The good news is that more of us are talking about and understanding mental health. This means it’s easier to take steps to improve yours.
What is it and why is it important?
Your mental health is how you feel. Some people call this your emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing.
We all have good days and bad days, and sometimes feel, sad, stressed or worried. But sometimes the way we feel can affect our lives. We may find it hard to cope and may need extra support. Feeling anxious or depressed involves our bodies as well as our minds. It can also make it harder to take care of ourselves, make healthy choices, or stick to healthy habits.
Mental illness often leads to worse health and wellbeing, with those severely affected living 10-15 years less than London’s average. 4 out of 6 Southeast London boroughs rank below the London average for mental health.
What can I do about it?
Here are a few tips you can try to help your mental wellbeing:
- try to get moderate exercise each day
- make sure you get enough sleep (7-9 hours is ideal for most people)
- get out in the fresh air one hour every day
- keep a daily journal to write down your thoughts and feelings
- engage with your community (volunteer, join a local group)
- spend more time with people you care about or enjoy spending time with, like your family, friends, or people in the community
What support can I get?
If you live in England and are aged 18 or over, you can access NHS Talking Therapies services for anxiety and depression.
- A GP can refer you, or you can even contact them directly yourself.
- NHS Talking Therapies services offer talking therapies, like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, other therapies, and guided self-help as well as help for common mental health problems, like anxiety and depression. Each borough has a talking therapies service. You can find out more by following this link selondonics.org/find-talking-therapies.
You can find more advice, support, and tips to improve your health at the following websites:
- Every Mind Matters – NHS
- Digital mental health and wellbeing support for Londoners – Good Thinking (London-wide digital health and well-being).
- Find an NHS talking therapies services – NHS (Searchable site; each borough has one).
- 5 Ways to Wellbeing – Mind
- Five ways to good mental wellbeing – Good Thinking
You get general support for issues associated with mental health in the following places:
Crisis support
In a mental health crisis, you might need help right away. Here is more information on how you can get support for a mental health crisis.
What is a mental health crisis?
A mental health crisis means you are very stressed and worried.
- You might want to hurt yourself, or someone else.
- You might hear strange voices or see things that other people do not.
- You might think people are watching you or trying to hurt you.
- You might feel too low to take care of your basic needs, such as washing or eating
What can you do?
Tell someone you trust like someone from your family or a friend. They can help you decide what to do.
If you need urgent help, but it isn’t an emergency:
If you live in…
- Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark – Call 0800 731 2864. Choose option 1 to speak to our local mental health crisis team (South London and Maudsley)
- Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich – Call 0800 330 8590 (Oxleas)
- Anywhere – Call 111 or go to the 111 website
If your or someone else’s life is in danger:
Call 999 or go to A&E now.
If you are in contact with a mental health service:
Check your care plan. If it is in working hours (Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm), contact your care coordinator or the duty number for the team that is supporting you.
At other times, use the options above.
For more information about mental health crises visit these websites:
- Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark – How to get help in a mental health crisis (South London and Maudsley)
- Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich – Help in a crisis – Oxleas
Need to speak to someone right away?
Whatever you’re going through, you can call Samaritans at any time on 116 123.
You can also click here to find out more about Samaritans services online.
What is mental health and how can it affect me?
- Your mental health is how you feel. We all have good days and bad days, and sometimes feel, sad, stressed or worried. But sometimes the way we feel can affect our lives. We may find it hard to cope and may need extra support.
- Some people call this your “emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing”.
- Your mental health and physical health are linked. Mental health conditions can make your physical health worse. Physical health conditions can make your mental health worse.
- Some common mental health challenges include stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. You can learn about these and more here: Types of mental health problems – Mind.
- Our mental health affects our relationships with the people in our lives. It can stop us from socialising, and it may affect our ability to carry out our responsibilities.
- It also impacts our motivation to look after ourselves and stay healthy.
- Different people experience mental health challenges in different ways. Here are some examples:
- feeling hopeless about the future.
- feeling overwhelmed and not feeling like we can cope.
- feeling too low to take care of our basic needs, such as showering or eating.
- struggling with being around other people.
- feeling very worried about lots of different things.