Dreading Christmas? Here's how one Illawarra woman is facing it head on

Her early years were marred by an abusive father, and by 12 she was an orphan, which led to her and her brothers being split up and sent to live with different relatives.

Ms Fleury said Christmas had always looked different for her than many others, for whom it was a time of celebration with family.

"Christmas does bring back a lot of memories, personally, of times I have missed out," she said.

Now, Ms Fleury spends Christmas on the Lifeline phones, helping others who might also find the holiday season a difficult one.

"I'm not only supporting other people and helping them through a tough time, I'm also helping myself," she said.

Chief executive officer of Lifeline South Coast, Renee Green, said financial stresses, family conflict, grief and loneliness were exacerbated around this time of year.

But she said there were steps people could take to alleviate these difficulties, such as managing a budget to control finances.

Ms Green suggested those feeling lonely could take action to connect with family and friends, volunteer, connect with the community through other social groups, or simply make a list of things they liked to do and enjoy doing those.

She said it was also a good idea for people to maintain realistic expectations around how their relationships worked and avoid comparing them to others or those they saw depicted on TV or in movies, and plan how long they intended to spend at events.

Lifeline has created a holiday guide with other strategies to help people manage stresses, which is available at lifeline.org.au/holidaysupport.

Ms Green also urged people to reach out if they need some help, saying Lifeline was available around the clock right through the holiday period.

Ms Fleury recognised it was not always easy to pick up the phone - she herself did not like to ask for help when struggling - but said people could get non-judgemental support anonymously through Lifeline.

She encouraged people not to hesitate to reach out.

Meanwhile NSW Health encourages people to check in on their neighbours, especially if they live alone, are bereaved or are separated from their family.

Chief psychiatrist Dr Murray Wright said people should not "underestimate the power of giving others your time, your conversation or inviting them to share a meal with your family".

"Make an extra effort this holiday season to be there for older members of your community; young people who don't have strong relationships with their parents; people whose loved ones have died recently; and people in financial difficulties," Dr Wright said.

Ms Green said there was an increase in demand for Lifeline South Coast's around the holiday period which had happened consistently for years.

Nationally, the charity responded to 115,000 requests for help through its phone, text and chat services across Australia in December 2022.