We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. And looking after your mental health is really important.
Good mental health allows us to cope with life’s ups and downs. It helps us feel in control of our lives and to ask for help from others when we need support.
Being mentally healthy means that we feel good about ourselves. It means we can make and keep positive relationships with others and can feel and manage all kinds of emotions.
These emotions can range from happiness, excitement and curiosity through to less comfortable feelings, such as anger, fear or sadness.
Everyone you know will sometimes feel down, worried or anxious. We all need to look after our mental health, and know who to turn to if things feel too much.
We’ve put together information on some of the feelings that you might be experiencing, or some of the difficulties that you might be having. There are also some top tips on how to manage them.
If you think you might need help (like talking to someone about how you are feeling), we also have information about where you can get support.
You can find tips on how to deal with problems such as anxiety, stress, body image, relationships and anger in The Little Blue Book of Sunshine. You can download this as an e-book for free from Google Play Books and Apple Books.
Download on Google Play Books or on Apple Books
A little bit of stress can be a good thing as it can provide the motivation to get something done. But stress becomes a problem when you feel like you can’t cope, and things are getting too much.
Getting angry is part of being human. But it isn’t good if it harms you or the people around you, either physically or emotionally.
We all have times when our mood is low and we’re feeling sad or miserable. Usually, these feelings pass after a short time. If you’re feeling low and sad for a long time and it affects your everyday life, then it could be a sign that you’re experiencing depression.
Things like exams, job interviews or even changes at home can make you feel anxious. It’s a normal reaction to stress and change.
Most people worry at some point, but the worries should stop after the stress or change has ended. For others, these feelings don’t go away so easily.
It can be hard to be body confident when our bodies are changing and it feels like everyone is obsessed about people’s appearance. Sometimes worry, stress or a negative body image can result in unhealthy behaviour towards exercise or food. Get support if you’re worried about how you look or what you eat.
The grieving process occurs when a loved one passes away, and also following other types of loss or change, such as the end of a relationship, losing a job or moving away to a new location.
Grief can be a difficult emotion to manage and can present in many different ways.
Some relationships are better for us than others.
Abusive relationships can make you feel controlled, violated, or forced to do something you don’t want to do. Bullying, stalking and sexting are all abusive.
Sometimes you can feel alone and as though nobody understands what you’re going through, even when you’re with other people.
All schools and colleges have staff who can support your emotional wellbeing, talk to whoever you feel comfortable with and help you get the support you need. You school might even have a Mental Health Support Team (MHST) who can help you with the difficulties you are experiencing. You or your parent can speak with your school about making a referral to MHST.
Kooth is a free online counselling and wellbeing support service, which is available to all young people aged 11-25 in Portsmouth.
You can find advice and guidance, including advice from other young people who have experienced similar things. You can also speak to a counsellor via instant messaging. You don’t need a referral, you can just visit Kooth.com and register anonymously.
The site is available 24/7, with counselling available 12pm – 10pm on weekdays and 6pm – 10pm on weekends.
Hampshire Youth Access (HYA) offer counselling, mental health and emotional wellbeing support to young people aged 5-17 (or up to age 24 for care leavers or those with SEND).
Sessions will be delivered by No Limits in schools, in the community and, for older children, the sessions may be online via Zoom.
If you’re aged between 5 and 10, you will need a referral from a GP: the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS); or through the Mental Health Support Teams who work in Portsmouth schools.
If you’re aged between 11 to 17 (or up to 24 for those with SEND/care leavers), you can refer yourself, or you can be referred by your parent/carer or any professional.
Refer by:
Talking Change provides a range of therapies and treatments for those aged 16 and over dealing with common mental health difficulties. These can be in a 1-2-1 or group settings. You can refer yourself.
You can call Talking Change on 0300 123 39 34. They’re available Monday to Thursday 8am – 8pm, Friday 8am – 5pm and Saturday 9am – 1pm.
Find out more on the Talking Change website.
Listening Ear offers a specialist counselling service for children and young people who have lost someone by suicide. Any parent, guardian or professional can refer you by visiting the Listening Ear website.
If you have urgent concerns about a mental health problem, use the NHS 111 online service at 111.nhs.uk or call 111. If you’ve injured yourself, taken an overdose or are in an emergency and believe that your life is at risk, please dial 999 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Our friendly team at the Portsmouth Mental Health Hub are here to help.
Enter your details and someone will call you back between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health help, please call 111 – the NHS non-emergency number. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is free from any phone. They have specialist mental health nurses who can support adults and young people.
In a life-threatening emergency, always call 999.