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Roadmap · Life skills

Looking after your mental health

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For students and early-career people dealing with exam pressure, job-hunt stress, burnout, poor sleep or low mood, and for anyone who wants to look after a friend. By the end you can recognise what you are feeling, use evidence-based ways to manage stress, know when something needs a professional and how to get that help, and keep a simple plan that keeps you well.

Curated by Tauseef Fayyaz7 stages, 48 topics~3 months at a few hours a week
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If you are struggling right now

This roadmap helps you build skills and habits. It is not therapy or a medical service. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services now, or talk to a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India). If low mood, worry or stress has lasted weeks and gets in the way of daily life, please see a doctor or counsellor.

By the end, you will be able to

  • Know where to get urgent help, in your country, if you or someone else is in danger
  • Explain what stress does to your body and calm it with tools that are backed by evidence
  • Handle exam and job-hunt pressure, and spot burnout and poor sleep before they take over
  • Tell ordinary low mood apart from signs that need a doctor, counsellor or psychologist
  • Find professional help that fits your budget, and know what to say at a first appointment
  • Talk about mental health with family and friends, and support a friend who is struggling
  • Keep a written plan with your warning signs, what helps and who to contact

The path

7 stages, in the order to learn them. Open one to start.

  1. 1Start here: help now, and what mental health isWhere to get urgent help first, then the basics: mental health is something everyone has, it moves up and down, and a few daily foundations protect it more than any app or quote.6 topics · ~1 week
    1. 1If you are in crisis right nowIf you are thinking about suicide or hurting yourself, or you are in danger, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis line now.
    2. 2Mental health is something everyone hasThe World Health Organization describes mental health as a state of wellbeing that lets you cope with the normal stresses of life, learn well, work well and…
    3. 3What this roadmap can and cannot doThis roadmap teaches skills that research supports for everyday stress, low mood and pressure: understanding your stress response, questioning unhelpful…
    4. 4Stress, anxiety, low mood and depressionThese words are often used as if they mean the same thing.
    5. 5The foundations that protect youBefore any technique, a few basics carry most of the weight.
    6. 6A two-minute weekly check-inIt is hard to notice slow changes in yourself.
    6 in this stageOpen this stage
  2. 2Understanding and calming stressWhat stress does in your body and mind, why some of it helps, and the tools that research supports for calming your body and untangling anxious thoughts.7 topics · ~2 weeks
    1. 1What stress does in your bodyWhen your brain sees a threat, such as an exam, a hard conversation or a rejection email, it triggers the stress response, often called fight or flight.
    2. 2When stress helps and when it harmsA moderate amount of pressure often helps you perform: you focus and finish the work.
    3. 3Knowing your own stress signsEveryone shows stress differently, and most people notice it late.
    4. 4Calming your body in the momentWhen stress is high, it is hard to think your way out of it, so start with the body.
    5. 5Thinking trapsCognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the best-researched approaches for stress, anxiety and low mood.
    6. 6Questioning a stressful thoughtOnce you notice a thinking trap, you can test the thought instead of obeying it.
    7. 7Worry time and problem solvingWorry falls into two kinds.
    7 in this stageOpen this stage
  3. 3Exam and job-hunt stressThe two pressures most students and graduates face: exams, results and the long, uncertain wait of a job search. How to prepare, cope on the day, handle results and rejections, and stop comparison from making it worse.7 topics · ~2 weeks
    1. 1Exam anxiety and preparationSome nerves before an exam are normal and can help.
    2. 2The night before and the day itselfThe last 24 hours matter more for your state of mind than for your knowledge.
    3. 3Results day and what comes afterResults can feel like a judgement on your whole worth, especially when family, relatives and classmates are all asking.
    4. 4Job-hunt stressSearching for a first job or internship is one of the most stressful periods for many graduates.
    5. 5Focus on what you can controlUnder pressure, people spend huge energy on things they cannot change: the cut-off marks, the economy, whether a recruiter replies.
    6. 6Comparison on LinkedIn and social mediaLinkedIn and Instagram show other people's best moments: offers, results, visas, promotions.
    7. 7When the stress is about moneyFor many students and graduates, the real pressure is money: fees, family expectations to start earning, loans, or supporting younger siblings.
    7 in this stageOpen this stage
  4. 4Burnout, sleep and energySpotting burnout before it takes over, recovering properly, and fixing the sleep that underpins almost everything else in this roadmap.7 topics · ~2 weeks
    1. 1What burnout isThe WHO describes burnout, in its ICD-11 classification, as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
    2. 2Early signs of burnoutBurnout builds slowly, so the early signs are easy to dismiss.
    3. 3Recovering properlyRest is not only sleep.
    4. 4Why sleep matters so muchSleep affects mood, memory, focus and how you handle stress.
    5. 5Habits for better sleepSleep guidance from the NHS and sleep researchers usually comes down to a few habits.
    6. 6Phones, caffeine and late nightsThree habits disturb student sleep most.
    7. 7When sleep problems need a doctorMost sleep trouble improves with better habits.
    7 in this stageOpen this stage
  5. 5Low mood and the signs of depressionHow to tell ordinary low mood from signs that need a professional, evidence-based ways to lift low mood, and when to get help straight away.7 topics · ~2 weeks
    1. 1Low mood or depression?Everyone feels low sometimes, after a loss, a breakup, a failed exam or a rejection.
    2. 2Signs that need a professionalThe NHS and WHO list similar signs of depression.
    3. 3Doing comes before feeling betterWhen mood is low, you naturally do less: you stop seeing friends, skip classes, stay in bed.
    4. 4Being kinder to yourselfWhen things go wrong, many people speak to themselves far more harshly than they would ever speak to a friend: "You are useless", "Everyone else manages".
    5. 5Coping that makes things worseWhen people feel bad, they reach for whatever brings quick relief: hours of scrolling or gaming, eating much more or less, smoking, vaping, alcohol or other…
    6. 6When anxiety takes overAnxiety becomes a problem that needs professional help when it is constant or very strong, when it stops you doing things you need to do, or when you start…
    7. 7When to get help straight awaySome signs mean you should not wait to see if things improve.
    7 in this stageOpen this stage
  6. 6How to actually get helpWho does what in mental health care, where to find help you can afford, how to choose someone good, what to say at a first appointment, and how to handle stigma and family attitudes.7 topics · ~2 weeks
    1. 1Counsellor, psychologist, psychiatrist: who does whatA family doctor or GP is often a good first step: they can check for physical causes, such as thyroid problems or anaemia, and refer you on.
    2. 2Your university counselling serviceMany universities have a counselling centre or a student wellbeing office, often free or very cheap for enrolled students.
    3. 3Help you can affordPrivate therapy can be expensive, but there are cheaper routes.
    4. 4Choosing someone goodNot everyone offering mental health help is qualified.
    5. 5What to say at a first appointmentMany people do not book because they do not know what to say.
    6. 6Stigma and talking to familyIn many South Asian families, and in many other cultures, mental health is rarely discussed.
    7. 7Faith, culture and professional helpFor many people, faith is a real source of strength, meaning and community, and prayer or worship can be part of looking after your mental health.
    7 in this stageOpen this stage
  7. 7Helping a friend, and staying wellHow to notice when a friend is struggling, listen well, ask the hard question and get them to help, while looking after yourself. Then turn everything into a simple plan that keeps you well.7 topics · ~2 weeks
    1. 1Noticing when a friend is strugglingFriends and classmates often notice before family or teachers do.
    2. 2How to listen wellWhen a friend opens up, the most useful thing is usually to listen, not to fix.
    3. 3Asking directly about suicideIf you are worried a friend might be thinking about suicide, ask them directly: "Are you thinking about suicide?" or "Are you thinking about killing…
    4. 4If a friend is in dangerIf a friend tells you they have a plan to end their life, has harmed themselves seriously, or you believe they are in immediate danger, act now.
    5. 5Looking after yourself as a helperSupporting someone who is struggling can be draining, especially over weeks or months.
    6. 6Your plan for staying wellA wellbeing plan pulls together everything from this roadmap into one page you can reach quickly.
    7. 7Reviewing your plan through the yearYour mental health changes with the seasons of your life: exam periods, job searches, moving cities, starting a new job, family events.
    7 in this stageOpen this stage

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