Manx Care is running an online campaign about mental health during the festive period.

Ross Bailey, general manager for the integrated mental health services, said: ‘Christmas is wonderful and exciting but it can be immensely exhausting and overwhelming for some people.

‘The challenges of buying the right presents, decorating your house, having family over who sometimes don’t get on, can be really difficult.’

Mick Fleming, matron at the Integrated Mental Health Services, gave the following tips to boost mental wellbeing throughout the period.

He said: ‘One of the things is to be realistic about what Christmas is about, what you can plan and what you can do.

‘Many of the Christmas TV adverts portray a perfect Christmas but sometimes it is important to prioritise what you’re going to manage at Christmas and be realistic about what you can’t manage.

‘This can help you make a decision about what is really important and sometimes what is less important.’

Another tip he gave is to look after your wellbeing, which includes exercise, getting out, going for walks, sleeping and eating well.

Mr Fleming added: ‘It’s really important to have a good social network and be able to talk to them about how you are feeling.

‘We drink a lot of alcohol at Christmas. Alcohol is a depressant so if we drink too much it can make us quite impulsive and we could do things that we may regret later.

‘Also it can depress the feelings we have and increase our anxiety levels.’

Finally, Christmas is always an expensive time. Amid the cost of living crisis this can be a heavier burden than usual.

The Manx Credit Union can provide support with budgeting.

Manx Care is using the video as a reminder to ‘take care of your mental health’.