NHS Every Mind Matters

What it is

Every Mind Matters is the NHS's public site for looking after your mental wellbeing. It explains common problems in plain words, suggests small actions that are backed by evidence, and tells you when it is time to get professional help. It is written for people in England, but almost all of the advice applies anywhere.

What you get

• The Mind Plan. Answer 5 questions about how you are feeling and get a personalised plan in under five minutes, with tips from mental health experts and small, achievable actions.
• Topic guides on stress, anxiety, low mood, sleep and unhelpful thoughts, each covering signs, causes and what you can do.
• Free email programmes on anxiety and on sleep.
• Short videos and exercises, for example reframing unhelpful thoughts, a technique taken from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Who it suits

Students in exam season, people in a stressful job hunt, and anyone who has been feeling "off" and wants somewhere calm and reliable to start. It is especially useful if you are sceptical of wellness content: it is from a public health service, not an app trying to sell you a subscription.

How to use it well

• Do the Mind Plan once, then pick two actions and try them for a week before adding more.
• Read the sleep guide first if your sleep is off; it affects everything else.
• Notice the "get help" sections. UK phone numbers will not work elsewhere, so use the advice and find your local service instead.
• If you are in crisis, this is not the right tool: contact local emergency services or use Find A Helpline.

Pair it with on Sefism

• The Looking after your mental health roadmap builds on the same ideas: stress, sleep, low mood and when to get help.
• For worry about results or rejections, see Handling rejection and setbacks.
• To make the new routines stick, use Focus, habits and time.
• Ask Tauseef a question if you want advice on your own situation.

Best for: a quick, trustworthy starting point for stress, anxiety, low mood and sleep.