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Whatever you need to know about coping with stress, anxiety or depression, or life’s normal emotional ups and downs, NHS Moodzone provides help. Moodzone offers practical advice, interactive tools, videos and audio to help you feel better.

This calming Moodzone breathing exercise for stress, anxiety and panic takes just a few minutes and can be done anywhere.

If you're stressed, the first step is to identify the cause. Cary Cooper, Professor of organisational psychology and health at Manchester Business School and author of books on stress, says "there's always a solution to a problem". "Not taking control of the situation and doing nothing will only make your problems worse."

Professor Cooper explains his top ten stress busters, which are to:

  1. Be active
  2. Take control
  3. Connect with people
  4. Have some ‘me time’
  5. Challenge yourself
  6. Avoid unhealthy habits
  7. Help other people
  8. Work smarter, not harder
  9. Try to be positive
  10. Accept the things you can’t change.

There are local services for young people, parents and siblings, including:

HappyMaps This service offers reliable and up-to-date resources on emotional health for children. If you are worried about your child's behaviour or mental health, wondering whether to go to your GP, are waiting for specialist services, or perhaps you've been told the problem isn't quite serious enough to be referred, try HappyMaps. This signposts to books, websites, counselling services and parents groups offering help and support for you and your child, teenager or young adult.

Disclaimer: If you are worried about specific health issues, please seek professional medical advice.