Whether we are willing to admit it or not, most of us will have experienced some form of mental health concern – be it anxiety, stress, severe or mild depression, or even some sort of subtle phobia.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day. This past week has been an important catalyst for activating the minds of the masses and exposing the state of mental health Australia-wide, through a series of community events, seminars, festivals, art exhibitions, and musical and theatrical performances.
World Mental Health Day, or 10/10, has its very own list of 10 tips to help maintain mental wellbeing. These include:
- Sleep well
- Enjoy healthy food
- Plan and prioritise your day
- Tune into the music you love
- Cut down on bad food and booze
- Switch off your devices and tune out
- Hang out with people who make you feel good
- Join in, participate and connect
- Exercise your body and mind
- Seek advice and support when you need it
And to help you find that support, we’ve put together a handy list of online resources to help you get savvy with your own mental health and wellbeing.
Launched in July 2012, mindhealthconnect is a wealth of mental health and wellbeing information, which includes support and services from some of Australia’s leading health providers, as well as the Australian Government as part of its National E-Mental Health Strategy.
Health professionals and the public can access a range of mental health content and resources including online programs, fact sheets, audio and video, and online communities. It’s also a great site for those who are concerned about someone else’s mental health. This includes different age groups, stages of life and cultural backgrounds.
Lifeline is a 24-hour national suicide prevention service that is open to all Australians free of charge. The service was founded in 1963, after the late Dr Alan Walker took a call from a distressed man who then took his own life. Vowing to never let this happen again, Dr Walker launched this 24-hour crisis support help line, which, nowadays, receives around 1800 calls per day.
If you’d like to speak to someone at Lifeline, please call 131114. Or if you’d like to donate some money, please call 1800 800 768.
SANE Australia works to help all Australians affected by mental illness through wide-ranging support, training, and education services.
The National Youth Mental Health Foundation website headspace provides early intervention services for younger people, specifically those aged from 12 to 25 years. The site offers easy-to-follow information targeted at young people and their families, so that they can find help for the problems that affect their mental wellbeing.
Founded in 2002, the Black Dog Institute is the world leader in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of depression, bipolar disorder and suicide prevention, providing information through high-quality translational research, clinical expertise and national education programs.
Black Dog Institute partners with universities, health services and community groups across Australia, offering workplace programs that aim to protect and maintain the mental health of students and workers from many different backgrounds.
Through its public health approach, beyondblue focuses on improving the health of all Australians, working with schools and workplaces in conjunction with health services and its online portal – to be accessible to as many people as possible.
ReachOut started in 1996, and works with young people and experts through its online mental health service. ReachOut specialises in providing practical tools and know-how to support young people through everyday issues right through to more difficult situations that arise in life.
ReachOut leaves the counselling to the experts, and instead focuses on its own chat service to help young people through their day-to-day lives.
The ABC has partnered with the Society for Mental Health Research along with many of the aforementioned services, and others. MentalAs provides Australians with a mental health and wellbeing portal that features a range of informative news articles, documentaries, links to websites and other helpful information. With an infotainment-based approach that shines a light on a huge range of mental health issues, MentalAs is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to sort out their own health issues, or those of their loved ones, with palatable information and easily accessible services.
Do you know of any other helpful mental health services? Why not share them with our members?
