What is mental health?
Mental health is the health of our minds. This includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects our feelings, thoughts, mood and behaviour. As well as how we deal with life’s ups and downs, the choices we make and our relationships with people.
What do I do if I’m worried about my mental health?
It’s always OK to ask for help.
If you are worried about your mental health, you should try and seek help early. A good first step would be to visit your GP and explain how you feel. When talking to your GP it’s important to try to be as open as possible so that they can understand how you’re feeling.
It’s not uncommon for people to find it hard to discuss their mental health with others so if you’re struggling you might find it helpful to try the following.
- Ask your GP for a double appointment so you more time to talk to the doctor.
- Take a friend or relative to the appointment. They may be able to help you explain how you are feeling to the doctor and/or reduce your anxiety around opening up.
- Write down what you would like to say before the appointment. This could include notes of your symptoms and questions you would like to ask.