I don’t need to tell you that we’re living in difficult times and the coronavirus pandemic can impact our mental health in many different ways whether it’s losing a job or grieving for a loved one.
To make it easy to find someone to talk about your mental health whether its panic attacks, OCD, self-harm or depression then I’ve put together a list of charities, organisations, books and podcasts that can help you.
Stay strong and use these great organisations to support you or a loved one to get to a better place.

If you need to speak to someone
- Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans.
- Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, If you’re under 19 then text ‘YM’.
- If you’re under 19, you can call 0800 1111 and talk to Childline. Open 24-hours. The number will not appear on the phone bill. If you’re an adult concerned about a child then call 0808 800 5000.
- Phone Refuge for advice on dealing with domestic violence on 0808 2000 247 (24-hour helpline).
- The Young Minds Parents Helpline is 0808 802 5544. Call them for free Mon-Fri from 9.30am to 4pm.
NHS mental health services
- NHS urgent mental health line.
- If you want to measure your mood then try this self-assessment quiz.
- If you’re in England, you can self-refer for psychological therapies.
Resources for Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities
Anxiety
Depression
OCD
Panic attacks
Self-harm
- Advice on self-harm from SelfharmUK
- Self-harm and suicide prevention from Harmless
- National Self-Harm Network Forum
For young people:
For parents:
Support for families:
Support for men:
- Men’s Health Forum
- CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for men from 15 to 35 years old.

Managing mental health at work
- Time to Change gives advice about your rights at work while suffering from mental health problems.
- How to stay well during furlough or when out of work.
- How a nurse working on a COVID ward manages her mental health.
Apps
Books I recommend:
- It’s Not OK to Feel Blue (and other lies): Inspirational people open up about their mental health by Scarlett Curtis and Various
- Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon
- Jog on by Bella Mackie
- Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
If you enjoy comedy writing:
Podcasts I recommend:
If you enjoy comedy podcasts:
- 7 British comedy podcasts that will make you laugh out loud
- 7 more British comedy podcasts that will make you laugh out loud
Read advice from other bloggers:
- Stay on top of mental health during uncertain times
- Kickstart your health during lockdown
- How to combat loneliness in lockdown
- I want to talk about antenatal depression
Read my personal stories (resources included):
- Intrusive thoughts are frightening but inherently normal and human
- The differences between CBT and counselling for treating mental health problems by someone with OCD
- Why it’s so difficult to discuss self-harm and how to get help by a former self-harmer
- Why birdwatching can help with anxiety and OCD
- 10 things the film As Good As It Gets does get so right about mental illness
- Why RED January gave me a new perspective on running
I hope these resources are useful to you and you can find comfort at a difficult time. Thank you for reading and look after yourselves.
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Thank you for sharing. So important x