What is mental health?

Put simply, mental health is to do with how we feel, what we are thinking and how we act. Just like we look after our physical health it is important to look after our mental health at all times, even when we feel good.

Mental illness, or mental health problems, can occur when our mental health is not as good as it could be.  It happens for many different reasons and will have different solutions to help.  Examples of mental health problems are:

Panic Attacks – this is an intense feeling of fear or danger, people who have panic attacks generally describe symptoms as sweating, crying, shortness of breath, fast heart beat as well as others.

Anxiety – anxiety is a normal feeling when people are in danger or under stress, however when the worries and fears begin to affect your daily life, it could be time to seek help.

Depression – It’s a word we have all heard before, but depression may look different for each person. People suffering from depression can feel sad, have low moods, feel hopeless and have no motivation. It can affect both their physical health and social life. People suffering from depression typically experience these symptoms every day for more than 2 weeks.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – OCD can affect anyone. It may look like someone having to repeat the same action, being fearful that something bad will happen unless you complete a certain task or having repetitive unwanted thoughts.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – this is an anxiety disorder brought on by a traumatic event. Someone experiencing PTSD could suffer nightmares, flashbacks and find it hard to sleep or concentrate.

Bipolar Disorder – people who suffer from Bipolar Disorder experience extreme mood swings ranging from feeling extremely good to extremely low and depressed.

And more.

It’s important that if you think you are affected by any of the above to talk to a professional. You can chat to a youth worker in Streetbeat who can guide you through what steps to take or check out some of the useful contacts in the section below.

Getting help

This section on our site gives you some information on how to cope when you are affected by mental health problems and also provides contact details for other helpful organisations. Check out the Activities section to discover some activities you can do at home and videos you can watch.

Speak to someone – it’s important to share how you are feeling and any worries you might have. You can make an appointment with your doctor, share what you are going through with family and trusted friends, speak to a youth worker in Streetbeat or a teacher in school.

Try to reduce your worrying – try some activities that help distract you from your worries such as reading, baking, exercising, listening to music or chatting to a friend. There’s some useful videos under the ‘activities’ section of this site.

Work on your breathing - By controlling our breathing we can begin to control our anxiety, negative thoughts and physical reactions to stress as it begins to calm us down.

Basic Breathing Technique –

• Breath in through your nose for a count of 7 then out through your mouth for a count of 11.
• Concentrate on what you are doing.  Think and feel the breath going in and out.
• If your mind wonders or other thoughts start to come in to your head then bring your attention back to your breathing.
• Do this at least 3 or 4 times until you begin to feel calmer and more relaxed.

If the count of 7 and 11 is too much you can change the numbers to something that feels more comfortable, such as 4 and 8.  So long as the breathing out is longer than the breathing in.
You can do this both when you are both agitated or calm.
If you are in a mental health crisis or having suicidal thoughts, call a help line such as
Lifeline 0808 808 8000, Samaritans 116 123, Childline 0800 1111

Who else can help?

Resources

Watch: Negative Thought Cycle

Watch: Breathing Technique

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Downloadable Worksheets

        Use this page to take a moment to pause and reflect on people you know that can help you when you are feeling worried or struggling with your mental health.