I was recently speaking to a friend of mine about what he was planning to do for Christmas, however, within a few minutes of my asking this question, I realised that something wasn’t quite right about the way he was answering.

He quickly became withdrawn and seemed to mentally leave the conversation and, although at the time I didn’t think it was prudent to pursue the subject further, I did bring it up a few days later and discovered that my usually bright and bouncy friend has had a history of depressive episodes during the holiday season. The thing is, he’s not the only one.

Greatly misunderstood by many, depression and indeed mental health as a whole have remained something of a taboo on our utilitarian islands. Intangible and not visible in the way a broken leg or broken arm are, many of those suffering from mental health issues are instructed to just get a grip and get over themselves or to just get happy despite suffering from chronic depression.

If you yourself are going through the holiday blues, don’t feel guilty about it: you don’t owe it to anyone to be anything but yourself

This profound lack of understanding of what a person in the throes of depression can and cannot do for himself in itself inspires a culture of shame where those suffering are made to feel even more helpless about their situations.

The cruel irony is that, despite the fact that the Christmas season is meant to be the happiest season of all, many people find this time of year particularly challenging because they are unable to feel the love, peace and happiness that they are universally expected to.

Indeed, between the familial conflicts which play out at this time of year, the financial burden of keeping up with the Joneses and all-encompassing high expectations, it’s a wonder that Christmas remains a happy occasion for anyone at all.

My advice to all of you is simple: should you meet anyone who seems to be down in the coming weeks, do try to make their ride a little lighter by not putting pressure on them to forcibly get into the holiday spirit. It’s important to be encouraging and empathetic without coming across as condescending.

You don’t always have to understand something completely to be able to extend a hand; sometimes it’s just a matter of approaching everything with more tact instead of blurting out the first thing which comes to mind.

If you yourself are going through the holiday blues, don’t feel guilty about it: you don’t owe it to anyone to be anything but yourself. You are not alone.