Christmas and Holiday online resources

ME support

• #MEAction

ME During the Holidays

It’s that time of year again. The weather turns cold (or hotter for our southern hemisphere friends) and holiday expectations start piling on from commercials, movies, friends, relatives, schools…well, you get the idea. A lot of societal pressure. It can be especially hard to stop, rest, and pace this time of year.  We have put together some resources and ideas to help you.

• Travel with ME https://www.meaction.net/post/facets-of-me-travel-tips
  
• Temperature Dysregulation https://www.meaction.net/post/facets-of-me-temperature-dysregulation
  
• Post-exertional malaise https://www.meaction.net/post/facets-of-me-post-exertional-malaise
  
• Pacing over the holidays https://www.meaction.net/pacing-and-management-guides
  
• ME during the holidays https://shorturl.at/hh9Ks

• The ME Association

The ME Connect Telephone Helpline is run by the ME Association and provides information and support. HelplineFreephone: 0808 801 0484

Monday – Friday: 10am-6pm
Thursday: late night until 9pm
Saturday: 10am-12noon

 visit  https://meassociation.org.uk/support/

• Action for M.E.

Information & Support service supports people with ME and their carers to address the challenges presented by the illness. Our friendly and knowledgeable team are here for you, whether by helping you break down complex issues, manage relationships with others, find peer support or by signposting to other services.

Call on 0117 927 9551 or email infosupport@actionforme.org.uk to speak with a member of the Information & Support team. https://www.actionforme.org.uk/supporting-you/

• The Royal Voluntary Service’s Virtual Village Hall has a range of live and recorded classes on a range of activities from craft, gardening and baking to music and technology sessions. https://virtualvillagehall.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

Religious Services Online & Faith Based Resources

• Catholic Mass

https://mass-online.org/daily-holy-mass-live-online/

• Vatican Christmas Midnight Mass

https://www.youtube.com/c/VaticanNews/videos

• Find your local Church of England church service 

https://www.achurchnearyou.com/search/?tags=Live_stream

• Streamed services at Westminster Abbey.

https://www.westminster-abbey.org/events? https://shorturl.at/su2Cv

• Church of England online services https://www.youtube.com/thechurchofengland

• Church of Scotland

• https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship/weekly-worship/weekly-worship-2025-december

• Synagogue Service Streaming 

  https://www.reformjudaism.org.uk/covid-19-information/synagogue-service-streaming/

• The Liberal Jewish Synagogue https://www.ljs.org/services-online.html

• Glasgow Reform Synagogue https://www.grs.org.uk

• Secular Buddhist Tradition offers free meditation classes, courses, retreats and resources online. https://sbtonline.org/ 

• The Buddhist Centre Online offers free online events (donations welcome) and free online resources via the Dharma Toolkit. https://thebuddhistcentre.com/stories/toolkit/  

• The India Centre offers free online events. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-india-center-10750498376 

• The Sikh Helpline is a free telephone counselling and email inquiry service, available 24/7. You do not need to be Sikh to access their services. Telephone 0845 644 0704/07999 00 4363. https://www.sikhhelpline.com

• Sikh Your Mind is a mental health helpline, operating in English and Punjabi. https://sikhyourmind.com 

Mental health and wellbeing resources

• Age UK (England) Information and support for older people.

Age UK’s English helpline is open 8am to 7pm, every day of the year.

0800 678 1602  ageuk.org.uk

• Age Cymru (Wales) Information and support for older people in Wales.

0300 303 44 98 ageuk.org.uk/cymru

Age UK advice on coping with low mood over winter

• Samaritans offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you. Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org/ 

• The Silver Line - Provides support, information, friendship and advice for anyone aged over 55 who may feel lonely or isolated.The Silver Line is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 0800 4 70 80 90
  thesilverline.org.uk
  
  

• Shout has an anonymous 24/7 text service to help you through any difficulties you may experience this holiday period. Text Shout 85258 https://giveusashout.org/get-help/ 

• Frazzled Cafe meetings provide a place where people who are feeling frazzled can meet to talk and share their stories. They have virtual meetings, typically lasting 45 – 60 minutes, every day in December. https://www.frazzledcafe.org/ 

• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). 125 lives are lost every week to suicide. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. CALM exist to change this by provoking conversation, running life-saving services, and bringing people together so they reject living miserably, get help when they need it and don’t die by suicide. Telephone 0800 58 58 58 or contact https://www.thecalmzone.net

• BEAT Eating Disorders offers a helpline that is open all year and helps those with eating disorders and friends and family. It offers telephone helplines and email support. Call England: 0808 801 0677, Scotland 0808 801 0432, Wales 0808 801 0433, Northern Ireland 0808 801 0434 or contact https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk

• PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is the UK charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people.  Telephone 0800 068 4141, Text 078600 39967, email pat@papyrus-uk.org open 9am – midnight every day of the year (Weekends and Bank Holidays included) https://www.papyrus-uk.org

• Breathing Space Scotland: Call 0800 83 85 87 (open 24 hours at weekends, 6pm to 2am on weekdays) https://www.breathingspace.scot/

• Mind: The mental health charity provides extensive information and tips for coping with mental health challenges and loneliness over Christmas, along with a list of useful contacts. Visit the Mind website for details.