Mental health

Evidence suggests there are 5 steps we can all take to improve our mental health.

If you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from life.

Each of the 5 steps described below contains a link which takes you to the NHS moodzone website where each topic has a section giving more detail with advice, videos and audio guides to help you improve your mental wellbeing.

  • Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships.
  • Be active – you don’t have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of football. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life.
  • Keep learning – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. So why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, or figure out how to fix your bike?
  • Give to others – even the smallest act can count, whether it’s a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks.
  • Take notice / be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness “mindfulness”. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. Learn more in Mindfulness for mental wellbeing.

Learn more about these 5 steps and how to practise each one in Mindfulness for mental wellbeing.

You can also listen to some audio guides to boost your mood.

​You can also check out our mental wellbeing section to understand that every mind matters with additional support ideas

Getting help

If you are concerned that you are developing a mental health problem you should seek the advice and support of your GP as a matter of priority. If you are in distress and need immediate help and are unable to see a GP, you should visit your local A&E or consider calling 999.

There is also a directly accessible Mental Health and Crisis Line – operated 24/7 by Humber NHS Foundation Trust – which is free to call : 0800 138 0990

The helpline will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is free to access for anyone over the age of 18, who lives in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Working in partnership with Hull and East Yorkshire Mind, this service has increased capacity to help people in our local communities access the right help at the right time.

Talking to your doctor can be difficult.

The Mental Health Foundation have a very practical support section to help you prepare for a GP appointment. Click here to go to their website

They also have a booklet you can read to help you get ready to see your doctor. Click here to download the booklet

You might also like to know about the following range of self-help guides produced by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust where there are a range of titles to support mental health issues.

Page last reviewed: 30 October 2023