’ve lost somebody recently, and this is the first Christmas that they’ve had without somebody, it can really bring up a lot of heartache.”

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