As Lunar New Year approaches, many Asian Australian families are planning an annual gathering to celebrate the festival — but not everyone feels happy about it.
The two-week cultural festival is often considered a time for family reunions, connections and new beginnings, but increased family time can also create pressure and reopen old wounds, according to Maria Cassaniti, manager of the NSW government's Transcultural Mental Health Centre in western Sydney.
"Lunar New Year, similar to other events for different communities … is a time of excitement and celebration for many, but we also know that these kinds of events … can come with [their] own stress," she tells SBS News.
While some multicultural communities may still grapple with stigma about mental health, Cassaniti says many have become more aware of its importance in recent years, including during cultural events such as Lunar New Year.
SBS News has spoken with several psychologists and mental health experts ahead of the festival, which starts on 17 February, about how to look after your mental health during the Lunar New Year. Here are their tips.
From dinner table arguments to inappropriate comments
In China and Vietnam, where people can enjoy a week-long holiday for Lunar New Year, local media have reported on youth disengagement with the traditional festival, citing stress from dealing with family expectations.
In Australia, young people from the Asian diaspora may also find themselves in similar shoes, as their values may differ from those held by older generations who grew up in Asia, says Christopher Tran, a Sydney-based psychologist dedicated to multicultural mental health.
"There's a bunch of things in Asian cultures that don't necessarily make things difficult, but it's interesting when it interacts with the culture we have here [in Australia]," he tells SBS News.
Tran says many of his clients have found it difficult to deal with "personal questions" and comments from family members — on subjects ranging from marriage to career progression — as well as managing family expectations.
Tip: Be prepared, and set a boundary for engagement
If you feel stressed about interacting with other family members, Cassaniti suggests it could be helpful to prepare for questions from senior relatives.
Veronica Ing, a Sydney-based psychologist, also suggests people practise self-soothing exercises to ensure a calm state of mind and increase tolerance for potentially uncomfortable conversations before family dinners.
"Coming in with a higher tolerance means that you're more likely able to deal with any emotional triggers while you're in the presence of your family," she says.
Tran suggests setting a time limit for engagement and considering booking a follow-up event to give yourself an excuse to leave on time.
"The general thing is just remembering that: 'my parents or my uncles and aunties, they carry their own values, their own anxieties, I carry my stuff. I'm allowed to choose how much I let in of this,'" he says.
"And basically it's just about every time they try to shine that spotlight on you, just click it away."
Cassaniti, Ing and Tran say it's also important to keep in mind that people can choose whom they do and don't want to spend the Lunar New Year with.
Loneliness and homesickness
While some Asian Australians face stress from family estrangement, some international students and first-generation migrants living away from their loved ones might feel homesick and lonely during the festive period.
Loneliness has been described as "the silent epidemic" by the Australian Psychological Society. University of Sydney research from 2025 found 43 per cent of Australians aged 15 to 25 feel lonely.
Dr Eric Fu, senior research fellow at the Youth Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, says many young people start university expecting a rich social life, only to find themselves isolated by their living arrangements, which can foster "a heightened sense of loneliness".
He's noticed loneliness has become a "big issue" among Chinese international students in particular, as many struggle to integrate and connect with local communities due to cultural and linguistic barriers.
"Because they are only here for a short period of time, and also they didn't really get the chance to really set their roots into the local community," he says.
Tip: Use social media well, and go for a walk
Fu, who has conducted research about the well-being of Chinese international students in Australia, found many turn to social media to seek interest groups and build connections with peers.
He says students also use social media to stay connected with families, friends and even strangers with similar cultural backgrounds.
"Sometimes even some unknown people clicked a like or collected their notes on Xiaohongshu or WeChat [Chinese social media apps], even that kind of recognition or identification can really play a role for them to really feel less lonely in Australia."
But while agreeing that social media can be a useful engagement tool for students, Fu also warns them to be cautious about online scams, especially if they have recently arrived in Australia.
More importantly, he encourages international students to "leave their accommodation and just go out for a walk" to explore their neighbourhoods and local communities.
"I think that will be a good way, you know, to really overcome that kind of sense of acute loneliness, you know, especially during this kind of traditional Chinese [festival] period."
Tran and Ing also point out that the Lunar New Year could be a good opportunity to build connections, as councils and local libraries often host community events.
Besides staying connected with people in Australia, Ing and Cassaniti also encourage people to use video calls and online chats to stay connected with families living overseas as a way to counter loneliness.
"[Don't] be afraid to reach out and practice being vulnerable when you're initiating contact," Ing says, adding that in some Asian cultures, people may not be used to directly expressing their love and vulnerability.
Gambling
Huangyuan Chen, a counsellor at the GambleAware Multicultural Service, tells SBS News that some members of Asian communities participate in gambling — such as playing mahjong with money — as a means of social connection during festive seasons.
Major casinos in Australia have also invested in Lunar New Year celebrations to try to attract overseas visitors.
Chen says it's key that people maintain control of their behaviours and take strategies to prevent themselves from engaging in problematic gambling.
This could include talking to casino staff to impose a ban on themselves from entering the venues, blocking gambling websites and talking to a gambling counsellor, Chen says.
She says people also need to be mindful of their motivations for gambling and the potential effect on others.
"Think about the people around you, because we know that people can be socially influenced [by] gambling," she says.
"Keep a distance from people influencing you to gamble, or keep away from the social influence, the online influence, and at the same time, spend more time with people with other interests, away from gambling, if possible."
Consider taking leave
Except for Christmas Island, Lunar New Year isn't a public holiday in Australia. But with upcoming gatherings and other cultural practices, maintaining work-life balance can be challenging for those who celebrate amid competing priorities.
Tran suggests people start with the practical steps, such as speaking to their manager.
"That could feel scary, and we don't know exactly if that's going to be successful," he says."But it's worth a try, because there are some workplaces that will actually respect this [cultural festival]."
He says people should weigh up their priorities and focus on what they think is most important.
"If you're leaning on work, then speak to your family and see if you can rearrange things; if you know family is more important, then you might just bite the bullet and just take some leave."
Post-Lunar New Year care
If people find family gatherings during the Lunar New Year stressful, it may be worth considering seeking professional help in the future to unpack the source of pressure, Tran says.
In recent years, there have been practitioner-led initiatives and government-supported multicultural programs that encourage people with multicultural backgrounds to seek culturally inclusive mental health care, with interpreting services available.
But in the case of international students, previous research by Dr Michelle Peterie from the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies at the University of Sydney shows that international students are less likely to access psychological support services than domestic students, as they may not know about services or worry about the costs.
"There is a real need for government-led, sector-wide action to both address some of the challenges international students face in Australia, and ensure appropriate help is available and accessible when required," she says.
Readers seeking crisis support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25).
Readers seeking support with mental health can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. More information is available at beyondblue.org.au.
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Call GambleAware on 1800 858 858 and request to speak to someone in-language if you seek support related to gambling harm.
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