Health and wellbeing

Whether it’s work or juggling the balance of relationships and childcare, there are many lifestyle factors that contribute to stress that eventually lead to further mental health problems. We’ve got lots of tips and ideas covering the key areas of health and wellbeing to help you manage your mental health and feel your best self.

Artificial Intelligence and mental health

More than one in three UK adults are now turning to AI chatbots for mental health support. While AI tools can offer quick, low-cost access to information, they also come with limitations and potential risk.

On this page, we explain what AI is, explore the potential benefits and dangers of using chatbots for mental health, share findings from our latest research, and outline how to use AI more safely. We also answer common questions about accuracy, diagnosis, crisis support and dedicated mental health AI apps.

AI and mental health

Alcohol and our wellbeing

Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it slows down neural activity. It can interfere with our mood, thoughts and behaviour. There are close links between alcohol and mental health, including the use of alcohol to mask or reduce symptoms of mental-ill health, which can lead to dependency and cause further mental health problems. Understanding our relationship with alcohol can help us to monitor how it effects our mental health.

Alcohol and mental health

Work-life balance

Laura Archer, author of 'Gone For Lunch: 52 things to do in your lunch break'

Did you know that a year’s worth of lunch breaks equates to almost 6 extra weeks of annual leave? This is what Laura discovered when she decided to reclaim her lunch breaks for herself. The results were increased energy, happiness, and greater job satisfaction. Laura will help you identify the signs of “burnout” before they happen, and provide some practical tips for achieving a work/life balance, starting with walking away from your desk!

Exercise

Harry Thomas, No1 Fitness

Harry Thomas has always displayed a passion for fitness, not to mention an entrepreneurial streak. He knows from his own experience and from coaching clients that exercise has a huge impact on mental health. Harry outlines the link between physical and mental wellbeing and offers 5 practical tips for achieving better physical and mental health through regular exercise.

Movement and exercise

Body image

The term ‘body image’ relates to how we think or feel about our bodies. Many of us will experience a negative feeling towards our body at some point in our lives, and these feelings prolonged can cause symptoms of anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Find out more about what exactly the term ‘body image’ means and how you can help yourself to feel more positively about your body.

Body image and mental health

Burnout

Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It can occur when you experience long-term stress in your job, or when you have worked in a physically or emotionally draining role for a long time. Burnout can also be a result of juggling multiple roles in your life, such as childcare, finances and relationships. Burnout can lead to symptoms of anxiety, depression and other mental health problems.

Burnout

Managing Stress

Mental Health UK Team

Stress is a big issue for Britain today. In the UK’s largest ever stress survey, 74% of people said stress has made them feel overwhelmed and unable to cope. But there are lots of little ways you can help manage stress every day. Andy and Dave from Mental Health UK share some of the ways they handle stress at work, and some small changes which can really make all the difference.

Coping with stress

Sleep

Faye, Eve Sleep

Having recently conducted a survey with over 2000 Brits, Eve Sleep discovered that 79% of us struggle to switch off at bedtime and 60% of us wake up in the night with thoughts of work and other worries. The most common knock-on effects include tiredness, being less productive, being snappy and feeling over-emotional. Faye will help you to identify bad sleep patterns and offer some practical tips for improving your nights’ sleep.

Sleep and mental health

Quitting Smoking

Smoking can impact your mental health and wellbeing. Find out how smoking and mental health are related, and how you can manage your mental health when quitting. Research published by the World Health Organisation in 2021 revealed that smoking tobacco makes it more likely for you to develop a mental health condition. In addition, people who live with a mental illness are twice as likely to use tobacco.

Quitting smoking

Taking your thoughts to court

Negative thinking can lead to feeling stressed, which can prevent us from performing our best at work. Taking your thoughts to court is a simple, yet effective, exercise taught in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you address negative thinking. Our simple video helps you to learn this technique and put it into practice at work.

Talking about mental health at work

If we noticed a colleague had a bad cough or had started to limp we would ask them how they’re doing and show our support. But sometimes we can be nervous about asking someone how they are doing mentally.

Find out more

Downloadable resources

Conversation Guide: talking to someone about mental health

It can be tricky to know how to have that first chat about mental health, or to find the ‘right’ words once you do. This resource is to support with exactly that. We also have a mobile-friendly and printer-friendly version.

Download resource

Conversation Guide: talking about suicide

Suicide can be a difficult topic to broach. This resource is to support you with this, sharing warning signs and tips on what you can do and where you can go for further help. We also have a mobile-friendly and printer-friendly version.

Download resource

The stress bucket

Healthy levels of stress can help push us, but sometimes it makes us feel like we can’t do anything at all. This simple tool helps us to think about ways we can release stress.

Download resource

Wellbeing workplan

Use our Wellbeing Workplan to keep yourself well in the workplace

Create your plan

5 top tips for mental wellbeing

Looking after our mental health is just as important as our physical health. This document has 5 simple ideas to help improve our mental wellbeing. 

Download booklet

Managing stress and building resilience

Mentally healthy workplaces are everyone’s business. This short guide shares practical tips for coping with stress yourself, and also as a manager. 

Download booklet

Managing mental health and wellbeing at work

Burnout Report 2026: High stress pushing workers into sick leave as just one in four feel mental health is genuinely prioritised and supported in the workplace

16th January 2026

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How supporting mental health at work can help keep Britain working

13th November 2025

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Uncovering menopause and mental health in the workplace

22nd September 2025

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