Mental and emotional health
Mental and emotional health | Taha Hinengaro is connected to your mental and emotional wellbeing - your thoughts, feelings, mood, decisions, motivation, and behaviour.
Mental wellbeing
Depression
Feeling sad or down is not the same as being clinically depressed. There’s a big difference between having a rough day and experiencing deep, ongoing despair.
Our emotions, like sad or happy, are usually connected to day-to-day experiences. Our mood tends to be a state of mind that lasts for longer.
We all move along a continuum; everyone has good days and bad days. But if the bad days start to outnumber the good ones, it’s a sign you may need to take action and reach out for support.
Everyone's mental wellbeing exists on a continuum. It's normal to move between feeling well and struggling at different times.
Anxiety
Anxiety is when you may feel worried, nervous, fearful, or on edge. Most people experience anxiety at times, like before an exam, presentation, dentist appointment, or job interview.
Your brain and body are involved with anxiety. We have thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations when we get anxious. This is your “fight or flight” response in action, preparing you to either confront the situation or escape it.
Sometimes anxiety can be helpful. It can give us a burst of energy or focus and improve our performance.
Anxiety becomes problematic when it stops you from doing things you want or need to do, happens often, or lasts for a long time.
Generalised anxiety and depression online courses
Self-care
Our mental wellbeing is just as important as our physical wellbeing. It about how we think, feel, respond to challenges, communicate with others, and learn.
Self-care is about taking time to look after your wellbeing. Small actions can help reduce stress, build resilience, and support your overall mental, emotional, and physical health.
Ways to support yourself
Give yourself time to relax and recharge.
Aim for a consistent sleep routine, enough sleep to refresh, and wake refreshed.
Fuel your body and mind with healthy food.
Physical activity helps reduce stress and boost mood.
Simple breathing exercises can calm anxiety (see below).
Focus on effort, not perfection.
Let go of things outside your influence.
Look for the good, even in small moments.
Understanding them helps you manage reactions.
Sharing how you feel can make a big difference.
Just a Thought breathing exercises
Learn some 3-minute breathing exercises
3:08Fear of failing
Anxiety and study
Anxiety isn’t always bad. In fact, a little anxiety is normal and can be helpful as it gives you the motivation to study, complete assignments, and stay focused. Too much anxiety, though, can interfere with concentration and memory, making it harder to perform well.
Anxiety related to study may be experienced in the following ways:
Managing the fear of failure
Fear of failure is common, but there are simple ways to manage it. Click on each tool below to learn how it can help you feel calmer and more confident.
Practice being present in the moment to reduce stress and calm racing thoughts.
Release body tension by tensing and relaxing different muscle groups.
Imagine yourself being successful. This helps build confidence and reduce fear.
Slow, controlled breathing can lower anxiety and help you feel more calm.
Replace negative thoughts with encouraging statements like, “I can handle this.”
Break tasks into smaller chunks to make them more achievable.
Organisation and good study habits help to improve confidence and reduce stress.
Communication skills
Communication is more than words. It includes our voice, eye contact, facial expressions, and body language.
What is communication?
Communication is not just about talking. It is having the ability to recognise and express how you are feeling and why. It is also about noticing how people are feeling too.
Why communication matters
When we are able to manage our emotions and express our thoughts and feelings, we can improve our mental health, self-confidence and self-esteem, and our relationships.
Building communication skills
There are different styles of communication, including passive, aggressive, and assertive communication. Learning to communicate assertively can help you express your needs while respecting the needs of others and setting healthy boundaries.
For more information about assertive communication and healthy boundaries, see the Just a Thought resource below.
Substance use
Drugs and alcohol are known as substances. They all have an impact on how your brain and body function. Substances can affect your emotions, how you act, and how you make sense of situations.
It is common for people to drink alcohol or take drugs socially or as a way of coping with stress.
However, it is important to take care of yourself if you intend to use any substance and have a plan in place to reduce your risk of harm.
Everyone responds differently to alcohol and other drugs. The substance, your mindset, and your environment all influence the experience.
What influences someone's experience?
The effects of a substance can vary from person to person and from one situation to another. Drug, Mindset, and Setting model helps explain why. It looks at three factors that influence someone's experience: the substance itself (drug), the person's thoughts, feelings and expectations (mindset), and their surroundings or situations (setting).
See the Drug, Mindset and Setting model below and read how each factor can influence outcomes and potential harms.
Support resources
If you feel that your substance use is becoming a problem and you may have lost control over the amount you are using, please seek support as soon as possible. This may be through your GP, counselling, or check out the links below.
Attributions
This work includes material from the following sources, in order of appearance:
Hero image: Abstract soap bubbles by Kranich17. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/abstract-soap-bubbles-multicoloured-7297671/. Licensed under Pixabay.com license.
Surface raindrops by ChristopherPluta. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/surface-rain-drops-raindrops-455124/. Licensed under Pixabay.com license.
Sea groins by Studio_Lichtfang. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/to-stage-baltic-sea-coast-sea-9858926/. Licensed under Pixabay.com license.
Cobweb by akirEVarga. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/web-net-dew-drop-autumn-nature-8353227/. Licensed under Pixabay.com license.
Agave Cactus by unrealimages. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/web-net-dew-drop-autumn-nature-8353227/. Licensed under Pixabay.com license.