Looking After Your Mental Health

This mental health care guide is available in three versions on this page: text, image, and PDF download. Please choose the option you would like to read.

Mental Health Care – Text Version

Mental Health Care – Image Version

Mental Health Care – PDF Download

Mental Health Care – Text Version

How to stay well. Looking after your mental health.

What is in this booklet?

What is mental health?

What can I do to have good mental health?

What can make your mental health worse?

Signs that your mental health is not good

If you are feeling down

Who to talk to when you are not feeling well

Your “To Do” list

Help and support

Other people who can help

What is mental health?

Your mental health is how you feel about yourself and things in your life.

If your mental health is good, you feel happy and well. You are able to cope with things in your life.

Your mental health can make you feel:

  • Happy
  • Sad
  • Excited
  • Nervous
  • Angry
  • Lonely
  • Anxious or worried.

This booklet has information that will help you have good mental health.

What can I do to have good mental health?

There are lots of things you can do to look after your mental health:

  • Eat healthy food.
  • Stay a healthy weight.
  • Drink enough water. You should have about 8 drinks a day that have water in them.
  • Don’t drink too much alcohol.
  • Sleep well.
  • Move around more. Get more exercise.
  • Do something creative; like drawing or arts and crafts.
  • Listen to music or audio books.
  • Meet up with friends.
  • Talk about your feelings.
  • Go to your annual health check.
  • Go to all your appointments with doctors or nurses.
  • Take the medicine that your doctor says you should have.

What can make your mental health worse?

  • Feeling worried and not talking about your feelings.
  • Having problems with friends or family.
  • Feeling lonely.
  • Eating unhealthy food.
  • Not moving around enough.
  • Being sick or having pain.
  • Not taking your medicines.
  • Being bullied.
  • Spending too much time on social media.
  • Drinking too much alcohol.
  • Taking illegal drugs.
  • Someone dying.

Remember, everyone has a bad day
sometimes and that is OK.

Signs that your mental health is getting worse?

Your mental health may not be good if you:

  • Stop wanting to go out.
  • Want to be by yourself a lot.
  • Don’t enjoy the things you usually enjoy.
  • Feel cross and grumpy a lot.
  • Hit out at someone.
  • Have a lot of headaches.
  • Have a lot of tummy ache.
  • Feel upset and cry a lot.
  • Shouting!!
  • Are not able to sleep.
  • Feel tired and sleep too much.
  • Drink too much alcohol.
  • Take drugs.
  • Eat too much.
  • Eat too little.
  • Can’t cope.

If you are feeling down

  • Talk to someone you trust.
  • Try to exercise or go for a walk.
  • Choose healthy food to eat.
  • Do something you enjoy – like: Listen to music or audio books, Play a game, Draw or try art and crafts.
  • Watch your favourite TV programme or film.
  • Make sure you are drinking enough water. You should have about 8 drinks every day that have water in them.
  • Take care of your personal hygiene and choose clean clothes to wear.
  • Get a good night’s sleep. You will sleep better if you: Turn off your phone or tablet, Drink a hot milky drink, Listen to relaxing music.
  • Meet up with your friends and do something like going to: The shops, A restaurant,The cinema, A disco, A bowling place, A football match.
  • Read your favourite books.
  • Give yourself a treat. Flowers or a puzzle. Something that you like ☺
  • Do something that will help you relax. For example: Take a bath, Go outside.
  • Have a good laugh at least once a day.
  • If nothing is helping to make you feel happier, you should call you doctors surgery and speak to: Doctor (GP), Social Prescriber or Community Connector. To find who Community Connector is, look at this video: Community Connectors British Red Cross – YouTube

Who to talk to when you are not feeling well

Write down the names of the people you can talk to when you are not feeling well:

  • Family
  • Your carer
  • Friends
  • Doctor
  • Your key worker
  • Social worker
  • Nurse
  • Someone else

Your “To Do” List

Write a list of things you can do to feel well.

Help and support

Your GP Surgery

Call 111 to speak to the Mental Health Triage Service

Emergency services Phone 999 or 112 for: Police, Ambulance, Fire and rescue

Acute Mental Health Team (Crisis Resolution
Team). If you are receiving support from your local Acute Adult Mental Health Team call:

  • North Hants: 01256 817718 / Out of hours, crisis line: 01256 376507
  • East Hants: 02392 344562
  • West Hants: 01962 897726
  • Southampton:023 8083 5535 or 023 8083 5552

Samaritans (Call for free). You can call the Samaritans about anything that is troubling you. Phone: 116 123, Contact Us | Samaritans

Your local Community Learning Disability Team:

  • North/ Mid Hants: 01962 764560
  • East Hants: 01329 316350
  • West Hants: 02380 874333
  • Southampton: 02382 310300

Community Mental Health Teams:

  • Andover: 01264 358180
  • Bordon & Petersfield: 02382 310200
  • Eastleigh: 02380 615729
  • Eastleigh Southern Parishes: 0300 3034100
  • Fareham & Gosport: 02392 511377
  • Havant & Waterlooville: 02392 683500
  • New Forest East (Totton): 02380 868886
  • New Forest West (New Milton): 01425
    622922
  • North Hampshire: 01256 316300
  • Romsey: 01794 830323
  • Southampton (Central): 02382 310726
  • Southampton (East): 02382 310982
  • Southampton (West): 02380 878040
  • Winchester: 01962 831003

Other people who can help

Andover Mind 0300 5000 907 Home | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems

Solent Mind 02382 027810

Havant and East Hants Mind Tel: 02392 498 916

If you live in Hampshire:
iTalk- Someone to talk to. iTalk also has support available online. Tel: 02380 383920 italk

If you live in Southampton:
Steps2Wellbeing . This service could help you get therapy for any mental health problems you are having such as depression and stress. Phone: 0800 612 7000 Website: https://www.steps2wellbeing.co.uk

If you live in Southampton:

The Lighthouse hub in Shirley is now temporarily closed.

If you are in a mental health crisis or emotional distress you can text ‘lighthouse’ and your postcode (for example LIGHTHOUSE SO14 0YG) to the Mind text line number (07451276010) between 4.30pm and 12am.

Staff will contact you via telephone, email, web chat or text.

Social worker/ Adult Service:

  • Hampshire 0300 555 1386
  • Southampton 023 8083 3003

Adult Services out of hours (evenings and weekends):

  • Hampshire 0300 555 1373
  • Southampton 023 8023 3344

Recovery College (For support online),
Recovery College (southernhealth.nhs.uk)
07880 004828

Give Us a Shout
You can text ‘SHOUT’ if you need support in a crisis and a trained volunteer with talk to use via text.
Text: 85258
Website: https://www.giveusashout.org

Voice Ability (Advocacy)
VoiceAbility | Hampshire
They can provide support for you to feel listened to if you are sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Hampshire Autistic Society
Information, Advice & Guidance | Autism Hampshire
02380 766162

Butterflies bereavement support, and offer a befriending service
Bereavement Support | Butterflies
Bereavement Support Hampshire | England

Easy Read information.
www.easyhealth.org

Mental Health Care – Image Version

111-mental-health-triage-service