Mental wellbeing
Mental health and wellbeing support
Your mental wellbeing can face many ups and downs. At times, it might feel overwhelming or hard to cope with these emotions, but you don’t have to face them alone. Whether you need immediate support in an emergency or long-term care, local and national services are ready to assist you.
Don’t hesitate to reach out and take the first step towards better mental health:
What is mental health and mental wellbeing?
Mental health refers to how we think, feel, and act, influencing our ability to handle stress, relate to others, and make decisions. Mental wellbeing, on the other hand, is about our overall emotional state and how we feel about our lives, including how we cope with challenges and maintain positive relationships.
While mental health includes conditions like stress, anxiety, depression, or eating disorders, mental wellbeing focuses on resilience, self-esteem, and achieving a sense of balance in life. Both are essential to our physical health, relationships, and overall quality of life.
Why might I or someone else, be experiencing poor mental health?
Our mental health can change over time. This can be because of life events which cause distress or unhappiness, or it can happen with no apparent cause. These changes can lead to mental health difficulties or illness.
There are lots of things you can do and services you can use to help when you are struggling with your mental health.
How can I help someone?
If you think someone is experiencing poor mental health, don’t be afraid to ask how they are. They might want to talk about it, or they might not. By letting them know they don’t have to avoid the issue with you is important. Spending time with them lets them know you care and can help you understand what they’re going through.
There are 5 easy steps to do this:
Ask them how you can help
This could be arranging an appointment to see their GP or helping them with daily tasks such as food shopping.
Be open-minded
Try not to be judgemental and listen.
Don’t just talk about mental health
Keep talking about the things you’ve always talked about together.
Show trust and respect
This will help them to rebuild and maintain a sense of confidence.
Look after yourself
Supporting someone else can sometimes be stressful. Your own wellbeing is just as important.
Want to help more?
For anyone wanting to learn basic suicide awareness and prevention skills, there is a free online course offered here.