World Mental Health Day 2025: How to protect your mental health

To mark World Mental Health Day, we explore the things that you can do to look after your mental health in the face of various crises around the world.

It’s World Mental Health Day, an annual global event that aims to raise mental health awareness – so what better time to think about how you’re feeling. This year, the World Federation for Mental Health has outlined the theme of “access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies” – so how are current global crises affecting you?

For those facing or fleeing conflict, natural disasters or public health emergencies, mental health can be an urgent matter requiring immediate professional support. If you’re not directly affected by these events, you may feel compelled to stay up-to-date with what’s happening around the world, but it’s important to consider how you absorb and deal with this information in order to safeguard your mental health.

Feeling overwhelmed?

A desire to stay informed may lead to constant exposure to news stories all day and in every setting, making it tricky to manage how much information we take in. It can feel like the world is constantly in crisis, with bad news wherever we turn – and this can be overwhelming.

Feeling overwhelmed can lead to a number of physical, mental and emotional responses – and over time, these can impact your health.

• Physical impacts: aches and pains, tiredness, digestive issues, disrupted sleep, nail biting
• Mental impacts: difficulty concentrating, trouble making decisions, low motivation, problem with memory, worrying non-stop
• Emotional impacts: feeling irritable, angry, sad, numb, despair, or simply feeling stuck

Set boundaries

Think about how much news and information about global events is healthy for you as an individual. Set yourself a limit in terms of time or frequency and try to stick to it. Remind yourself that it’s okay to take a break from the news and, if it’s helpful, turn off news notifications and unfollow or limit access to social media accounts that make you feel anxious. We know that using devices such as phones and tablets at night can disrupt sleep, so avoid reading or scrolling before bed.

Be present

If you are feeling overwhelmed, engage in activities that bring your focus to the present moment. You could try mindfulness exercises, talk a walk, or do something creative – whatever works to bring you back into the here and now. Having phone-free times (e.g. meal times) and places (e.g. your bedroom) can also help you to stay present and manage your exposure to a constant flow of news.

Focus on what you can do

There are lots of big, scary things going on in the world, and it’s easy to feel helpless in the face of these global crises. You can combat this by thinking carefully about what you can do. You can volunteer your time and energy to support charities, community organisations and initiatives that matter to you. You can also sign petitions and write to your MP about specific issues.

Rest

Being constantly connected to global events can lead to you feeling unable to rest, and rest is essential to our mental health and wellbeing. Taking time to care for yourself doesn’t mean that you don’t care about others. Fill your own cup with creative and calming activities that bring you peace, whether it’s reading a book or chilling on the sofa with friends. 

Connect with others

Connecting with others is a great way to battle feelings of overwhelm, so plan some quality time with friends and family and make time to talk to them about any feelings of worry or anxiety. It can be tricky to begin a conversation about mental health, but you can start by saying “I’ve been feeling stressed/worried/anxious and I just need someone to talk to.”

Ask for help 

If you’re struggling with feelings of overwhelm, anxiety or notice that your mental health is suffering for any reason, ask for help. You may have family or friends you can talk to, but there are also plenty of external avenues for support.

Organisations such as Young Minds, Mind, The Mix, Childline, Saneline and Samaritans are also a good place to start if you’re looking for help. We also have a detailed and informative blog on 10 ways to look after your mental health: Our top tips for mental wellbeing.

If you’re a Capital City College (CCC) student and you’re concerned about your mental health, get in touch with the Support and Wellbeing team, who are there to support students with advice and information. 

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