Mental health resources

Maintaining positive mental health during a pandemic can be tricky! If you’re looking for advice, support, or just some tips and tricks, here are some fantastic resources to help you get started.

Beyond Blue

Beyond Blue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health. You can access their website, their helpline (call 1300 22 4636) as well as an online chat, email support and online forums. Below are a few links to some specific articles and information from the website:

• • Six little things you can do for your wellbeing every day
  • Three tips to getting a good nights sleep
  • Support yourself when your inner critic is giving you a tough time
  • 6 tips on how to use social media in a positive way

Beyond Blue also has a new Coronavirus mental wellbeing support service. You can view the service’s website or access the helpline (call 1800 512 348) and associated online forums. It also provides a page with helpful contacts and websites for educators.

Beyond Blue also has a specific page of resources for young people at this time.

My Digital Health

My Digital Health provides free, comprehensive online mental health programs that anyone over the age of 18 can use by signing up to participate in an evaluation study. They have also made a number of resources free during the COVID-19 crisis, including this meditation. It provides a guided meditation in both audio and written text formats and also has some useful images to focus on if that assists in connecting to the meditation.

Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind has a free app that you can download to help you practice mindfulness and meditation techniques. It also has a new program, Thrive Inside, a special COVID-19 initiative to proactively support your psychological wellbeing while you’re spending extended periods of time at home.

headspace

headspace has information, supports and resources for young people in response to COVID-19 on this webpage. Here are some other resources that may be helpful:

• Lockdown is hard
• Responding to family conflict
• Tips for a healthy headspace
• Online chats

Emerging Minds

Emerging Minds develops mental health policy, services, interventions, training, programs and resources in response to the needs of professionals, children and their families. See this site for short videos with tips to support parents/families to talk about COVID-19, as well as podcasts, fact sheets and articles.

Managing your mental health online during COVID-19

If you can’t find what you’re looking for above, here is a comprehensive list of services available to assist with mental health specific to COVID-19.