Find advice about preventing stress and encouraging mental wellbeing, including a quiz to assess your mood and sources of local support.
North Yorkshire mental health helpline: 0800 5610076.
If you need to discuss your mental health or that of someone you are caring for then please give us a call on 0800 561 0076. This is a confidential and anonymous crisis line service. The number is free to call from landlines and mobiles and is open from Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 8.30am, and Friday from 4.30pm (24 hours at the weekends, including bank holidays).
If you need urgent support or you feel suicidal, please call the Samaritans on 116 123.
Or you can find out about other helplines, counselling services and depression here.
There's no quick-fix cure for stress, but there are simple things you can do to help you stress less. These include relaxing, exercise, eating a healthy and balanced diet, and talking to someone. You can create a free personalised mind plan which is designed to help you feel more in control, deal with stress and anxiety, boost your mood and improve your sleep. Visit Every Mind Matters for more information.
Try our free mental health awareness course
As part of the North Yorkshire Community Learning Partnership we provide a free online course that covers various aspects of mental health. From helping your own wellbeing to supporting a friend, family member or colleague that may be struggling. It includes information on spotting the warning signs of stress, anxiety and depression and also tips and self-help solutions.
Take the mental health awareness course
Check your mood
We all expect to get a cold or sore throat from time to time but when it comes to the way we feel emotionally, it can be hard to recognise or admit that we're not feeling 100 per cent.
The mood quiz is designed to recommend some resources to help you better understand how you feel. You should answer based on how you've been feeling over the last two weeks.
You may find that your mood usually goes both up and down, so use this questionnaire to monitor it over time but remember, it is not intended to replace a consultation with a GP if you are struggling.
Check your mood - mood self-assessment quiz
The 'five ways to wellbeing' are easy ways to help look after your mental wellbeing.
- Connect. Talk and listen, be there and feel connected.
- Be active. Do what you can, enjoy what you do and move your mood.
- Take notice. Remember the simple things that give you joy.
- Learn. Embrace new experiences, see opportunities and surprise yourself.
- Give. Offer your time, your words and your presence.
Remember, you don't have to suffer alone and a good place to start is to talk to your GP.
Local support
- Craven Mind - 01904 643364
- Harrogate and Ripon Mind - 01423 503335
- Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Mind - 01723 588008
- York and district Mind - 01904 643 364
- Darlington Mind (covering Hambleton and Richmondshire) - 01325 283169 (Darlington) or 01609 780758 (Northallerton)
You can read the North Yorkshire mental health and wellbeing strategy, 'hope, control and choice' here. The strategy's three priority areas are resilience, responsiveness and reaching out.
National support
- The One You website includes information about stress, anxiety, mood, worry, and getting enough sleep.
- Young Minds – child and adolescent mental health;
- Five Ways to Wellbeing where you can learn about wellbeing in the workplace;
- The Samaritans;
- NHS - mental health;
- NHS - five steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing;
- NHS - understanding stress;
- Time to Change.
