Coping With Christmas: Advice For Veterans Who Struggle With The Festive Period

While the festive season for most is a time to celebrate, it can be a difficult period for former service personnel.

For this reason, veterans' charity Combat Stress has released advice on how to make the Christmas period easier.

Chris Sharpe, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) explained how reaching out at this time of year is the ‘biggest thing’ to do to help.

After asking a few people around him, Mr Sharpe received several invitations to join people’s Christmas celebrations.

Being welcomed and able to spend the day with others helped Mr Sharpe. He said:

“It [the invitation] makes you wanted again and makes you feel part of that family, you never want to bother people when your own, you don’t want to invite yourself round.”

For Mr Sharpe, it’s not just the association of Christmas being a time for family, but it’s also about missing the festive military traditions:

“I miss the comradery of the battalion, especially in the lead up to Christmas…you have your battalion Christmas day wherever you are in the world.”

He remembered his own experience of being in Afghanistan in 2008, where Christmas lunch was still laid out despite ‘being in the middle of nowhere’.

Mr Sharpe’s advice to those who may be finding it tough is to try and engage with the community as much as possible.

However, he also had some advice for non-serving personnel: “It’s not so much for the veterans but maybe their friends and extended members of their family […] just get in touch with them.

"If you’re in a position to offer them a place at your table do that.”

“The chances of them [veterans] getting in touch with you are slim.”

The advice from Combat Stress for Christmas and New Year's is available online.