Looking after your emotional health

It’s only natural for your emotions to feel up and down from time to time.

Lots of people feel worried, uncertain, frustrated, bored or lonely at times, which is completely understandable. It’s ok to feel the way that you do, everyone reacts differently in difficult situations.

Remember, this situation is temporary and these feelings will pass. Here’s a few ideas that can help you look after your emotional health.

Stay connected

Staying connected to our friends and family is great for our emotional wellbeing.

There are lots of ways you can stay connected as well as seeing each other face to face, such as video calls, phone calls, text messages and social media.

Staying in touch not only helps your emotional health, but also that of your friends and family.

Talk about how you’re feeling

Talk to a trusted friend or family member about how you’re feeling. Don’t keep things to yourself because talking to others will help you feel better.

If you are not able or find it difficult to talk to someone you know about how you’re feeling, there are other ways to get support.

ChatHealth is a confidential service where you can text school nurses for advice and support.

Tellmi is a digital mental health service for anyone over the age of 11. You can visit the Tellmi website or download the app from your phone’s app store.

And ChildLine, which you can call 0800 1111 or use the ChildLine app or the support service on their website.

Stay mentally active

Staying mentally active is also important, and a good distraction from anxious thoughts.

Playing board games with your family, learning a new skill, reading a book, listening to music or doing some mindful colouring are all great ways to keep your mind active.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a useful tool to help you relax and bring yourself back into the moment, being free from distractions.

It also helps you become aware of your thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, and enables you to be able to handle them too.

There are some great apps that you can access to help you with mindfulness, including:

• Headspace
• Stop Breath & Think

Get enough sleep

Make sure that you get a good night’s sleep, as sleep can have a big impact on your mood.

It’s important to try and keep a routine when it comes to your sleep, despite all of the recent changes.

If you’re struggling to sleep, check out our advice here: 8 ways to retrain your brain to sleep.

Eat and drink well

Drinking plenty of water and eating a balanced diet is vital for your emotional health, as the food you eat can impact on how you are feeling.

Without a balanced diet, your mood can be affected and your energy levels will be low.

Exercise

Your physical health has a big impact on how you are feeling.

Getting some fresh air will help improve your mood. Take a look at 5 ways to get more exercise without really trying for more ideas.

How to get help

If you have any more questions on this area or would like to speak to somebody about this topic, have a look at the links or search for your local services in the blue box below. Alternatively you can always contact your school nurse.

• w: YoungMinds
  
• w: stem4
  
• w: ThinkNinja