Headspace: Mental Health Literacy Project

The Mental Health Literacy Project developed by Headspace Taringa, includes 6 short videos about depression, anxiety, stress, support seeking, bullying / cyber-bullying and how to help a friend. Over the coming days we will be releasing the videos below, with the first one released to coincide with Uni Mental Health Day.

Depression and feeling depressed is more than just sadness; it’s a combination of how we think, feel and behave. Different people will experience depression in different ways. It’s good to deal with depression early before it starts having a bigger impact on your life.

The word ‘depression’ is often used when people are talking about moments when they’re feeling sad or down. It’s normal to feel down from time to time. Many people feel sad after they have gone through stressful or difficult times. This could be a relationship break-up, trouble with friends or family, changing schools or exam times.

Lots of people go through this. There’s no simple answer for why depression happens. For some people, it can be a mix of events or issues that end up affecting how they feel, think and act. But sometimes there’s no clear reason and that’s OK, too.

This video aims to educate young people on depression, its signs and symptoms, impacts, coping strategies and support seeking options.

Anxiety is more than feeling stressed or worried. It can be tough to cope, but with the right support, things can get better. Anxiety is something that we all experience from time to time. The experience of anxiety is our body’s way of preparing us to manage those difficult situations.

Sometimes anxiety can help us perform better by helping us feel alert and motivated. Anxiety can come and go – but for some people, it can stick around for a long time and end up having a big impact on their daily life. When this happens, it might be time to do something about it.

This video aims at educating young people on anxiety, its signs and symptoms, impacts to wellbeing, helpful coping strategies and support seeking options.

Sometimes life is just plain stressful. Maybe you’re on a tight deadline at work or you or someone in your family is having health problems — or maybe both are happening at the same time and it feels like you’re juggling 100 things at once.

No matter the circumstances, you’re likely wondering how to relieve stress so you can lead a more peaceful and healthy life. While it’s not always possible to control everything that is happening to us or around us, it is possible to change the way we relate to those things that are happening.

Softening the way we perceive stress and relating to it in a more accepting way is the first trick for how to deal with stressful feelings.

This video aims to educate young people on the impacts of stress, how to manage stress and how to measure when stress becomes unhealthy.

When things get tough, it can help to access the right support and talk to someone who understands what young people go through.

If you’re a young person aged between 12-25 years, headspace provides a range of services to improve your health and wellbeing. Our services cover four core areas: mental health and wellbeing, physical and sexual health, work and study support, and alcohol and other drug services.

Almost a quarter of young people aged 14 to 25 reported being bullied in the previous 12 months.

Bullying is not OK and is not simply a 'normal part of growing up' and help is always available to make things better.

This video aims to educate young people on bullying and cyberbullying, its impacts, coping strategies and other important information.

When you know a friend is going through a tough time, it can be hard to know what to do or say. When you see a friend having a tough time, it’s a good idea to reach out and offer support.

You might have noticed they don’t seem like themselves, or they’re not acting the way they normally do. Finding the words to start a conversation isn’t easy, especially when you don’t know what kind of help you can offer. It can make a big difference to someone experiencing difficulties.

It can be as simple as checking in, letting them know that you care and that you’re there to help them. Let your friend know what changes you’ve noticed that you’re worried about and that you’d like to help.

Even if they don’t open up much at first, simply showing you have their back can give your friend strength and hope. This also tells them that you’re someone they can talk to if they do decide to open up later on.

This video aims to educate young people on how to help a friend going through a tough time, the do's and dont's, the signs, and when to seek additional support.