YoungMinds Newsletter – March 2021
Advice for supporting a friend with their mental health
When a friend confides in us, or tells us they’re struggling with their mental health, it can be really hard to know how to respond. We may feel pressure to be their main source of support, or feel as though we have to help even if we’re struggling to cope ourselves. This can cause a lot of stress, but there are ways you can help your friend while looking after your own mental health as well.
This week we launched our new campaign to help you do just that. Our Activists have shared their experiences and created animations full of real stories, tips and advice, which we’ll be posting on our Instagram, TikTok and Twitter throughout this month. The message of the campaign is simple: if you’re supporting your friend, you’re not on your own – it’s Not All On You
Read our tips and advice for supporting a friend
Watch Part 1 of our Not All On You animations. You can watch all the animations on our supporting a friend with their mental health webpage
Our latest report on the impact of Covid-19 on young people’s mental health
We carried out our fourth survey into the impact of the pandemic on young people’s mental health in the January 2021 national lockdown. Of the 2,438 young people surveyed, 75% agreed that they have found this lockdown harder to cope with than previous ones.
> Read the report
Our new resource on panic attacks
Panic attacks can be really scary and hard to know how to deal with, but help is available. We’ve created a new page full of information, tips and advice for young people struggling with panic attacks.
> Read more
Our advice for supporting young people returning to school
With all school pupils able to return from 8 March, we know lots of young people will be feeling nervous. It can be hard as a parent or carer to know how to support them, but you’re not alone. We have information, advice and tips that can really help.
> Read our advice
Sign up for one of our online workshops
Want to learn how to build a participation strategy and evaluation framework for your setting based on theory of change? Sign up now to our online Creating a Participation Strategy and Evaluation Framework workshop on Thursday 18 March.
There are also spaces going in our online Trauma and Adversity workshop on Wednesday 24 March. Sign up now to learn about the impact of adverse life experiences on children’s wellbeing and use trauma-informed approaches to support their mental health.
> See more upcoming courses
New on the blog this month
- How I learnt to accept myself – and my disability: Emily, 22, shares how she re-shaped her relationship with her cerebral palsy, and moved from denial towards acceptance.
- Two ways friends helped me when I was struggling with low mood and anxiety: When Will, 25, was struggling with anxiety and low mood, two friends supported him in different but equally important ways. Here he shares how it was to be on the receiving end.
- Coping with emetophobia: Emetophobia is an extreme fear of anything to do with vomit. Two of our bloggers – Becca, 22, and Aimee, 16 – share their journeys with emetophobia and how they’ve learnt to cope.
Our latest tips and advice on Instagram. Follow us @YoungMindsUK
At YoungMinds, we’re leading the movement to make sure every young person gets the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.
Over the next few weeks, we will be recruiting for a number of new positions. Please keep an eye on our social media channels for more information.
Thank you for your ongoing support – Team YM 💛