Check out the book shelves. Click on the area you need help with, sit down with a hot drink and read at your leisure.

Anger, Anxiety, Abuse, Bereavement, Depression, Eating Disorders, Health Anxiety, Obsessions, Panic, Postnatal Depression, Self Harm, Sleep Problems, Social Anxiety etc...

Scientific evidence points to five steps that we can take to improve our mental wellbeing. If you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from your life. Remember, no-one can give wellbeing to you. It's you who has to take action.

This World Health Organisation video explains depression. The most important thing is to recognise it and seek help - It is treatable. Call us.

Answer the 5 questions in this interactive quiz to get top tips for your wellbeing. Plus browse the Anxiety, Stress, Depression and Sleep sections.

Have a friendly expert in your pocket work with you to improve your mood! 

Just as we eat well and stay fit to keep our body healthy, mindfulness meditation is about mental health and looking after the mind. As little as 5 minutes a day can boost your mood, help you relax and lower your blood pressure. Developed by the Australian Cricket Team.

For bedtime relaxation try Calm’s sleep stories - soothing voices and sounds of nature can help prevent the mind wandering when trying to sleep. 

Free to download with a limited number of free stories and free meditations to try.

Sponsored by Esther Ranzen. A free, confidential helpline providing information, friendship and advice to older people, open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Phone 0800 4 70 80 90

This excellent local charity "Step One" provides free courses and activities to help manage anxiety, low self esteem, lack of confidence, self harm, anger and promoting good sleep. Click here for groups & courses from September 2019 until March 2020 and watch interviews with some volunteers and participants. To access help, phone 01803 321248 or come to see us at our "pop up cafe" every Tuesday between 1pm-3pm at St. Pauls Church, Torbay Road, Paignton, TQ3 2DH. Our main offices are are based at Room 1:22 at Innovation Centre, Lymington Road, Torquay. 

This Letter of Hope is written by a group of people who have been through very dark and desolate times and is intended to support those who may be thinking about taking their own lives. Hold on. Includes help on the phone or online. 

For support in a crisis, text "shout" to 85258 (Shout is a 24/7 crisis text service) or phone the Samaritans for free on 116 123, or contact Torbay "Moorings" on 07483 991 848 (6pm-midnight) or email devontorquay.mhm@nhs.net (see link below for more details). Additionally you can call the local mental health team ("Access and First Response") on 0300 555 5000

Are you in a crisis, or heading that way? Drop in to see us, no GP referral needed. For those 16 or over. 6pm-midnight every day. Croft Hall Medical Practice, 19 Croft Rd, Torquay. 

You can come just for a cup of tea and a chat, or you can access one-to-one emotional support from trained mental health professionals. We also offer help in creating staying well and crisis plans, and support visitors to access other services and organisations that may be useful to them. Plus access to 24 hour telephone support and a web-chat service. Contact us on 07483 991 848 or email devontorquay.mhm@nhs.net

Things can get tough, but we can help you get your life back. Being silent isn’t being strong. Click here for a video of you we are

If you are down or have hit a wall for any reason, call our helpline between 5pm & midnight, 365 days a year - 0800 58 58 58. Free, anonymous, confidential. Or use the Webchat.

Calm Harm provides tasks that help you resist or manage the urge to self-harm. Please note that the app is an aid in treatment but does not replace it. It's desigend for teenagers but can be tried by any age group.

Need someone to talk to? Feeling isolated, distressed or upset? Give us a ring on 0300 330 5464 (8pm-11pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday)

We help young people, aged 8-18 years that might be feeling unhappy, worried, scared, or not be feeling good about themselves. We listen carefully, and help people to think or do things differently. Contact us on 01803 200100 or drop in to see us between 3-4.30pm every Tuesday at The Beehive at Paignton Enterprise Centre, Bishops Place, Paington. Check out our website to find out more. 

Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people. Counselling, forums, stuff to read. 

The voice for young people's mental health and wellbeing. The UK's leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. 

Worried about your child's behaviour or mental health and not sure what's normal? HappyMaps is mainly for parents but there is lots of useful stuff for young people too, for all ages from babies to young adults.

PANDAS Foundation gives support to people coping with mental illnesses during and after pregnancy (including Postnatal Depression) as well as their families, friends and carers. Call on 0808 1961776 (9am-8pm, 7 days a week)

Different distractions will work for different people at different times. These techniques come from people's personal experiences and research.
Helplines open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 7-9.30pm. Phone 0808 800 8088, Text 07537 432444 or Webchat

This resource explains borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family..

“I don’t necessarily tell people I have BPD because I don’t like labelling myself, I just say I have depression and anxiety because it’s easier. But I know I have BPD. I feel things so intensely sometimes it means I lose control of all my senses. It’s one of the worst feelings, but I have learnt how to cope with it.”

Dr Kate Lovett shares advice to help you alleviate the thoughts and feelings associated with anxiety and worry.

Dr Chris Williams explains how you can take control of anxiety. This podcast is one of an eight-part series for Moodzone.

Is there a connection between feeling fine and the foods we have eaten? Do some foods make us feel grumpy? Is it possible to plan a diet for good mood?

Good nutrition is important for our mental and physical health. This food fact sheet will look at how following a healthy diet can protect your mental health.

This information package is designed to provide you with some information about distress intolerance and suggested strategies for managing distressing or uncomfortable feelings more effectively. It is organised into modules that are designed to be worked through in sequence.

A drop in community support centre located in the heart of Paignton, Devon - at 56 Palace Avenue, TQ3 2QP (behind the theatre). 

Many services including free, confidential, professional counselling services, befriending service, mental health support, emotional support groups, form filling, benefits, housing and nutrition support, cafe, crisis support (including provision of emergency food or clothing packages), support for those experiencing homelessness (in the form of shower facilities and access to laundry facilities) and alternative therapies, currently including reflexology

Phone us on 01803 550720 or 07884 098327 or click here for a leaflet

The word depressed is a common everyday word. People might say "I'm depressed" when in fact they mean "I'm fed up because I've had a row, or failed an exam, or lost my job", etc. These ups and downs of life are common and normal. Most people recover quite quickly. With true depression, you have a low mood and other symptoms each day for at least two weeks. Symptoms can also become severe enough to interfere with normal day-to-day activities.

Whatever you need to know about coping with stress, anxiety or depression, or generally improving your emotional wellbeing, we are here to help. We offer practical, useful information, interactive tools and videos of people's stories to support you. Phone us on 01803 696600 or book online by clicking here     (formerly the Depression & Anxiety Service)

The Chimp Paradox is an incredibly powerful mind management model that can help you become a happy, confident, healthier and more successful person. Used by Liverpool FC and the Sky Cycling Team. Struggle to read books? Get the Audiobook to listen to!

Reading Well Books on Prescription helps you to understand and manage your health and wellbeing using self-help reading. The scheme is endorsed by health professionals and supported by public libraries including Paignton library.

Reading Well Mood-boosting Books is a national promotion of uplifting titles, including novels, poetry and non-fiction. The books are all recommended by readers and reading groups.

Endeavour House is a community hub in Torre, Torquay owned and managed by Shekinah. We host a range of different activities and groups run by local partner agencies and community groups to benefit the residents of Torbay and the local area. Some of the groups and activities at Endeavour House include Unleashed Theatre Company, Jatis, Eddystone Trust, Triumph Over Phobia, Make Amends Restorative Justice project and training/employment programmes run by Shekinah, Probation and Torbay Council. Phone 01803 203895

Professor Cary Cooper provides some techniques for managing stress, such as exercising and using relaxation techniques, and explains who you can talk to if you're feeling under pressure

Muscular relaxation exercises and deep breathing are two common techniques to help people to relax and combat symptoms of anxiety. They may also help to ease symptoms of depression.

Courses to help you manage your anxiety, loss of confidence, irritability, low self-esteem or self harming behaviour. Some in Paignton, some further away. Click here for a list of local/Devon courses. In particular the POWER Course (PrOmoting Wellbeing and Emotional Regulation)

Offers anger management training, and hosts groups such as Cool Torbay Peer Support and the young adult carers. There is a charge for our training but we sometimes reduce this if you are on a low income.

Steps to tackle your anger. We are the only UK centre of expertise for all aspects of anger and conflict management. We offer support, programmes and training for the general public, children and teenagers

Additionally MIND in Plymouth run a 12 week anger management course for only £15. Phone 01752 512280 to find out more

Anxiety is the main symptom of several conditions, including panic disorder, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder (social phobia).  People with generalised anxiety feel anxious most days and often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed. It can cause both psychological and physical symptoms. These vary from person to person, but can include feeling restless or worried and having trouble concentrating or sleeping.

We are the leading national charity for bereaved people in  the UK. We offer support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies. Cruse offers face-to-face, telephone, email and website support. Our services are provided by trained volunteers and are confidential and free. Phone us on 0300 3305466 or email devon@cruse.org.uk

The accessible and straightforward books in the Overcoming Series treat disorders by changing unhelpful patterns of behavior and thought. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is internationally favored as a practical means of overcoming longstanding and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical.

Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness is a self-help manual for this common problem, which explains why it happens and sets out practical methods of resolving it. 

Many of us have a tendency to worry unnecessarily about our health. Using a step-by-step approach, this book explains how the problem develops, how to recognize what feeds it and how to develop effective methods of dealing with it.

This is a self-help manual for those who find that they are spoiling the lives of both themselves and those around them with their almost constant irritability and flashes of bad temper. It speaks to those who often find themselves saying and doing things they later regret.

This fully revised third edition has been extensively updated and rewritten to reflect over ten years of new research on understanding and treating depression, particularly the importance of developing compassionate ways of thinking, behaving and feeling.

Simple, concise, step by step directions for lots of different relaxation techniques

An acute stress reaction occurs when symptoms, including anxiety, develop quickly as a reaction to exceptionally stressful events. Symptoms often go quickly, and you may not need any treatment. Sometimes other treatments, such as talking therapies, may be helpful.

Sign up for your free self-care starter kit. We raise awareness, provide tools and knowledge to help proactive recovery and challenge the stigma that prevents people reaching out for help. We’ll help you understand depression and what it means for you. We’ll support you, listen to you and introduce you to people who’ve been where you are. We’ll help you break down barriers and broach the subject with those closest to you. 

This website provides CBT self help and therapy resources, including worksheets and information sheets and self help mp3s. It's not a pretty website but do click on the boxes as you may well find this helps you to move forward.

An online CBT cognitive behavioural therapy service, helping people help themselves.

Learn cognitive behaviour therapy skills for preventing and coping with depression. There is a small fee. 

Depression Alliance bring people together to end the loneliness and isolation of depression.