How to Support Mental Health and Well-Being: First Aid and Everyday Strategies
- Meta title (57 characters): Mental Health First Aid: How to Support Someone in Crisis
- Meta description (154 characters): Learn what mental health first aid involves, how to support someone in crisis, and daily self-care strategies that genuinely support well-being.
If you or someone you’re with is in immediate danger or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out now. In the US, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), available 24/7. If you’re outside the US, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line in your country. If there’s immediate danger to life, call emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room.
Mental health deserves the same attention and care as physical health. This guide covers what mental health and well-being actually mean, what “mental health first aid” involves (and what it doesn’t replace), practical steps for supporting someone in crisis, and everyday self-care strategies backed by evidence.
What Is Mental Health and Well-Being?
According to the World Health Organization, mental health refers to a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with life’s stresses, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community. It shapes how we think, feel, and act, and it influences our stress management, decision-making, and relationships.
Well-being is a related but broader concept: a subjective sense of being comfortable, healthy, and satisfied with life, encompassing physical, emotional, and social dimensions. Supporting both generally requires attention across several areas of life, rather than a single fix.
What Is “Mental Health First Aid”?
Mental health first aid refers to the initial support offered to someone who may be experiencing a mental health difficulty or crisis, with the goal of helping them feel safe and supported until they can access appropriate professional help. It’s helpful to know two things about this term: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/
- General supportive skills — listening without judgment, offering reassurance, helping someone connect with professional support — can genuinely be practiced by anyone, with or without formal training.
- “Mental Health First Aid” is also the name of a specific, structured training program (offered in many countries through organizations like the National Council for Mental Wellbeing in the US, or Mental Health First Aid Australia internationally) that teaches a more formal, evidence-based framework, similar in spirit to physical first aid or CPR training. If you want to build real skill and confidence in supporting others, especially in your workplace, school, or community, these certified courses are worth looking into specifically.
Either way, mental health first aid is a bridge to professional care, not a substitute for it.
Four General Steps for Offering Support
1. Assess the situation. Try to understand what’s happening and how the person is feeling. Observe behavior, listen to what they share, and ask clarifying questions gently.
2. Listen without judgment. Create a space where the person feels heard. Resist the urge to immediately give advice or “fix” the problem. Focus on listening and acknowledging their feelings.
3. Reassure and share information. Let the person know they’re not alone, and that support is available. Share information about relevant mental health resources if appropriate.
4. Encourage professional help. Support the person in connecting with a mental health professional, whether that means helping them find one or offering to accompany them to an appointment.
How to Support Someone in a Mental Health Crisis
If someone you know is in crisis, these steps can help:
1. Stay calm and prioritize safety. Your own safety, and the safety of anyone in immediate danger, comes first. If there’s any risk of harm, don’t hesitate to involve emergency services.
2. Listen to understand. As above, listen without judgment and avoid rushing to solve the problem. Let the person express what they’re experiencing.
3. Reassure and inform. Remind them they’re not alone, and that help is available. If you know of specific resources, such as 988 in the US, share them clearly.
4. Help them access professional or emergency support. Depending on the severity, this might mean helping them find a therapist, accompanying them to an appointment, or, for immediate danger, contacting 988, local emergency services, or taking them to an emergency room.
5. Follow up afterward. A crisis moment passing doesn’t mean the underlying difficulty has resolved. Check in regularly, continue encouraging professional support, and don’t forget your own well-being in the process of supporting someone else.
If you’re supporting someone else through a crisis, please also take care of yourself. Supporting someone in distress can be emotionally taxing, and it’s okay to seek your own support from a friend, a therapist, or a support group while helping someone else.
Everyday Self-Care Strategies
Day-to-day habits play a meaningful role in sustaining mental health over time:
Practice mindfulness. Being fully present in the current moment, rather than caught up in worry about the past or future, is associated with reduced stress and improved emotional regulation. This can be as simple as a few minutes of focused breathing or a short guided meditation.
Move your body regularly. Regular physical activity is consistently associated with improved mood and reduced stress. Guidelines commonly suggest aiming for around 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, which can be broken into smaller sessions rather than one long daily block.
Prioritize sleep. Sleep and mental health are closely linked in both directions: poor sleep worsens mood and stress resilience, and mental health difficulties often disrupt sleep. Aiming for roughly 7-9 hours a night is a reasonable general target for most adults.
Eat a balanced diet. While no single food determines mental health, a diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats supports overall physical health, which in turn supports mental well-being.
Stay connected with others. Social connection, spending time with friends and family, joining community groups, or volunteering, is one of the more consistently supported factors in long-term mental well-being research. Isolation, conversely, is a known risk factor for worsening mental health.
Signs Someone May Be Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis
Watch for noticeable changes such as:
- Sudden shifts in behavior, mood, or personality
- Expressions of hopelessness or feeling trapped
- Withdrawing from people or activities they normally enjoy
- Difficulty functioning in daily responsibilities
- Talking about feeling like a burden, or about not wanting to be here
If someone expresses thoughts of suicide or self-harm, take it seriously and don’t leave them alone if you believe they’re in immediate danger. Contact 988 (US) or your local emergency services right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone provide mental health first aid?
General supportive skills, like listening without judgment, can be practiced by anyone. Formal Mental Health First Aid certification, a structured training similar to physical first aid or CPR, is also available to the public and can build more specific skills and confidence.
How can I support someone with an ongoing mental illness, not just in a crisis?
Offering a consistent, nonjudgmental presence, encouraging professional treatment, and educating yourself about their specific condition all help. Avoid trying to diagnose or “fix” them yourself, and respect their autonomy in their own treatment decisions.
What’s the difference between mental health and well-being?
Mental health specifically refers to emotional, psychological, and social functioning. Well-being is a broader concept covering overall life satisfaction and comfort across physical, emotional, and social domains. They’re closely related but not identical.
What can I do for my own mental health day-to-day?
Regular movement, adequate sleep, a balanced diet, mindfulness practice, and maintaining social connections are all well-supported habits. For ongoing or significant difficulties, working with a licensed therapist or counselor provides more personalized, structured support than self-care alone.
The Bottom Line
Mental health deserves consistent attention, not just a response during a crisis. Knowing how to offer basic support, through listening, reassurance, and helping someone connect with professional care, can make a real difference for people around you. At the same time, day-to-day habits like sleep, movement, and connection build the foundation that supports mental health over time. If you or someone you know is struggling, reaching out for professional help is a sign of strength, not failure.
Related reading: Mental Health and Plant Interactions
Sources:
- World Health Organization: Mental Health: Strengthening Our Response
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org
- National Council for Mental Wellbeing: Mental Health First Aid
Note: AI-drafted, edited by our team.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only
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