Have a good sleep routine
Poor sleep can have a massive impact on our mood, anxiety and energy levels, so make sure you are
getting enough sleep each night and that you avoid napping in the day. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day. One of the best ways you can help your sleep is to avoid using any screens at least an hour before bed (even those with a night mode) – this is because your brain thinks the light is the sun, meaning that it’s daytime, so tells your body to stay awake. Try to do relaxing things before bed that don’t involve a screen, such as reading or listening to music or audiobooks/podcasts.
Have a good daily routine
As well as getting a good night’s sleep each night, it’s also really important to make sure your days have routine. This is a bit easier when we’re at school, as this takes up a big part of the day, but at weekends and during the holidays, or when we’re in ‘lockdown’, we can lose our routine, which again can impact on our mood and anxiety. Adding structure to your day can really help with this, especially having things to get up for in the morning. Structured activities might include going out with friends when permitted, walking the dog, tidying your room or other activities listed in the hobbies section below. If you have homework or revision to do, some people find it helpful to plan something fun in for afterwards as a reward.
Have a balanced diet
Our diet can have a big impact on our mood and anxiety levels. It’s really important to have something to 
eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with healthy snacks in between. This is because food is the fuel for our bodies and minds. It’s also important to allow ourselves have treats every now and then. If you are struggling to do this or feel that food is beginning to take over your life, make sure you speak to a health professional as support is available.
Avoid alcohol and non-prescribed drugs
Avoid using alcohol (or non-prescribed drugs) to help you cope – although these may feel like they help, they will only add to your problems and can sometimes be the cause of them. It is important that you talk to a health professional about these if you are using them.
Exercise
Not only does it benefit your physical health, but regular exercise can also have a positive impact on low mood, anxiety, and ADHD. It is also known to relieve stress, improve memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. It doesn’t have to be anything really strenuous; even just going for a walk can be a good form of exercise and will boost your “happy hormone” levels. However, it is important that exercise is balanced and does not begin to take over your life – if this happens, make sure you speak to a health professional.
Hobbies and skills
Find something you are interested in that you could do as a hobby, or learn a new skill. It may tak
e a few times for you to find the right thing for you, but this is all part of the process. This might include playing an instrument, drawing, painting, crafting, playing a sport, learning a new language, scrapbooking, reading, writing, reviewing books or films, cooking or baking....the list goes on! These can also be great distractions when we are finding things difficult.
Be kind to yourself
It’s normal to have bad days, but talking to yourself negatively is likely to make these worse. If you can, try to encourage rather than criticise yourself and treat yourself the way you would treat a friend in the same situation.
Help others
Get involved with a community project, charity work, or simply help out someone you know. As well as benefiting others, you’ll be doing something worthwhile which will help you feel better about yourself. You could even get involved with our CAMHS Participation work. This is about people with lived experience of our services working together with people who work in our services to improve them.
Try relaxation and mindfulness
Make time for yourself. Allow yourself to chill out and relax. Find something that suits you – this might be one of the hobbies listed above, or specific relaxation exercises such as those below. Different things work for different people.
- Here are some useful breathing techniques you can try
- Here are some useful grounding techniques you can try
These activities are linked to mindfulness which is all about being ‘present’. By focusing our attention on the here and now, rather than worrying about the past or what might happen in the future, mindfulness can help us to feel calmer and more at ease. Some good apps include: ‘MyLife’ and ‘Mindful gNATs’.
Connect with others
Stay in touch with family and friends, doing things together that you enjoy. This doesn’t have to 
cost lots of money, as even just going for a walk together can help you to feel connected. Even if you can’t meet up, you can still stay connected by texting, calling and video chatting. You could try out both watching the same TV programme/film whilst on a video call so you can chat about it during or afterwards, just as you would if you were in the same room.
See the bigger picture
We all give different meanings to situations and see things from our own point of view. Broaden out your perspective and consider the bigger picture (like looking at it from a helicopter above). What meaning am I giving this? Is this fact or opinion? How would others see it? Is there another way of looking at this? How important is it, or will it be in a year’s time? What can I do right now that will help most?
Things that can make you feel better
We asked some young people who live in Derby and south Derbyshire: What helps you to feel better when you are having a bad day? Here’s what they said…
- 'Speaking to friends. Also getting some fresh air really helps me' – Jade
- 'I like reading books or getting out of the house to see friends or for coffee' - Anna
- 'Playing on Xbox where I can express emotions' - Erin
- 'My three ways of making myself feel better are talking to family or friends, doing some exercise (because it’s a great way to shake off all your stress, feel refreshed and get energised) and cooking, which is really therapeutic' - Rosie
- 'Putting upbeat music from my childhood on and having a dance' - Natalie
- 'I have a friend who plays football – therapy wasn’t for him but playing sport with his friends worked for him' - Adam
- 'Having a bath, a rant and listening to music works for me' – Nat
- 'Giving yourself a compliment, doing something that you are good at, being around people, going for a walk' - Kelly
- 'I speak to friends or people I am close to' - Henry
- 'Going outside, listening to the world' - Katie
- 'I find it really useful to pick up a pencil and just draw something' – Dan
What is Mindfulness? We asked Richard Morrow, one of our nurses, to explain:
Creating space to think...
As human beings, we have an amazing ability to think about lots of things at the same time. Stop and study yourself for a second: what else are you doing while reading this article? Are you adjusting your hair or clothes, or watching your friends out of the corner of your eye? Are you thinking about what you’ll be doing later, or worrying about something that happened earlier on?
Being able to juggle lots of thoughts and tasks means we can sometimes find it difficult to focus on just one thing, and give it our full attention. We may try to concentrate on the person or place (or textbook!) in front of us, but we’re not completely there because our thoughts are wandering.
Mindfulness is a way of creating space to think, so we can fix our attention on just one task.
Imagine your attention is like a torch that is moving around and around, passing over every image you see, every sound you hear and every object you touch. Mindfulness is a way to guide the torch, so you can shine the light where you want it to point, and strengthen the beam to see things more clearly.
It sounds easy, but it’s not! The mind is designed to wander. Training the brain to notice and explore where our attention is going takes practice – but it can really help.
'Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present.'
Alice Morse Earle
Mindfulness in action: Exams
For many young people, preparing for exams is quite stressful. There are lots of things to think about, and it can be difficult to concentrate on the task in front of you.
Try this simple mindfulness exercise:
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Sit somewhere comfortable – sit upright with your feet touching the floor. Feel the ground and chair beneath you
- Take long, deep breaths – slow down gradually and try to aim for six breaths in and out in one minute
- Place a hand over your tummy – feel your tummy moving in and out with each breath. Place your other hand at the top of your chest and try to keep this hand still
- Picture yourself feeling calm and knowledgeable – close your eyes and imagine yourself in the exam. Focus on being calm and allowing your knowledge to flow freely. If you begin to feel anxious, notice this and then concentrate again on breathing deeply and slowly, to help you think clearly
- Imagine the emotions you want to feel – try to feel the sense of achievement that comes from having done your best. Feel what it is like to be calm and able to reach easily for things you know; notice how much more confident and capable you feel
Spend a few minutes each day repeating this exercise – as it does take practice. Always remember to slow down and be comfortable. Then use your imagination to create the image of yourself that is most helpful to you. If your mind wanders, that’s okay; just guide it gently back.
During difficult times, you will then have this exercise to turn to, to keep you calm. Remember – you can never stop negative thoughts from popping into your head, but with mindfulness you can learn to focus on something else.
Mindfulness: the Scientific Evidence
There is scientific proof that mindfulness works. Scientists have developed techniques that allow them to ‘scan’ the brain, to see which parts of it are active at any one time. When mindfulness experts go under the brain scanner and fix their attention on one feeling, memory or image, then specific, individual parts of the brain light up – proving just how good they are at focusing their mind! All it takes to achieve this is practice.
Help online
There are some good websites about mental health, and some not so good ones! Click on 'Useful Links' below to see some of the good ones:
- ThinkNinja
- MyLife
- ClearFear
- Mindful Gnats
- Mindshift
- Daylio
- CalmHarm (for self-harm)
