Step 1: NOTICE the Signs
When you know what to look out for, it's easier to offer support or ask for help.
Notice The Signs When to Get Help
We All Have Mental Health
Part of the human experience is being able to feel a wide range of emotions. From happiness to sadness, ups and downs are part of life for everyone. While finding a balance in our mental health is important for our overall wellness, it takes time and practice. Taking time to learn about mental health can help make the hard times easier for ourselves and for those we care about.
Notice. Care. Help. is an important step-by-step process for checking in with yourself and friends and talking about mental health together.
Noticing Changes Means It's Time to Check-In:
It is completely normal for mental health to change in life, and even day to day. Even with the ups and downs, you may notice a range where you feel most like yourself. Knowing what feels like your baseline can help you decide when you might need more support.
When you notice changes, it's always a good idea to check in with yourself or a friend.
Learn More About Emotional Wellbeing & Signs of Struggle:
Signs of Mental & Emotional Wellbeing:
Remember everyone has their own baseline so positive mental health looks different for everyone.
- interest in hobbies, friends, and activities
- care in personal hygiene and wellness
- feeling hopeful about the future
- feeling excited or looking forward to things
- desire to learn, grow, or try new things
- setting short-term or long-term goals
- experiencing normal waves of emotions consistent with events occurring in life (it's okay to be sad sometimes!)
If you notice changes in someone's typical behavior, checking-in with the Care step is a good idea.
Signs That Someone Might Need Support:
Each of us have our own signs of struggling. In some cases, you may not notice any signs. Whether it's you or someone else, it's always good to know what to look out for. Here are common difficulties or changes to look for:
- mood, behavior, energy, or social engagement
- difficulties/distress with productivity or performance
- frequent absences or tardiness
- feeling unmotivated, disinterested, or numb
- difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or coping with stress
- fatigue, headaches, or unexplained aches and pains
- increased, new, or prolonged substance use
- changes in appearance, weight, or personal hygiene
- talking about or feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, or disconnected
- talking about or feeling hopeless, worthless, or pessimistic about the future
- experiencing or expressing suicidal thoughts or self-harm behaviors
Whether it's just a bad day or an ongoing struggle, noticing is an important step in getting and offering support.
When to Get Professional Help:
Friends, family, colleagues, and loved ones may be the first people to notice signs of struggle. While this site is meant to help you support the people you care about, there are times that encouraging someone to seek professional help is the best thing that you can do. If you're not sure if professional help is needed, consider:
- Difficulty: Is the way you're feeling interfering with your daily life?
- Distress: Is how you're feeing causing you extra stress?
- Duration: Are the difficulties you're experiencing sudden, uncharacteristic, or not getting better?
Learn More About Professional Help
Keep in mind...
Sometimes signs are not visible or don't make sense until later. It’s never your fault for not recognizing something in someone else or yourself. If you’re ever in doubt, questioning, or have a gut feeling that someone’s struggling, take the next steps:
Step 2: CARE
The CARE step will walk you through the process of offering support and asking for help.
Step 3: HELP
The HELP step will outline tools, resources, and supports available to those who are struggling.
Tools to Help You Notice
Life moves quickly and it can be challenging to slow down enough to notice changes in emotional and mental health. Finding quick, easy ways to track how you are feeling makes noticing changes or patterns easier.
Phone Apps
There are many phone apps that help to track daily mental health and mood. Here are a couple recommendations:
How We Feel
A free app made to track your emotions, spot patterns in your moods, and learn new ways to cope in the moment
With over 260k free guided meditations, this app focuses on improving areas like sleep, mental health, productivity, and stress.
Journaling
Journaling has been shown to improve mental health, enhance memory, and improve stress. On top of that, journaling can be a great way to track your mood!
Emoji Calendar
Track your moods easily with you phone calendar!
Just enter a new event, select an emoji to represent your feelings, and continue the process each day. This will help you notice any patterns in your mood, if you have been struggling for a while, or where you need some balance or support.