A girl walking in the park with her hands on her head

But, I don’t have depression …

If you have thoughts and you have feelings, you have mental health that needs looking after!  

Feelings can be overwhelming and confusing at times. When we feel extreme sadness, anxiety or anger it can often feel like there is something 'wrong'. You may think you are depressed or have an anxiety disorder, which might be right, but often these are emotions that we all feel some of the time - and that’s ok.  

Sometimes when we hear the words 'mental health' it might feel like something we can’t relate to. Maybe you don’t feel you are 'sad enough' to be depressed or 'worried enough' to have anxiety, but it is important to know how you can manage these emotions before they develop and get worse. 

You might be so afraid or unsure of where or how to get support and advice when the feelings start that you put it off, and then it might become unmanageable. 

But I don't have depression - illustration

It doesn’t need to be this way 

Looking after your mental health is something we all need to do, and something we all need to do all the time. There is no point putting your hard hat on after something falls on you, we must use protective gear before we need it.  

Maybe that help looks like learning about why you might get anxious, so that you can understand the feelings and sensations better. It might mean increasing the skills you have to manage difficult situations - so that you deal with feelings when they arrive rather than wishing them away as they get worse. 

We probably all know someone who’s been physically unwell or injured. While they were unwell we would say they were sick, but this doesn’t mean that after treatment and medicine they are unhealthy or unwell forever; this is also true for your mental health. 

You might experience situations that affect your mental health for a period of time, this is absolutely ok and ‘normal’. 

Finding help 

Taking the first step is hard, but please do! Find help so you can equip yourself with your hard hat before things fall around you. 

We often hear from young people that they wish they had got help sooner!  

Remember: if you have a brain, with thoughts and feelings then you have mental health like the rest of us! 

We all have it within us to thrive even though life can be tough. Having good mental health simply means managing life’s challenges and coping with normal everyday stressors; it does not mean that these things won’t make you feel sad or worried, it’s about having ways to manage and cope with them, so they don’t take over. 

 Morgan, Fife – Mental health and wellbeing service 

support • coping • talking