For many people, 2025 has been a difficult and challenging year. Life has felt heavier and at times all-consuming. As the year draws to a close, Christmas arrives with its customary promises of joy, togetherness, and celebration, yet for so many, the festive season fails to meet these expectations and exacerbates feelings of despair.

Christmas often comes with a great deal of pressure. The hype can begin as early as October, bringing with it an anticipation of happiness, generosity, and perfection. There is pressure to create the “perfect” day, to buy the right presents, prepare the right food, and make everything look effortless — even when finances are stretched and your get up and go has got up and gone. For many families, finding additional money for food and presents can cause a lot of stress and anxiety.

In addition, when relatives come together, old memories can resurface. Unspoken tensions, unresolved disputes, and past hurts can quietly (or loudly) come to the forefront. Patterns that we hoped we had outgrown may reappear, leaving us feeling frustrated, sad, or emotionally depleted. 

Christmas is not always the most wonderful time of the year.

It’s at this time of year that people realise how much they want things to be different.

As we start another new year, many people feel an overwhelming desire for change. A wanting to let go of what no longer serves them and to move forward with more positivity, clarity, and emotional regulation.

Counselling can be a great place to start.

Talking therapy offers a safe, confidential space to reflect on the past without dragging it into the present or the future. It can help clients understand long-standing patterns, process difficult emotions, and make meaningful changes that support healthier, more positive relationships.

During counselling sessions, clients are supported to explore their innermost thoughts and feelings at their own pace. A counsellor is a trained professional who is there to listen without judgement, to validate experiences, and to help clients find their own path forward. Therapy is not about being told what to do, it is about learning to be self-aware and to understand who we are.

If 2025 has been a difficult year, and if Christmas has highlighted parts of your life you want to change, you don’t need to feel alone and isolated. Talking therapy can help you move into the new year with a better understanding of who you are and why you feel the way you feel. Therapy will help you to build resilience, and optimism.

If this resonates with you, contact me for an initial consultation on how emotional therapy can help you, and to make an appointment. 

My contact details are 07515 834931 and linda--john@hotmail.co.uk