Five Ways to Help

Understand the signs

Before action is taken, it’s important to understand the signs that someone may be struggling.
Some things include, but are not limited to:

Not wanting to partake in group activities.
Not wanting to leave their house, bedroom or bed.
Struggling to find joy in things that they normally love.
Feeling more tired than normal.
Not eating enough/eating too much.
Losing/gaining weight.
Being distant.
Relying on drugs/alcohol to cope.

Knowing these signs and finding the right course of action could help someone in need drastically.

Contacting the right people

There are many different contacts if you feel someone you know might be struggling with mental health, such as the Samaritans or the NHS.

If you feel as though someone is struggling and you need help then it would be beneficial to get in touch with one of these services.

Visit the Samaritans website or call their free 24 hour helpline on 116 123.

The NHS have a wide variety of resources on their website, including an interactive quiz to help you get the right advice which can be found here.

Listen

Sometimes the best action to take isn’t to take action at all.

People don’t always want to talk about how they’re feeling, particularly if they are feeling low and/or are having suicidal thoughts.

The best thing to do might be to let them deal with it in their own way, whilst still letting them know that you’ll be there if they want to talk.

You can’t force someone to speak their mind, but they’ll appreciate the fact that you’re there to listen if they decide to change their mind.

Continue to support them

Coming to terms with mental illness is one of the hardest things that people can do. Simply pushing them in the right direction doesn’t immediately solve the problem.

Whilst you may not be the most knowledgeable person on the subject, it’s important that you continue to be there for them whilst they’re getting help.

It can be a long process, but it would be a time where that person might need you most.

Share your favourite music

It’s a proven fact that music can have a direct correlation with your emotions. Some music can make you laugh, some music can make you cry. But the important thing is that music that you like will make you feel.

Listening to music can reduce blood pressure, calm anxiety and even improve memory and alertness.

If you know someone who might be struggling, it might be a good idea to show them some music that had made you feel good in the past. However, it’s important that you don’t force it. This can have negative effects.

A song that has helped me in the past is The Adventure by Angels & Airwaves. Listen below: