If you are struggling with your mental health, or know of a young person who is, we have some great tools to help.
Coronavirus has had a big impact on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. From a loss of routine to missing friends, it’s unsurprising that many young people have noticed increased feelings of anxiety, loneliness and a loss of motivation.
Often when we are struggling, we may feel unsure of how to help ourselves. Having a positive plan and direction can be a great way to tackle our low mood. Every Mind Matters has a great resource tool for young people that need support with their mental health. After answering multiple choice questions, you are given a self-care plan based on your needs. You can also have it emailed to you, so you always have it close by. The plan has lots of tools to help you feel more relaxed, cope with your feelings and reframe unhelpful thoughts.
Ask for help and support from…
Friends and family
It can be hard talking to those around us. We may worry about not being able to explain how we feel or be understood. However, most people have experienced these feelings and thoughts before and will understand how hard it can be. Bottling up how you feel can often make your worries feel bigger than they are. Talking can also help your loved ones support you better. Mind have a great guide: ‘Talking to friends and family’ which answers questions such as:
- Why should I tell someone?
- How do I know who I can trust?
- What if I don’t have anyone to talk to?
- What should I say?
- Getting ready to tell them
- What if they don’t understand?
Childline have also developed an example letter, if you’d feel more comfortable writing your feelings down. Sometimes this feels easier and allows you to check you are happy with what you are saying.
Shout!
Although many of our friends and family are happy to listen to our problems, sometimes we feel we need someone less involved. Shout is a free and confidential text service that is available 24/7. All you have to do is text ‘Shout’ to 85258. You will be paired up with a Shout volunteer who will listen and provide you with a safe and calm space to speak.
Your GP
If you are struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out to your doctor. Your mental health is as important as your physical health and you deserve to be (virtually) seen and supported. Mind have developed a guide for helping you to talk about your mental health with a medical professional.
This tool gives advice on:
- How can visiting my doctor help?
- Is everything I say confidential?
- How do I make an appointment?
- What happens at an appointment?
- Does my parent have to be there?
- How can I prepare for an appointment?
- Tips for talking to your doctor
- What if I don’t like my doctor?
Do you have a great tip or know of tools that may help other young people with their mental health? Share in the comments section below and remember…
No feeling (or thought) lasts forever and there are always better days ahead!
