Feeling down or depressed?
Anyone can feel down or depressed from time to time. It helps to get some Breathing Space. You are not alone and talking about how you feel is a positive first step in getting help. So don't let problems get out of hand, phone Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 where experienced advisers will listen and provide information and advice.
Samaritans
Samaritans is a confidential emotional support service available 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide. Volunteers offer support by responding to phone calls, emails and letters. Alternatively people can drop in to a branch to have a face to face meeting.
You can call Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit http://www.samaritans.org/
NHS 24
Patients can also contact NHS 24 during out of hours periods for mental health advice on
Freephone 111 or www.nhs24.com.
Live Well
We all have emotions, yet understanding how they work and how to control them, can be difficult.
Emotions are an important part of being human and everyone deals with situations in life differently. For most people life is full of ups and downs, and sometimes the ‘downs’ can take their toll on you. You might experience something upsetting, such as a relationship break-up or losing someone you love. Sometimes your self-esteem (the way you feel about yourself) can become so low that everything seems a lot harder to cope with compared with when you're feeling confident.
When to seek help
Being emotionally healthy doesn't mean that you feel happy all the time. That is impossible. Good emotional health is about having lots of different emotions, and being able to accept them and talk about them.
If you’re not coping well emotionally, there are things that you can do to feel stronger. You may simply be going through a temporary phase in your life that will resolve itself. But if you want to make changes, go to Build up your emotional resilience for practical tips.
Do I need professional help?
At some point in their lives, many people have difficult emotions that persist and get worse. If you think this is happening to you, see your GP. They will discuss how you’re feeling and advise you on what to do about it.
The NHS Choices website on Emotional Health includes many helpful tips on understanding your emotions and building up your emotional resilience.
More help with stress and depression
This website offers online life skills coaching based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques to help deal with distress, low mood and worry, some of the major mental health problems. Patients can register with the site to access self-help content that teaches key knowledge in how to tackle issues in our everyday lives.
Alternatively, www.patient.co.uk has very useful pages on how to avoid stress and depression.
Counselling Directory was set up as a free, confidential service to encourage those in distress to seek help. Visitors can read about different areas of distress, view useful articles written by counsellors and refine their search to find the most appropriate help. Every counsellor on the site has either submitted a copy of their qualifications and insurance cover, or is registered with a professional body online with recognised codes of ethics and practice.
Have a look at the website at www.counselling-directory.org.uk
Please do not struggle. If you need help with your mental health contact the practice immediately - 01631 710229