If you find the headline perplexing, then you’re probably too young to remember VHS video tapes, which were a major part of my childhood and the precursor to DVDs and subsequently, streaming services.
Video tapes were how we watched the latest blockbuster movies from Hollywood, Bollywood or wherever.
High Street stores where you could rent the latest movie, such as the now long-gone ‘Blockbuster’ used the phrase ‘Be kind, rewind’ to ask people to be considerate and make sure that when a VHS tape was returned, it had been rewound to the beginning for the next viewer.
It’s also part of the fantastic Men in Black series referenced in the ‘All Hail Jay’ scene in movie number two where the mysterious creatures in the locker take “Be Kind Rewind” as a commandment to “Reconcile your past ... in order to move into your future!”
And that is exactly what the headline is meant to signify.
Driving Home for Christmas
The festive season can mean different things to people, and for many of us, Christmas is a time for meeting with friends and family, and for restocking the batteries and, I don’t know about you, but boy do I need to restock my batteries!
2025 has been a completely exhausting year and many of my family, friends and colleagues also seem to have found things particularly challenging in 2025.
It’s been a year of turmoil and there’s a lot of uncertainty in the air. Everything seems to demand immediate attention and there often feels like there is little time to stop and think.
And that is where the festive break comes in to play a huge part in helping you to reset yourself and remind you of the important things in your life.
Work is an important part of almost everyone’s life and we spend a lot of our waking hours either at work, on the job out in the field or working from home.
But a survey earlier this year found that one in three people feel that they do not have a good work life balance. It also found that 88% of UK employees have experienced burnout in the last two years.
If, like me, you’re lucky enough to work in an industry that all but comes to a halt over Christmas, it is worth sparing a thought for other sectors that don’t stop for much of a break, such as retail and hospitality, or the NHS and emergency services.
But it’s also worth spending a moment or two taking stock of yourself and your own work life balance to see where you are in your life and, most importantly, where you want to be.
So regardless of whatever your job is, or how long you will have as a break over Christmas, do find time to reflect on your past year, and look at what you need to change in 2026.
It’s the most wonderous time of the year
The run up to Christmas is the time of year when things reach a peak and everyone seems to be rushing to the festive break.
Everyone is happy, cheerful and looking forward to a ‘most wonderous’ and fantastic Yuletide.
Except, what if you’re not?
What if you’re on your own this Christmas or heading for a family event where you need to hide your true feelings and just ‘muck along’ – isolated, but in plain sight?
What if the looming holiday season leaves you flat with all the ‘goodwill’ just simply lost on you?
What if you’re one of the 88% who have experienced a burn out in the past two years? I know I am!
What on earth can you do?
Last Christmas
I’m a Mental Health First Aider at Mitsubishi Electric and I know just how important it is to focus on things that we often keep hidden. My own ‘issues’ began last year when I realised quite how much I had been keeping hidden from myself!
My burnout came about because I tried to make a ‘to do’ list and suddenly realised that I had an overwhelming list of things that were all super urgent, vitally important and that the whole world was going to collapse unless I delivered them all on time.
Of course, none of these tasks really were super urgent and, whilst they were important to achieve, nothing was really going to collapse if I didn’t get all of them over the line at the same time.
So, I took a step back from the ‘immediate’ and thought long and hard about what was important to me, to my work, and … most importantly, to my own sanity.
And that’s when I realised something else, it’s always easy to reflect on the bad things in life and forget the good!
Thanks to my family, friends and colleagues, I also realised another important lesson – asking for help is not a weakness – it’s actually a sign of strength as you have realised that you need others to support you.
Merry Xmas Everybody
What it comes down to is being honest with yourself, realising what it is that is causing you issues and needs fixing. Remember that it is OK not to feel OK and part of the hardest thing to do can be to admit it to yourself.
That can be easier said than done when you are in the middle of things so I would always recommend finding ways to take a step back and get a different perspective.
In my case, I spoke to a male cousin, who approached things in a very step-by-step approach, which beautifully counterbalanced my approach of simply drowning in emotion!
Speaking with him helped me realise that decisions based on emotion are rarely good ones in the long run but again, it takes a certain amount of openness and honesty to admit that you have issues.
Yes, being open and honest can be scary, but unless you speak up for yourself even your closest friends and family won’t know that you’re stuck in your own little trouble bubble.
Yes, this can leave you feeling vulnerable but once you have found the courage to speak up and talk to someone, then you can go back to basics and look at what is really important to you.
Remember that even in a crowd it is possible to feel isolated so please do reach out to someone for help.
For me, a good place to start is The Hub of Hope website, which provides a Directory of services in your area that may be able to help you.
There are some lovely quotes of hope on the site, with ‘Jen from Jersey’ saying: “This will pass, this journey will not end here, it will influence the next part so much richer as you will have grown because of who you were today.”
It’s all about realising you have an issue and talking to someone about how you can get yourself back on an even keel.
So, in full spirit of the festive season:
“Make yourself a list, while checking it twice,
You’re trying to find out what makes you feel nice”
Well, you know the rest!
Whatever you get up to, I hope Santa Claus comes to your town so you have a very Happy Christmas and I wish you the very best mental health.
Janvi Patel is a Mental Health First Aider
