Mental health and wellbeing self-help resources
If you’re going through a difficult time, here are some resources that may help.
We recommend that you seek advice from your GP if you have concerns about your physical or mental wellbeing.
If you need someone to talk to urgently, you can contact the Samaritans for free at any time.
Togetherall mental health service
Togetherall is an online mental health service offering resources and a safe and anonymous support community. It offers 24/7 online peer and professional support with trained counsellors.
It’s free for all for all University of Leeds students. Sign up with your University email address.
Headstart cards
Download our Headstart cards. They are designed to provide brief, factual advice to enhance your understanding and management of commonly experienced problems:
- Headstart 1 Stress (PDF)
- Headstart 2 Low moods (PDF)
- Headstart 3 Confidence (PDF)
- Headstart 4 Panic (PDF)
- Headstart 5 Exams (PDF)
- Headstart 6 Sleeping (PDF)
- Headstart 7 Food (PDF)
- Headstart 8 Drinking (PDF)
- Headstart 9 Grief (PDF)
- Headstart 10 Trauma (PDF)
- Headstart 11 Emerging mental health difficulties (PDF)
- Headstart 12 Psychotic episodes and experiences (PDF)
- Headstart 13 Homesickness (PDF)
Meditation and relaxation resources
Use the following resources to support your relaxation, meditation and mindfulness practices.
Breathwork (Pranayama) practices
- Abdominal breath (seven minutes)
- Alternative nostril breathing (three minutes)
- Deep yogic breath lying (six minutes)
- Deep yogic breath sitting (nine minutes)
- Pendulating (14 minutes)
- Vitalising breath (five minutes)
Concentration and contemplation practices
- Body asleep, mind awake (38 minutes)
- Contemplation of joy (22 minutes)
- Trataka (six minutes)
Meditation and mindfulness practices
- Disolving stress meditation (28 minutes)
- Energetic and emotional alignment practices
- Energy block release sequence
- Getting grounded meditation (29 minutes)
- Peaceful presence (21 minutes)
- The blue mist meditation (33 minutes)
- The mindfulness on breathing (24 minutes)
- The meditation on forgiveness (17 minutes)
- The meditation on loving kindness (30 minutes)
- The pore breath meditation (23 minutes)
- The sitting quietly meditation (18 minutes)
Visit our groups and workshops page for information on our weekly meditation group. You can also access meditation resources from the following sources:
Relaxation practices
- Deep relaxation – in memory of Gyatri (35 minutes)
- Deep relaxation – inner space (33 minutes)
- Deep relaxation – into the senses (14 minutes)
- Deep relaxation – towards the light (26 minutes)
- Deep relaxation – waves of peace (26 minutes)
- Dissolving the body (22 minutes)
- Eight minutes to calm (eight minutes)
- Energetic and emotional allignment practice (12 minutes)
- Energy block release 7 (39 minutes)
- Energy gathering relaxation (19 minutes)
- Makrasana (16 minutes)
- Pendulating (14 minutes)
- Relaxation (16 minutes)
- Relaxation into happiness (17 minutes)
- Soma relaxation (26 minutes)
Yoga Nidra
-
Yoga Nidra practice (48 minutes)
Self-help resources by topic
See our full list of mental health and wellbeing support services in Leeds.
Abuse, assault and harrassment
- Report and Support
- What ACEs/PCEs do you have?
- Domestic abuse: how to get help (GOV.UK)
- Domestic Abuse (West Yorkshire Police)
- Forced Marriage (West Yorkshire Police)
- GALOP – the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity
- Hazlehurst Centre
- Help after rape and sexual assault (NHS)
- Karma Nirvana
- Leeds Domestic Violence Service
- Mankind Initiative
- Men’s Advice Line
- Muslim Youth Helpline
- Nahamu
- Northpoint
- Rape Crisis Network Europe
- Respect Phoneline
- Revenge Porn Helpline
- Safe Spaces Scheme
- SARSAS sel-help guide to support after rape and sexual abuse
- SARSAS self-help guide for men and boys
- Self-help resource guide (London Survivors Gateway)
- Support After Rape & Sexual Violence Leeds
- Sharan
- Survivors UK or Survivors UK West Yorkshire
- Victim Support
- Women’s Aid
- Women's Therapy Leeds
Information and support for friends and family
Addictions and harmful behaviours
Alcohol and drugs
- Adfam
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Al-Anon UK
- Drugs and Me
- Drugscience
- Forward Leeds
- Narcotics Anonymous
- Psycom
- Smart Recovery
Deliberate self injury
Gambling
Sexual behaviours
Anxiety, panic and stress
Anxiety
- Anxiety (Centre for Clinical Interventions)
- Anxiety Leeds
- Anxiety Self Help
- Health Anxiety (Centre for Clinical Interventions)
- Student stress (NHS)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Panic
Social anxiety
TED Talks
Apps
- De-stress-ify
- Daylio
- E-couch
- Headspace
- Mindshift
- Moodgym
- Rational CBT/REBT
- SAM: Self-help for anxiety management
- SANVELLO
- Stop Panic and Anxiety
Bereavement and loss
- Coping With Bereavement at University or College
- Cruse Bereavement Support
- Five Stages of Grief (Very Well Mind)
- Good Grief Trust
- Grief Support for Young Adults
- Hope Again
- How to Deal with Grief and Loss (Young Minds)
- Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service
- Sadness, grief and being there (Church of England)
- Seven ways to say goodbye to a loved one without words
- Student Grief Network
- Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
- Support After Murder and Manslaughter
- Why ceremonies and rituals are still important today
- What's Your Grief?
TED Talks
Podcasts
Body image and healthy relationships with food
- Appearance Concerns (Centre for Clinical Interventions)
- Beat
- Body Dysmorphia (Centre for Clinical Interventions)
- Body Gossip
- The Body Positive
- Disordered Eating (Centre for Clinical Interventions)
- FREED
- Recover Clinic
- SEED
- Talk ED
- Ugly Me: My Life with Body Dysmorphia
- Yorkshire Centre for Eating Disorders (NHS)
TED Talks
Apps
- Recovery Record
- Rise-Up
Change and transitions
- 10 ways to deal with homesickness
- How to Cope with Student Life (Mind)
- Looking After Yourself At Uni (Young Minds)
- Resources for Young Adults Leaving Home for the First Time
- Starting University (Student Minds)
- Top Tips for Starting at University
- Transitions (Student Minds)
- UK Council for International Student Affairs
Confidence, assertiveness and self-esteem
Crisis and emergency
It is important that you keep yourself safe. In the event of an emergency, please contact:
- Your GP
- Call Leeds Student Medical Practice: +44(0)113 295 4488
- Call Crisis Team through SPA: 0300 300 1485
- Call Dial House: +44(0)113 260 9328 or text: 07922 249452
- Call Connect Helpline: 0800 800 12129 (6pm to 2am)
- Call Samaritans: Freephone 116 123
- Call Nightline: +44(0)113 380 1285 (8pm to 8am)
Crisis intervention online
Suicide prevention
Depression and low mood
Depression
Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (Mind)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (NHS)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (Royal College of Psychiatrists)
Apps
- Black Rainbow
- Catch it
- Mood Gym
- MoodMission
- Mood Panda
- Moodscope
- Pacifica
- What’s Up
Enhancing and enjoying your academic experience
Emotional intelligence and resilience
- Anger Self-Help Guide
- Compassion Self-Help
- The Growth Mindset
- How to cope with anger (Mind)
- Getting Your Anger Under Control
- Resilience Toolkit
- Importance of Self-Care (Students Against Depression)
- Self-Compassion
- Self-Compassion (Centre for Clinical Interventions)
TED Talks
- The gift and power of emotional courage
- Why we get mad – and why it’s healthy
- The power of belief – mindset and success
Apps
- Mood Meter
Identity
Menopause
Mental health
- University Student Counselling and Wellbeing service
- Beating Bipolar
- Bipolar UK
- Centre for Clinical Interventions
- Every Mind Matters (NHS)
- Heads Together
- Mental Health
- Mental Health Matters
- Mind
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Rethink
- Sane
- Student Minds
- Time to Change
- Together
- Young Minds
TED Talks
Nuerodiversity
Physical and sexual health
Relationships
Resources for international students
- LUU International Hub
- LUU culture clubs and societies
- Six support agencies that help international students (UCAS)
- UK Council for International Student Affairs
Culture shock
- Facing culture shock (UKCISA)
- The W adaptation curve – a predictable pattern of stages experienced during culture shock (YouTube)
- Studying abroad: culture shock (YouTube)
Mental health information translations
- 5 Ways to Wellbeing (available in Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Somalian and Tetum)
- Health Information Translations (available in Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese)
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Transcultural Mental Health Centre
Mindfulness audio resources (available in English, Arabic and Bengali)
Resources for postgraduate researchers
Imposter syndrome
- Coping with imposter syndrome in academia and research
- Imposter Syndrome (Imperial College London)
- PGR Experience: Battling Imposter Syndrome
Perfectionism
- Are you a perfectionist? (University of Glasgow)
- Perfectionism (Centre for Clinical Interventions)
- The dangerous downsides of perfectionism (BBC)
Procrastination
TED Talks
- Inside the mind of a master procrastinator
- The power of believing that you can improve
- What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it?
Wellbeing and mental health
- ADAPT to Thrive
- The Growth Mindset
- 15 Ways to Build a Growth Mindset
- PGR Catalyst Project
- PhD Life
- Protecting your Mental Health
- The Thesis Whisperer
- The Wellbeing Thesis
- Wellbeing When Writing (University of Westminster)
- How to balance your PhD and your social life
- Work and PhD: Finding the balance
Trauma
Wellbeing
- 40 tips for Uni students to optimise their sleep
- Five steps to mental wellbeing (NHS)
- Five ways to wellbeing (Mind)
- Food and mood (Mind)
- Food and Mood (British Dietetics Association)
- How to cope with sleep problems (Mind)
- How to look after your mental health using exercise
- Keeping active
- National Sleep Foundation
- Sleep (Centre for Clinical Interventions)
- Sleep and tiredness (NHS)
- Sleeping Resources
- The Sleep Council
- Sleep Hygiene
TED Talks
- How much sleep do you really need?
- How sleep affects your emotions
- Six tips for better sleep
- Sleep is your superpower
YouTube
Podcasts
Apps
- Align
- Headspace
- Movement for Modern Life
- My Possible Self
- Sleepio