Not feeling Christmassy? Roman Kemp urges Brits to speak up this festive season
| 8th December 2022
Not everyone enjoys the festive season and now a new campaign fronted by Roman Kemp is highlighting how the season of goodwill can also lead to low moods.
He openly speaks about new research and how those who are struggling should open up. In fact, many people will tell friends and family they’re ‘fine’ over the Christmas period, even when they’re not.
According to research, more than a third (34 per cent) are less likely to feel ok during the festive season, more than any other time of year. And 51 per cent believe others don’t want to hear about their troubles as it dampens the mood.
When respondents were asked by family how they are over Christmas dinner, 47 per cent would keep the conversation light-hearted, believing that it isn’t the right time to discuss heavy issues.
But the study, which shines a light on the benefits of opening up and talking more, found 52 per cent feel additional pressure to be happy during the festive period and pretend everything is ok.
In light of the findings, Walkers and Comic Relief teamed up with the TV and radio presenter and mental wellbeing campaigner to inspire people to open up and talk more, challenging the nation to give up the F***(fine) word this Christmas and beyond, to support their mental wellbeing.
Brits use the ‘F’ word to be polite
Roman said: “As someone who has been open about their own battle with mental health and seen first-hand the devastating consequences of people bottling up their feelings, this is a campaign very close to my heart.
“Christmas is an amazing time of year, but it’s also a very challenging time for a lot of people. So, I’m hoping that through this campaign and encouraging people to ban what is undoubtedly the most offensive ‘F’ word out there, we can help open up the conversation surrounding mental wellbeing – and get people having open and honest conversations about how they’re really feeling.
“Let’s stop saying we’re fine because we think it’s polite, or because we think it’s what the other person wants to hear. Most of the time, if a friend or family member is asking you how you are, they do genuinely want to know because they care.”
The study also found that, as a nation, we collectively proclaim we’re ‘fine’ 213 million times every day, with the average person saying it four times during a 24-hour period.Yet, 87 per cent confessed to saying they’re ‘fine’ on autopilot when asked how they are without even thinking about how they actually feel.
Money worries and the heavy current news agenda were cited as the things most likely things to get people down.
“I’m fine!" – the autopilot response
To kick off the campaign, Roman took to the streets to ask the public if they ever give honest answers when asked ‘how are you?’ and would join him in giving up the ‘F’ word this Christmas.
Many of those interviewed admitted they too are guilty of providing autopilot ‘I’m fine’ responses, with the reasons for doing so ranging from ‘not wanting to bring other people down with you’, ‘not knowing how people are going to deal with your emotions’, and ‘being afraid of feeling uncomfortable.
Philippa Pennington from Walkers, which has donated £2 million to Comic Relief for mental wellbeing projects, said: “We know Christmas can be a challenging time for many, and the pressure to appear positive and pretend everything is ‘fine’, even if it’s not, is particularly strong at this time of year.
“The message of our Christmas campaign – that it can help to open up and talk about your feelings – is so important and we hope to be able to encourage people to talk a little more this festive season.”
The research, via carried out OnePoll, also revealed the top barrier to giving open and honest answers was that ‘it’s easier than explaining why you’re not fine’, along with not wanting to go into detail about how they’re feeling.
While 26 per cent don’t think people genuinely want to know how you are when they ask this. Despite this, 48 per cent claimed they do genuinely want people to tell them how they’re feeling when they ask how they are.
Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said: “We believe humour can be great way to help start conversations that can sometimes be difficult to have, especially about how we are really feeling.
“So, this Christmas, together with Walkers, we hope we can help get the nation talking more and looking after their mental wellbeing.”