These are all the free mental health and wellbeing services available during lockdown

Lockdown is having a varying affect on everyone’s mental health and there may be times when you need a little more support than usual. A number of charities, organisations and apps have stepped in and are offering a range of services free of charge in order to help people with their mental health during this challenging time.

A hub has been created to offer 20 minutes support sessions, one website has made a guide specifically for students and a meditation app is now offering free year long subscriptions.

These are all the free mental health resources available during lockdown:

20 minute support sessions via The Help Hub

If you’re currently isolating on your own or have limited contact during lockdown then The Help Hub can offer you support. The Hub was set up to help make vulnerable people feel supported during the current crisis.

They are offering free 20 minute video or phone calls with a licensed therapist. All you need to do is a book an appointment via their website. 

NHS Every Mind Matters

The NHS’s mental health site offers a variety of advice and tips on how to look after your mental health. They also have a very short quiz you can take to assess sleep levels, anxiety and low mood. It will then come up with a free mind plan that offers tailored solutions to look after your mental health such as a progressive muscle relaxation tutorial and a video on reframing unhelpful thoughts.

Take the Mind Plan quiz here.

Young Minds

The Young Minds charity provides a variety of resources to help you look after your mental health during lockdown. They also have a free 24/7 crisis messenger available where you can text YM to 85258 and you will be able to contact a trained volunteer who will be able to help you with your mental health crisis.

To find out more information about Young Minds visit their website.

The Wilderness Foundation is offering free mentoring and coaching

The Wilderness Foundation is currently offering free mentoring and coaching support. This service is not for those seeking therapy but is an opportunity to talk to someone about your worries and planning for the future.

The mentors and coaches are all DBS certified and you can find out more information on their website.

The Mix

The Mix is a great resource for anyone under 25 years old. They have a special guide for university students during lockdown, which answers questions you may have and offers advice. The charity also has guides for dealing with specific mental health problems during lockdown.

They also provide an online counselling service which can offer up to eight sessions. They also have a helpline you can call, email, crisis messenger and one to one chat services available.

Visit their website here.

Balance is offering free one-year subscriptions

Balance is a meditation app which is now offering free one-year subscriptions. The app gives guided meditations for many situations.

To get this offer email [email protected].

The Hear Me app

The Hear Me app is free and will connect you with a trained listener who will be able to message with you to talk through feelings or when you just need to talk to someone and get things off your chest.

The app is confidential and anonymous. Visit their Instagram to find out more.

Calm

The Calm app has an entire online space dedicated to recourses you can use during lockdown. These include guided meditations, a daily live stream meditation, sleep stories (including one read by Matthew McConaughey), soundscapes, journals and calm calendars filled with daily mindfulness activities.

Visit the Calm website to find out more.

Headspace

Headspace have created a free pack of resources for the current situation, called “Weathering the storm”. These resources include meditations, sleep advice and movement exercises.

Find out more information on the Headspace website.

Sanvello

Sanvello is another app offering all it’s premium content for free during lockdown. The app has a number of features to help you. Self-care allows you to track your mood, guided journeys, coping tools and progress assessments.

The peer support element of the app allows you to chat to other users in a judgement free zone and explore a range of topics.

Visit their website to find out more.

Anyone can contact Samaritans FREE any time from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit. This number won’t show up on your phone bill. Or you can email [email protected] or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch, where you can talk to one of our trained volunteers face to face.

Featured image credit: Becca Tapert on Unsplash

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