Mental Health First Aid Kit

What is a Mental Health First Aid Kit?

If you’re struggling with how you’re feeling, it can be hard to know what to do. Your first aid kit is there to help make things easier.

It includes:

ways to distract yourself
what you can do to relax or calm down
things that have helped you feel good in the past
who to talk to if you need support.

Everyone is different, so your first aid kit should be unique to you. Think about what’s helped in the past or what you want to try. We’ve got a few ideas on this page to help you get started, but you can include whatever you want.

Download the Mental Health First Aid Kit

Tips for creating your first aid kit

If you’re struggling to start your first aid kit, we’ve got some advice to help:

Take your time
Fill your plan in when you’re feeling calm, remember that you don’t need to complete it all at once.
Ask for help
You could show the plan to someone you trust, or speak to a Childline counsellor to ask for advice
Keep it simple
Include ideas that are easy to do and don’t feel overwhelming
Try new things
We’ve got ideas for your kit on this page, or you could look at what others have tried on the message boards
Keep updating it
If you come up with a new idea or something doesn’t help anymore, you can always update your plan

When to use your first aid kit

Once you’ve made it, you can use your Mental Health First Aid Kit whenever you want to. And you can add to it or update it any time.

If you’re getting help from your doctor, CAMHS or a counsellor, it’s important to talk to them about what you’re creating. They can help you to complete it and can give you advice on when it’s best to use it.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or like you can’t keep yourself safe, it’s important that you don’t try to cope alone. In an emergency, call 999 but you can also come on to speak to a Childline counsellor by calling on 0800 1111 or by having a 1-2-1 chat.

Download the first aid kit

Download and fill in the Mental Health First Aid Kit.

Warning

Downloading the Mental Health First Aid Kit means that anyone who uses your device might be able to see it.

Distractions

Distractions help to take your mind off what’s happening. You could try:

tidying your room or organising your belongings
watching TV, a funny video or listening to a podcast
playing a game online
drawing, creating something or writing a story

Get more ideas to distract yourself with the Coping Kit.

Coping Kit

Get ideas to distract yourself or find new ways to cope.

I knew
exactly
what I needed

Download your Mental Health First Aid Kit

Ways to relax

There are loads of ways to relax or feel calmer. But it can take time to find what works for you.

We’ve got a few ideas to help:

Ideas to ground yourself

Grounding yourself is when you focus on your body and what’s happening right now instead of what’s going on in your mind.

You can use grounding techniques to move away from difficult feelings or memories and focus on what’s happening right now.

Using your senses are a great way to ground yourself, lots of people use the “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” activity:

name 5 things that you can see, they could be anything
name 4 things that you can touch or feel, focus on what each thing feels like
name 3 things you can hear, really focus and if you’re struggling, try making some noises yourself
name 2 things you can smell, try moving around to smell things if you can
name 1 thing you can taste

We’ve got lots of ideas of how to ground yourself, and you can share ideas on the message boards.

Relaxation techniques

There are lots of ways to relax, and it’s important find something that works for you. It could be something you enjoy, that keeps your hands busy or that takes a lot of focus.

If you’re not sure what to try, there are lots of ways to get ideas:

get ideas using the Calm Zone
find lots of activities on the Coping Kit
ask other young people on the message boards
speak to an adult you trust.

Focusing on your breathing

Stopping what you’re doing, closing your eyes and taking slow, deep breaths can help you to feel calmer and relaxed.

Try our ideas on how to focus and slow down your breathing.

Yoga and physical activities

Doing something physical is a great way to relax and cope with your feelings, but it can be hard to know where to get started.

It can help to start small, and we’ve got lots of ideas on the Coping Kit to help. Or you can watch some gentle yoga videos.

Calm Zone

Find new ways to relax and unwind with the calm zone.

Ways to feel good

It’s not always easy to find ways to feel good, especially when you’re struggling to cope. But there are some small things you can try:

Things you’ve enjoyed before
Think about things you’ve enjoyed in the past, this could be a game, hobby or a favourite food
Talk to someone you care about
Even if you don’t want to share how you’re feeling, spending time with someone you care about can help you to feel more connected
Setting small goals
Whether it’s taking a shower, going for a walk or doing a piece of work, set yourself something small to accomplish

If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, you can always ask other young people on the message boards.

Who you can talk to

Writing down who you can talk to and how to contact them can help you remember that you’re not alone. Think about who you trust to talk to, and when they’re available. You could include:

your parents or carers
a teacher
your CAMHS worker, or a crisis team
Childline
a friend you feel comfortable with

Asking an adult for help

Get tips on starting a difficult conversation.