If you or a friend need help with mental health
Find out where to get help if you're worried about your mental health or want to help a friend.
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Some stress is a normal part of everyday life, but it is important to be able to know when stress is stopping you from doing day-to-day activities. If this is happening or you often feel down, seek help.
About mental health and wellbeing
Good mental health helps you to thrive, learn, develop and manage the normal stresses and challenges of life.
We can think about mental health as existing along a continuum.
Lots of thing shape our mental health and how we feel, including our:
- environments
- experiences
- relationships
- personality.
When you’re ’flourishing’ you feel connected to others, are involved in your learning and activities and can ‘bounce back’ from life’s challenges.
When your mental health is suffering it can really affect how you feel and think and your relationships with other people. It’s normal to feel sad or anxious sometimes, but when these feelings don’t go away it’s important to seek help.
Learn more about the mental health continuum
When your mental health is flourishing
You're more likely to:
- feel happy and positive about yourself
- be kind to yourself during tough times or when things don’t go the way you expect
- enjoy life
- bring a positive mindset to learning
- build positive relationships with family and friends
- manage sad, confusing, or angry feelings
- bounce back from tough times
- be willing to try new or challenging things.
Source: Raising Children Network.
Building a positive mindset
There's lots of ways to look after your mental health and stay on top of stress.
It helps when you:
- eat well and exercise regularly
- get enough sleep
- set aside some time each day to relax
- put time into activities and relationships that make you feel good
- set yourself short and long-term goals to look forward to
- try to deal with problems sooner rather than letting them build up
- set boundaries around technology and social media use
- be aware of how drugs and alcohol can affect your mental health
- connect to your culture and community.
For further tools and tips:
- visit headspace and explore tips on a healthy headspace including their Health headspace action plan
- watch the Feeling it - Smiling Mind video series for tips on looking after yourself, managing emotions, and navigating uncertainty
- learn about positive mindsets, building your mental wellbeing and building a healthy relationship with drugs and alcohol at ReachOut.
Mental health and connecting to communities
Positive mental health can also come from connecting with our culture, with our communities and those share our background, identities and history. Our culture is more than just our identity. It is our values, worldview, interactions and sense of belonging.
Student voice and advocacy
Sharing your voice and advocating for other young people is a great way to make friendships, strengthen your community and build your own mental health.
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