Worried About Yourself?

Worried about yourself?

You've already taken the hardest step.

If you’re here because you’re struggling, we want you to know: you are not alone. Many health and care professionals feel the same way. You are not wasting anyone’s time. You deserve support, and things can and will get better.

Need immediate help?

If you feel unable to keep yourself safe or are thinking about ending your life:

Call 999 and ask for an ambulance
Go to your nearest A&E and tell them you’re struggling - there will be someone trained to help
Contact your local crisis team if you're known to them

"If you can’t do this on your own, ask someone to help you. You are not a burden, and you are not alone."

Speak to someone right now

These free, confidential helplines are open to anyone - whether you're struggling yourself or worried about someone else:

Samaritans - Call 116 123 (open 24/7)
Shout - Text ‘NHSPH’ to 85258 (open 24/7)
Hopeline - Call 0800 068 41 41 (open 24/7)
Suicide Prevention UK Help & Support
Suicide Prevention Charity
Helpline for Mental Health
Helplines for support and information | Helplines | Mind

Create a safety plan

Think of a safety plan like a seatbelt - it’s there to protect you when you need it most. We recommend everyone has one. If you are struggling, do it today. It doesn’t take long and is positive action you can take right now to stay safe. Perhaps ask someone you trust to help you complete this together and it may open the door to further conversations.

You don’t have to go through this alone

Asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness.

Support is available

Even though it’s tempting to keep going alone, support makes all the difference. Here’s where you can turn.

Talk to someone you trust

Whether it's a friend, colleague, or family member, speaking out is powerful. Don’t worry about saying the right thing, just start the conversation. There is a lot of truth in the old saying a problem shared is a problem halved.

Not sure how?

Try Every Mind Matters’ guide on How to Talk About Your Mental Health

Support Options

Your GP - request an urgent appointment if needed
Call 111 - for 24/7 mental health support
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – most organisations have access to a EAP - these are confidential and usually offer counselling, talking therapy or a helpline. Check with your employer.

Additional professional support

Find contacts and resources for support

NHS Practitioner Health

We are a confidential mental health treatment service for health professionals in England and Scotland. Staffed by GPs, psychiatrists, and therapists who understand the specific pressures of working in healthcare. Whilst we do not offer a crisis service, we provide timely treatment tailored to your needs by an expertly trained team of doctors, nurses and therapists who really do care.

Find out more and self-refer

"This service literally saved my life. I didn’t think I deserved help, but I got it - and I’m so grateful."

Practitioner Health service user

Do you need to take time off?

While work can be a protective factor, it’s OK to take time off if your mental health is affecting your safety or performance. You can self certify for 7 days and your GP or NHS Practitioner Health can support with time off if needed.

How can I deal with guilt over being off work sick?

"We often feel guilty taking time off, but it’s the right thing to do for your patients - and for yourself."

See our section on staying well for more tools

To my fellow health and care professional: a message of hope

From one doctor to another

Before I say anything else, I want you to know this: I see you.

Not just the version of you that turns up to work, puts on a brave face, and cares for others with compassion and professionalism - but the real you. The one who might feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or quietly breaking inside.

I’ve been there too.

That place where everything feels heavy. Where you start to wonder if things will ever get easier. Where even getting through the next hour feels like a mountain to climb.

But I need you to hear this: it can get better.

I didn’t always believe that myself. There were days I felt completely lost - burnt out, numb, detached. And yet, over time, with support, with gentleness, and a lot of patience, life began to feel lighter again.

The fact that you’re reading this tells me something incredibly important: There is still a part of you that wants things to change.

That tiny spark of hope or curiosity - that’s not weakness, it’s courage. You’re still here. That matters more than you know.

If no one’s told you lately, let me be the one to say it: I’m proud of you.

Not because you’re holding it all together, but because you’re still trying, still showing up, still finding a way through - even when it’s hard. That takes strength. That takes heart.

It’s okay if you don’t feel okay.

It’s okay if you’re struggling.

You are not failing. You are human. And you are allowed to feel tired, lost, or broken.

But you are not alone. And this moment - this feeling - will not last forever.

There will come a day when you look back and realise that choosing to stay, to ask for help, to keep going, was the most important thing you ever did for yourself.

And in that future, there will be laughter again. There will be ease. There will be a version of you who is no longer just surviving, but living.

Until then, let curiosity carry you - just a whisper of a question:

What if things could feel different? What if you’re not done yet?

You are not your worst day. You are not your darkest thoughts. You are not alone.

You are worthy of support, of rest, of joy.

And your life - your life - is absolutely worth fighting for.

With all my heart,

Another doctor who stayed

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Worried About Yourself

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