If you want to access support over the phone, you can call:

• Citizens Advice Helpline - 0800 144 8848
• The Mix, free information and support for under 25s in the UK - 0808 808 4994 
• Samaritans, 24/7 service - 116 123
• The Men's Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors - 0808 801 0327
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline - 0808 2000 247
• National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline - 0800 999 5428

Home Start works with families in the local community. They support families with young children through their challenging times.

Home Page - Home-Start Wellingborough & District (homestartwellingborough.org.uk)

Mental Health

Support for mental health in adults who live in the Wellingborough area, providing a safe, confidential and non-judgemental environment in which individuals can discuss any aspect of their life in the knowledge that they have been heard and understood.

Crisis cafés are open at 14 Havelock Street, Wellingborough, on Fridays 4-9pm and Saturdays 12-8pm. These have professional mental health workers, and they aim to support individuals to reduce any immediate crisis and have a safety plan.

Contact number: 01933 223591

Mind in Wellingborough | NorthamptonshireMind

For local support and services call 0800 448 0828 - Lines available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Mental Health Number | NHFT

Why talking is important....

One in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Talking about mental health reduces stigma, helping to create supportive communities where we can talk openly about mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it.  That's why opening up the conservation about mental health problems is so important - by talking about it, we can support ourselves and others.

However you do it, have a conversation about mental health. #timetotalk

Mental Health and Wellbeing

We all need good mental health and wellbeing – it's essential to live happy and healthy lives. Get expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental wellbeing and make them part of your daily routine.

Every Mind Matters - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems or if you are supporting someone with mental health issues.

Home - Mind

Information on the links between money and mental health, how to support your child's wellbeing and look after yourself in the cost-of-living crisis, and where to find practical and financial support for your family.

Money, the cost-of-living crisis and mental health | YoungMinds

The Hub of Hope is the UK's leading mental health support database, with thousands of local, regional and national support groups and services listed.

Mental Health Support Network provided by Chasing the Stigma | Hub of hope

The Stay Alive app is a suicide prevention resource for the UK, packed full of useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis.

StayAlive - Essential suicide prevention for everyday life

Start with simple breathing

Make time for deep breathing as often as you remember. Breathing deeply has so many benefits -we take in more oxygen which travels around the bloodstream and nourishes our vital organs, including the brain; it settles the nervous system, engaging our parasympathetic nervous system that allows us to rest and digest, enabling us to be less emotionally reactive. Make time to breathe! See where it takes you...

Build up your support network

We all need at least one person in our lives who looks out for us and is emotionally supportive. This support team can be made up of loved ones, your community centre, other parents, a sports club, colleagues, your cat even! They don't all have to be good listeners but they do need to be kind and caring towards you. Your brother might be good at DIY in your flat, someone else might be good at organising social events or baking cakes. How is your support network looking? What small step could you take to improve this? E.g. Saying hello to people with a smile. You are probably in someone else's support network. What qualities and traits do you offer? E.g. a listening ear, bad jokes...

Incorporate exercise or movement into your daily routine.

We can't all get to the gym three evenings a week. Great if you can and even better if you play a team sport. But any small movement is helpful to our health and wellbeing. Get off the bus one stop early, walk a dog! (walking is more fun with a dog!) or simply dance around the room to a song you like.

Practise gratitude and patience.

Research has demonstrated that people who are grateful and patient are more likely to be happy and positive. Luckily these are qualities that we can develop with practice. Regular deep breathing or mindful meditation will help the nervous system calm down and you will become less reactive to emotional stimuli. Practicing gratitude will remind us to focus on the many positives we have rather than dwelling on the negative. Exercise: Every day write 3 things that you are grateful for. On bad days you may really struggle with this but it is even more important then. You might just be grateful to see the sky.

Get outside

Even spending a few minutes in nature can work wonders for our mood. Sometimes it’s great to leave your headphones at home and engage all your senses, take in your surroundings and notice what’s going on in the natural world. If you have a garden, spend some time pottering, weeding, or thinking about what you might like to plant or grow next. Sometimes just watching the birds or bees come and go can help us feel more relaxed. Being present is something you can do anywhere, at any time, and it’s free!

 Sleep well

We all struggle to function if we haven't had a good night's sleep. Most of us will need about 8 hrs a night but this does vary from person to person. Stress can negatively affect our ability to fall asleep as our minds are busy with thoughts going round and round. Worry can take over in the dark hours too where we might stress about things that are not a concern once day breaks. When we are tired in the morning, we are more irritable and likely to make bad food choices to give us a spurt of energy. The occasional bad night is normal and for most people this is short-lived. Evening exercise or relaxation exercises can improve sleep in those circumstances, as can having a bedtime routine. Keep your bedroom just for sleep if you can, and leave your devices and screens at the door.

Try a new hobby or pursue a creative interest.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to try writing poetry? Or maybe you enjoy singing in the shower but have never thought of taking it further? Dabbling in new things mixes up the routine as well as making us feel good. And we know that being creative has lasting positive effects on our mental health and wellbeing. So have a go at something different, and don’t worry if you don’t stick to it. You never know, you might discover a talent you never knew you had…

Pick up a book

This may be one of the oldest tricks in the book (excuse the pun) but reading helps us escape and switch off from our busy lives. Unlike our phones which are full of an overwhelming amount of information, books allow us to focus our minds on one thing, whether that be a story about an unlikely romance, a gripping  true crime novel or a non-fiction book that teaches us about the amazing world we live in.

Be kind

Above all else be kind to yourself and others. You never know what someone else is going through, so give them and yourself the benefit of the doubt. We are all struggling to be happy, safe and healthy and life is not always easy.

We all experience stress to some degree. Some stress can be good, it can push us to work hard. But too much stress can make us feel overwhelmed, and prolonged stress can eventually lead to problems.

The stress bucket is a way to visualise this. Above the bucket are clouds - the things that cause you stress. These rain into the bucket and gradually fill it up. You release the stress by doing things you enjoy or that help you to stress less.

Complete your own stress bucket below. Identify the things that causes you stress (the clouds) and the things you do to manage them (your taps).

Also consider:

• What size and shape is your stress bucket?
• How full is it?
• What are the signs that your bucket is getting too full?
• Are all of your taps working?
• Do you turn to unhealthy ways to release the stress and what does this look like?

Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. They support children and young people up to the age of 25. They provide confidential support, information and guidance to individuals and families throughout the UK. 

Child Bereavement UK Helpline | 0800 02 888 40

Find out what support is available to help with the cost of living and find out how to save money with energy saving tips from the gov.uk website.

Energy saving tips to save money - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

National Debtline is a registered charity providing free, impartial, expert debt advice to more than 100,000 people each year. They have been helping people manage their debts for over 30 years.

Debt advice | Free debt advice | National Debtline | National Debtline

StepChange is the UK's leading debt charity and has helped millions of people deal with their debt problems for free. You can get confidential advice online or over the phone.

StepChange Debt Charity. Free Expert Debt Help & Advice

Bright Sky is a free to download, confidential mobile app providing support and information for anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know.

Bright Sky: You are not alone: practical support and information on how to respond to domestic abuse. (bright-sky.org)

Women's Aid is a national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. You can contact them for free and in confidence 24 hours a day, send them a message or chat live.

Home - Women's Aid (womensaid.org.uk)

If you want to access support over the phone, you can call:

• The National Domestic Abuse Helpline - 0808 2000 247 Homepage - National Domestic Abuse Helpline (nationaldahelpline.org.uk)
• The Men's Advice Line -0808 8010327 Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men | Men's Advice Line UK (mensadviceline.org.uk)
• National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline - 0800 999 5428

 

Being a single parent can bring many rewards, and also new challenges. Whether you’ve just become single, or are about to be, or have been for ages, it’s good to inform yourself so that you can make the best decisions for your family.

Gingerbread is a charity that offers advice, support and information about some of the most common topics single parents ask about. You can either call the helpline or webchat.

https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/