What is mental health?

Mental health is about how we think, feel and act. We might think of it as our state of mind. Just like physical health, we all have mental health and need to take care of it.

Our mental health changes all the time and can range from good to poor:

Good mental health means we generally feel able to cope. We can think about things in a calm way. And we’re able to understand and express our emotions in helpful ways.
Poor mental health means that the way we think, feel or behave is difficult to cope with. We might stop enjoying things. Or we might not want to be around people as much. It can look different for everyone.

Remember: we can all experience difficult feelings and poor mental health. You’re not alone.

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Mental health is on a spectrum – we can be ill and struggling and well and functioning. It constantly changes which can be exhausting, but it's also a reminder that things will change for the better again.

What can affect my mental health?

We’re all different. What affects your mental health may not be the same as someone else.

Some things that can lead to poor mental health include:

Feeling lonely, left out or like no one understands us
Having low confidence and self-esteem
Difficulties at home, school or college
Stressful things that have happened or are happening to us
Problems with money
Not feeling safe where we live
Experiencing discrimination
Being bullied or experiencing abuse
Living with a physical health problem or long-term illness
Finding it hard to cope with the news
Feeling uncertain about the future

Remember: poor mental health can also affect our behaviour and relationships with others.

There are also things that can have a positive effect on our mental health. These might include:

Feeling connected to others
Feeling heard and supported
Looking after our wellbeing
Getting the sleep we need
Being compassionate to ourselves and others
Our faith or spirituality
Living in a way that feels true to us
Doing things we enjoy
Feeling able to learn or try new things
Feeling like we can achieve things

You may have different things that you would add to this list.

Different understandings of mental health

Lots of our understanding of mental health comes from our culture.

In some cultures, mental health is closely associated with religion or spirituality. In others, it’s not seen as separate from physical health.

This means that we all might understand mental health differently.

It can take a lot of trial and error working out what works best for you - there’s nothing specific that fits everyone. I’m still figuring it out as I go along – Dora, 17

How can I look after my mental health?

It can sometimes feel hard to look after our mental health, but it’s so important.

It may take time, practice and support to find what works for you, so be kind to yourself. Remember: we’re all different and may need different things at different times.

Here are some tips from young people who told us how they look after their mental health:

Meditation really helps ground me and helps me find peace and calm amongst the chaos − Jumi, 17

Listening to music helps my mental health because of the relationship I have with the song, the lyrics − Chantelle, 13

I think it is important that I do something that makes me feel better, even if I’m not sad. This could be sleeping a little bit longer, baking a cake or singing a song.

I looked up Pinterest ideas and bullet journaling – I just write in different journals and see patterns…. Don't think it has to be perfect, just write.

Opening up to people about my wellbeing was scary at first but it took such a weight off me to know that I wasn’t alone.

I try to support my mental health by going for a walk, playing netball, going out with me and my friends to have a chat… watch some TV and just chill in my bed – Kaitlyn, 18

How can I look after my wellbeing?

The way you look after your mental health will be personal to you. We have more tips on looking after your wellbeing that you can try.

View tips on looking after your wellbeing

What is a mental health problem?

If the way we're thinking, feeling or acting becomes difficult for us to cope with, this might be a sign of a mental health problem.

We can all feel sad, worried, angry or fed up at times. Like nerves before an exam or feeling down when you’re not getting on with a friend. But sometimes we might need more help. For example, if the way you feel:

Has lasted for a while
Affects you most days
Stops you from doing the things you enjoy
Makes you feel like you can't cope

You don’t have to wait for things to get worse to ask for support. And if you’ve had help before, you still deserve help again.

What are mental health problems?

There are many different types of mental health problems, all with their own names.

Go to information about mental health problems

What support might be available?

It can be hard to know where to get support for your mental health. But we’re here for you.

The support available might involve different things. This can depend on what you’re going through and where you live. You could:

Talk to others who get what you’re going through – you could use message boards on Childline or The Mix.
Find more information – like on our website or through the Reading Well programme.
Have therapy – this should be with a trained or supervised therapist in a safe environment. For example, talking therapies. You might need a referral from your doctor or CAMHS.
Consider taking medication – your doctor might prescribe this in certain situations. For more information, visit the YoungMinds website.
Get support from your school or college – you may be able to see a school counsellor or ask for extra breaks.

You may need to try a few different things until you find what works for you.

We also have information about:

[Struggling with] mental health can be a really isolating experience. The best thing you can do is to let people know, let people in and let people help – Eliza, 15

Want to explore more support options?

We have more information that can help you decide what support might suit you.

Go to our finding support page

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