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Mental Health

Useful websites and Apps for advice and self-help

Websites

| |Parental advice regarding teenage behaviours |

| |Find out how to cope with heated arguments with your |

| |teenager, and what to do if they become violent. |

| |Advice on different aspects of teenage behavior from |

| |communicating with your teen to what to do if they get into|

| |more serious trouble. |

| tips for challenging teenage behaviours |

|ers/behaviour/coping-disruptive-teenagers | |

| |XenZone is a provider of online mental health services for |

| |children, young people and adults. |

| |Kooth is an online counseling and emotional well-being |

| |platform for children and young people, accessible through |

| |mobile, tablet and desktop and free at the point of use |

|Mindful Monsters |Mindful Monsters is a subscription service that sends out |

|scope.co.uk |mindfulness activities every month, it is aimed at primary |

| |school children and their parents to give children the |

| |skills to relax. It also helps parents begin conversations |

| |about mental health. |

| |Action for children have created a Build Sound Minds |

| |program to help parents develop the skills to talk to their|

| |child or young person about mental health, by creating a |

| |safe space for open discussion. |

| |Young Minds is one of the leading UK charities for young |

| |people’s mental health. They have advice for teenagers and |

| |their parents on managing a wide range of problems such as |

| |bullying, anxiety and school fears. |

|.uk |Rise above is a website designed to help teenagers cope |

| |with day to day stresses including mental health, social |

| |media, body image, exam stress and relationships. |

| |ANXIETY/MOOD/STRESS/SLEEP advice |

| |Any issue within the family, from mental health, behaviour,|

| |separation/ divorce, drugs, alcohol, school, trauma and |

| |domestic abuse- counselling service that you can refer |

| |yourself into. |

| |Self-help therapies are psychological therapies that you |

| |can do in your own time to help with problems like stress, |

| |anxiety and depression. |

| |Link to a vast range of leaflets for lots of areas |

| |surrounding Mental health |

| |Supportive online community where you can be yourself. We |

| |all know what it's like to struggle sometimes, but now |

| |there's a safe place to listen, share and be heard |

| |Confidential helpline and support for a wide range of |

| |issues including loneliness, depression, issues related to |

| |drug abuse and addiction, sexuality and family/friendship |

| |issues. |

| |Plymouth Information, Advice and Support for SEND (PIAS) |

| |provides information, advice and support relating to |

| |Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for |

| |parents, carers, children and young people within the |

| |Plymouth Local Authority area. |

Apps

|[pic] |BlueIce is an evidenced-based app to help young people manage their|

| |emotions and reduce urges to self-harm. It includes a mood diary, a|

| |toolbox of techniques to reduce distress and automatic routing to |

| |emergency numbers if urges to harm continue. |

|[pic] |Chill Panda is currently being tested for NHS approval, and is an |

| |app that helps manage anxiety and worry by suggesting tasks to suit|

| |you frame of mind such as breathing techniques and gentle |

| |exercises. |

|[pic] |eQuoo was designed by psychologists to give you new skills to |

| |increase your emotional fitness, communicate your feelings and |

| |maintain your mental wellbeing. |

|[pic] |Thrive helps you prevent and manage stress, anxiety and related |

| |conditions. The game based app can be used to relax before a |

| |stressful situation or on a more regular basis to help you live a |

| |happier, more stress-free life. |

|[pic] |The MeeTwo app provides a safe and secure forum for teenagers |

| |wanting to discuss any issue affecting their lives. |

| |You can anonymously get advice from experts or other teenagers |

| |going through similar experiences in areas such as mental health, |

| |self-harming, relationships and friendships. Every post and reply |

| |is moderated to make sure only positive feedback is published |

|[pic] |The Student Health App provides easy access to more than 900 pages |

| |of reliable health information all in one place. The content has |

| |been created for university students by NHS doctors and is |

| |regularly updated. |

| |Use the app to reduce your worries, feel more confident and get the|

| |support you need at what can be a challenging time for any student |

|[pic] |Headspace Guided meditation to help manage stress, anxiety and |

| |sleep. |

| |Sessions broken down into ages under 5’s, 6-8, 9-12 |

| |Also has ‘sleepcasts’ to help with sleep |

|[pic] |Breathe Think Do Sesame For younger children 2-5 years. |

| |Teaches skills such as solving everyday challenges, planning, |

| |problem solving and managing emotions |

|[pic] |Mindful Powers Teaches mindfulness techniques for children up to 8|

| |years of age. |

|[pic] |Cosmic Kids Fun yoga and mindfulness adventure videos. |

| |Free 2 week trial (however cosmic kids yoga you tube videos are |

| |free) |

|[pic] |Stop Breathe and Think Meditation and mindfulness exercises made |

| |fun and easy. |

| |Uses fun emojis and mindfulness missions. Helps with sleep, |

| |breathing techniques and managing emotions. |

|[pic] |Smiling Mind free guided meditation to help manage stress, anxiety,|

| |sleep and the challenges of day-to-day life. |

| |Sections divided into age and difficulty you would like help with |

| |For ages 3-13 years |

Great ways to relax….

1. Switch off the screens – turn off your phone, tablet and computer and go and do something that doesn’t involve tech gadgets instead like read a book, draw a picture, help cook dinner or bake a cake.

2. Get a hobby– a hobby away from school can help you switch your brain off from work pressures. If you love drawing, for example, you focus on the materials rather than the presentation you’re giving next week. You’ll cope better with homework after taking a break from it.

3. Aerobic Exercise – increases your heart rate and releases endorphins that make you feel good. Going to the gym, cycling, kickboxing, skateboarding, swimming or team sports such as football or netball are all great exercise. Choose one you love and build your exercise routine around that.

4. Walking– as moderate exercise, walking releases “feel good” endorphins. It can also help you to switch off - you have time to take in your surroundings and walk in a steady rhythm. Walking can be a less stressful way to travel than on a packed train or crowded bus. Fresh air helps you relax and sleep better.

5. Spend time in the natural world – An old Zen proverb says: “You should sit in nature for 20 minutes a day. Unless you’re busy, then you should sit for an hour.” Combine it with exercise and go for a walk along the beach, or try sitting in the garden.

6. Yoga, tai chi and Pilates - disciplines designed around controlled movement and breathing techniques, which can aid relaxation. There are lots of free YouTube videos for beginners

7. Run a warm bath–light some aromatherapy candles, run some scented bubble bath under the taps and play some chill-out music while you have a relaxing soak (Please check with your parents before lighting candles!)

8. Watch a film or read book– escapism is a great way to switch off from reality and help your mind relax.

9. Meet a friend– leave a stressful situation and spend some time with a friend. Talking things over, having some laughs and hearing a different perspective can take your mind off things and help you wind down.

10. Listen to music- make a playlist that shows how you feel, turn it up and dance around, share it with your friends.

11. Use the app- apps like chill panda are a great way to relax at the end of the day, or when you’re feeling stressed or anxious.

12. Get some sleep- change your bedding, have a shower, put some clean pj’s on and settle into bed when you’re nice and relaxed. Getting enough sleep is a key part of mental wellbeing.

13. Drink more water- being well hydrated improves your mood, relieves headaches and helps you feel more energised throughout the day.

14. Write down your worries- Instead of letting your worries build up all day, try writing them down. You might also want to use this as a way of telling your parents how you’re feeling. They can write in it as well, maybe something they thought you did well that day that you might have overlooked.

Strategies for Managing Anger

What is Anger?

Anger is a natural human emotion and feeling angry does not necessarily mean you have a problem. Most people do get angry occasionally, after all, it is part of a range of natural responses that help us to survive and protect ourselves and others. Anger is helpful and appropriate when it gives us the courage to defend ourselves and those we love or appropriately warns others not to take advantage of us. It may also motivate and inspire us to fight injustice and take social action. A person who does not admit to any feelings of anger risks feeling depressed or a lack of self-worth and may find themselves pushed around or victimised. However, frequent or excessive anger is not useful either, in fact it is likely to have a negative effect on health (high stress, raised blood pressure), spoil relationships with others due to aggressive and destructive behaviour patterns and limit satisfaction and enjoyment of life. For some, there is a payoff for getting angry, it may be to do with feeling powerful, or the opposite, a way of pretending that we are not afraid, but whatever the short-term gains, frequent angry outbursts usually make things worse rather than better.

How to handle anger

If you are trying to deal with your anger in a more responsible way then the following check list may help you bring about some changes.

• Get to know your warning signals. There may be obvious signs such as a rapid heart rate, tension and the urge to act impulsively. It may be that more passive symptoms arise, defensiveness, withdrawal, silence.

• If you feel yourself getting angry, breath, pause and think! It is possible to feel angry and not to act on those feelings.

• Develop good communication skills - this is one of the most important things you can do (see our leaflet on 'Being More Assertive').

• Listen to what the other person is saying to you, remembering that you have the right to disagree and that the other person has an equal right to speak.

• Don't escalate a situation, try to negotiate - tell the person what is making you angry, "It makes me feel angry when you.......", rather than, "You don't care about me! You're always........"

• Take 'time-out'. If you are getting nowhere in a heated discussion and you feel the warning signs of an angry outburst coming on, it's quite ok to say, "I don't think it's helpful for us to talk about this anymore right now, I need some time to think". If it's a situation that often occurs with the same person, come to an agreement with them that you will take time out if you need to when things get heated. You are trying to control your behaviour and may need your friend/partner/colleague to know that this is a constructive way to manage your anger. It's not helpful to make this into a way of withdrawing in order to punish the other person, it is a recognition that angry outbursts or bullying behaviour are not acceptable and you are trying to take control of your feelings and actions.

• Learn some relaxation and breathing techniques, assertiveness skills or meditation; they can be useful strategies, as can sport and all physical exercises, when you are trying to deal constructively with angry feelings.

• Speak to a counsellor if you would like further support.

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