What Is Mental Health?
Mental health is the state of your emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It shapes the way you think, feel, act and handle stress as well as how you relate to others.
We will all experience stress in our lives, but when it stops you from your day-to-day activities or you are always feeling down, then you need to ask for help.
When you are flourishing with mental health, you are achieving in life, connecting with family and friends, learning, have a positive self-esteem and like to take care of yourself, you are involved in activities and you bounce back from stress.
When you are struggling, relationships are harder and you can feel disconnected, you may feel anxious about your daily routine and activities and you may constantly feel sad, like you want to rug up and hide and even the little things like showering, brushing your hair and getting dressed feels too hard. When feelings, emotions and day to day becomes a real struggle, then please reach out for help.
Asking For Help
Asking for help may seem daunting, but those who love you will only want what’s best for you. Helping you help your mental health is important just like looking after your physical health.
Starting the conversation can be hard, but even if you use just TWO WORDS “HELP ME”. Then when someone asks why, another TWO WORDS “I’m sad”, “I’m anxious”, whatever it is. You can ask your parents/carer, another trusted family member, a teacher, school nurse, school social worker, your GP, a friend, your friends parents. You can call one of the helplines listed on our sites or use their online chat option. You can also self-refer to Headspace.
These first steps will seem the hardest, but by being vulnerable, honest and realising YOU MATTER will help you on your journey to helping your mind.
Worried About a Friend?
If you’re concerned about a friend’s mental health, it’s important to talk to a trusted adult. Even if you’ve promised to keep it private, reaching out can be one of the most effective ways to support them. In serious cases, involving a responsible adult may be the only way your friend can get the help they need to improve.
Reaching out isn’t always easy. You might be afraid your friend will feel upset, embarrassed, or even pull away from you. They might insist they’re fine and don’t need help. Still, what matters most is making sure they get the support they need to get better.
To learn more about how you can help your friends, click here.