Hey man, I’m spending Christmas with my father. We don’t have the best relationship, but how can I make it work?

While it may not be an ordinary Christmas this year, many across the UK are as usual planning to spend the festive season celebrating with their extended family members.

Christmas can be one of the most uplifting times of the year...in theory. In reality, tensions can run high and arguments aren’t restricted to the cast of Eastenders. This is true for families, but we often underestimate the pressure that the festive season can have on our relationships. Dr Katherine Hertlein, lead therapist at Blueheart, addresses some of the most common issues Christmas can create for couples and explains how to overcome them.

You are likely well aware of how to maintain a healthy body and functional mind – with a daily dose of exercise, a good nights’ sleep, and a balanced diet, right? – but what about the one topic you’ve been avoiding? The one that keeps resurfacing under the sheets that can hold you back from being intimate with yourself and others? When your sex drive is dwindling and you are unable to rise to the occasion, it can feel embarrassing and isolating, but you are not alone.

Guys, do you find yourself getting a little testy lately? Maybe with your colleagues at work? Perhaps while ordering take-out from someone who just can’t seem to understand that you don’t want onions on your salad?

Angela Corbo leads communications programs at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Be patient with yourself. Divorce or separation is a significant life event. In addition to the change in schedules, living situation, and other physical changes, the emotional changes can be difficult and wash over you at times you might not expect. Be patient with yourself and recognize the massive change unfolding before you.

At the start of the first lockdown back in March, those who were coupled up and living together may have thought that the extra time together would be a blessing.