The Lowdown

Let's start with thinking of health as a state of wellness. We can think of wellness as choices, ways of being and activities that provide balance in our lives that improves our whole self; mind, body and wairua. As we evolve and grow and as our environment changes, our state of wellness may require adjustments. It's helpful to think of a state of wellness as flexible to what WE need WHEN we need. This gives us room to explore and try new practices, connecting with different support and resources.

Everyone has mental health. Mental health is a part of your hauora, it’s the wellness of your mind, your thoughts and how you feel. On any given day, the state of your mental health can be really good, okay, a bit up and down, feeling a bit low or really struggling, and it can change quickly and massively based on all the things that happen in life, both big and little. It’s often complicated because everyone’s experience of it is personal and unique.

Our hauora is not individual. It’s a weaving together of our whānau, our whakapapa, our connection to the world around us and our beliefs. This helps us form an identity that connects us to our past, grounds us in our present and lifts us up to the opportunities our future holds.

It means that we’re a part of something bigger than ourselves, and within this we can find people who care and support, stories that uplift us and help us to feel connected and heard, and a sense of belonging and acceptance of who we are.

Your mental health is closely linked to how you think and feel about yourself and others, how you create and manage relationships and friendships and the ways that you’re able to cope with the ups and downs of emotions that you face in your everyday life.

If you’re feeling good, you might say your mental health is all good right now. If you’re feeling down, anxious or confused, you could say your mental health is struggling or just a bit shitty at the moment.

Sometimes your mental health can be impacted by things that you can’t control. These can include sickness, injuries or other impacts to your physical health, systemic inequalities, the way other people act or treat you, hormones or other chemical changes inside your body, and even the time of year, temperature and weather.

Your mental health doesn’t always stay the same.

There are many factors that impact our mental health and shift the balance between feeling good and feeling down or having a hard time as you move through different stages of your life. These challenges may come and go over time, they may be short or might last for many years. Everyone’s experience is unique and different from everybody else and can be heavily impacted by things like your culture, your family and your identity. You might be able to bounce back from a tough experience while someone else may feel weighed down by it for a long time and both of these responses are normal.

The one thing you always need to remember that you’re never alone in what you’re facing. People care about you and want you to be ok, and they may have a better understanding of how you’re feeling than you realise.

Positive mental health is often connected to having a sense of purpose, knowing who we are, being able to do the things that matter to us and feeling connected to others. This is linked to resilience, which is having positive ways to deal with your feelings, recover from things that impact you and enjoy life even when things are hard.

It’s important to know, though, that having positive mental health overall doesn’t mean you’re excluded from experiencing mental distress.

A great resource to assist with this is the 'Five Ways of Wellbeing' from the Mental Health Foundation 

If you’re thinking about harming yourself or are having suicidal thoughts, 

to talk to someone who cares and can support you.

You may hear the words ‘mental health’ being thrown around a lot in conversations, in the news or on social media. The thing is, you might not know what that means exactly. No worries, we’re here to help.

Mental health is a critical part of your overall wellbeing , but what does that actually mean? Get informed about mental health with The Lowdown Aotearoa. 

Understanding Mental Health | The Lowdown Aotearoa

What is Mental Health?

Non-binary person staring into mirror with the reflection of them made up of multi-coloured jigsaw pieces.

It can be caused by negative messages that we receive either directly or indirectly through prejudices or racism, or it can come from within ourselves when we put ourselves down and tell ourselves hurtful things.

Most of the time those feelings will pass and we’ll carry on with life, but sometimes they can hang around and develop into a more serious problem.

This is something that happens to everyone at times.

There is no single cause for mental health struggles - you could think of them as your mind’s response to having to deal with what happens to us in life and things that have happened to us in the past.

This term might sound intense or worrying to you because of what you’ve seen on Tiktok, TV and social media, but a person who has been diagnosed with mental illness is not broken, crazy or weird.

Mental illness is not forever. There are many kinds of mental illnesses and some only last a short time. Most mental illnesses can be treated and many people who are diagnosed with mental illnesses can live without their condition having much - or any - impact on their lives.

If you’re wondering if you might have a mental illness or just need to talk about how you’re feeling, you might want to have a conversation with someone you trust and ask them to support you in finding a mental health professional. Alternatively, head to 

 to get in touch with someone who can give you advice on what to do next or just listen and offer you support.

What if nobody accepts or understands how I’m feeling?

Sometimes our whānau or friends may not understand mental health. They may make you feel uncomfortable talking about what you’re experiencing, and you might find yourself wanting to keep it to yourself because you don’t think they’ll get it.

Many people don’t feel comfortable talking about people’s feelings at all, even the good ones, and it can be hard to break through that.

If you’re struggling with this, you need to know that what you’re feeling is real and just because they don’t understand or have the right response doesn’t mean that you should stop trying to talk about what’s going on. Look at your support network – who do you have in your life who you can really trust? Identify these people and remember that they’re there for you and want to help.

If you’re unable to connect with your family and friends about what you’re going through, don’t give up. There are people out there who understand and care – you might find support through your school counsellor, maybe through an online community, maybe even a leader in your church or the faith based community you’re a part of, or your doctor may be able to refer you to a mental health professional. If you’re unsure where to start and know you need to speak to someone, check out 

 to speak to a counsellor online or on the phone for free.

There are lots of things we can do to improve, maintain, and support our mental health, help our minds to feel well and help ourselves feel better if we’re experiencing uncomfortable emotions. These things won’t always prevent the hard times, but they can help you get through them. Check out 

We need to make conversations about mental health normal so that we know how to find support when they need it. If uncomfortable feelings affect our thoughts and behaviour in a way that hurts us or others, it’s important that we talk to someone we trust and ask for help.

We all feel a big range of emotions every day. There will be some emotions that feel good and some that we find uncomfortable. These feelings can come from things we have no control over like lockdowns, or whānau pressures.

Life can be tough, but you don't have to face mental health challenges alone. Get support and advice from The Lowdown Aotearoa to help you navigate difficult emotions and experiences. 

Coping with Mental Health Challenges | The Lowdown Aotearoa  

Mental Health Challenges

Struggling with your mental health? Find support, connect and learn on the Lowdown.

#MentalIllness

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