Christmas duty threatens your emotional health

A survey by online emotional health specialist Big White Wall, reveals that 60 per cent of people send Christmas cards out of duty rather than real care.

Further, the survey discovers that two in five people buy gifts for others simply because they know that they will receive one in return.

It seems that underlying the spirit of Christmas is a crushing sense of duty. And, not surprisingly, such focussed obligation only compounds what many see as an already stressful time of year; with almost four in five of those who took part in the Big White Wall survey admitting to feeling stress over the festive season.

Big White Wall Director, Charlotte Vere comments, ‘Christmas has become a mass collusion in seasonal duty with a huge knock on effect on stress levels – caused by things such as receiving a card from the person you forgot, the friend that turns up with an unexpected present or housing relatives that no-one else will.’

This Christmas, the Big White Wall website is open for people to share the personal cost of their duty – openly, honestly and anonymously - and users of Big White Wall have already started to express how they really feel about Christmas.

One member wrote, ‘the more we have, the more we want and the more pressure there is to 'celebrate' Christmas. The result is that more and more of us just do not look forward to it at all.’

The stress of such duty can have a negative impact on emotional health, which in turn leads to physical and mental health problems. This Christmas, Big White Wall encourages everyone to release emotional stress and pressure by sharing their thoughts and feelings at www.bigwhitewall.com.

Note to editors:

Big White Wall is the place for emotional health online (www.bigwhitewall.com). It is a support network where people can be open, honest and anonymous and express their everyday worries, deeper concerns and hidden secrets. Users can also learn more about how to be emotionally healthy.