Recognising the signs that someone is having mental health issues early can make a big difference.
Here's some practical advice for noticing common signs and symptoms of poor mental health and what to do about it.
Increased use of alcohol or drugs. They may turn to substances to cope with overwhelming emotions or situations.
You can’t go wrong by simply showing that you care. Sometimes the smallest act of asking how someone’s doing will make a huge difference.
Helping someone manage stressors can involve a bit of trial and error. Here are some approaches that may help:
Encourage healthy coping skills. Techniques and exercises of deep breathing, mindfulness, or meditation can help a person calm themselves when faced with a stressor. You can help with practicing these exercises or remind them to use them when stressful situations arise.
Here are some guided breathing and relaxation exercises to try →
Encourage proactive self-care. Encourage them to keep a healthy routine, including regular exercise, healthy eating and enough sleep. These simple things build resilience to stressors and boost self-confidence and general wellbeing.
Our Wellbeing Action Tool is a great way to find out what works for you →
This is a private, safe space to get mental health advice. Beyond Blue’s counsellors will listen and support and can also help find the right mental health services.
This quiz can help someone understand what kind of support they might need right now if financial challenges are impacting their mental health.
The Beyond Blue Forum is a place where people chat, share experiences and learn from each other. It’s a completely anonymous, welcoming and judgment-free peer support community.
As an organisation that supports people from across Australia, Beyond Blue acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.
First Nations Peoples are advised that this website may include reference to and images of deceased persons.
Beyond Blue is committed to safe inclusive spaces, policies and services for people of LGBTIQ+ communities and their families.
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