It’s Time To Talk Day – a day to highlight the importance of taking care of your mental health and having someone to lean on through your struggles.
Here are some tips our Alumni Coordinator, Emily, has shared:
Tip 1: Validate yourself
You may feel pressure to feel great all the time, but if you don’t that’s fine. Have some compassion for yourself. Validating our emotions and feelings is crucial for our mental health.
Tip 2: Have some grounding techniques
Have some ready for if you need them. These are things that can help you to feel connected to the things around you and can help to calm you down. These can look different for everyone, it can be for example:
- Breathing techniques
- Going to sit with a pet for a while
- Putting on your favourite tv programme
Have some in your back pocket and remember that you are allowed to give yourself some space.
Tip 3: Talk to someone
There is always someone who is willing to listen. It can be a friend, a family member, or a charity helpline that you can call or text. You can even just write something down – putting words to those emotions can really help to make sense of them.
Here are a list of charities and helplines you can contact for help:
- SAMARITANS, call 116 123 for 24/7
- SHOUT, text SHOUT to 85258 for 24/7 free help via text if you would rather not call
- CALM, call on 0800 58 58 58 or use their webpage chat function, 365 days a year
