Help with your mental health when life gets difficult

Mental health problems are often connected to factors we can’t control – such as surviving on a low income, housing uncertainty and unemployment.

Right now, the cost of living is higher than ever and affordable housing is increasingly difficult to come by. It’s no wonder that reports of mental health problems like anxiety and depression are rising.

When you're facing lots of different issues, it can be hard to take the first step and ask for support. But the sooner you feel able to talk to someone about the problems you have, the more that can be done to help.

It’s why we’re encouraging anyone who’s struggling to reach out to us.

How we help

Porchlight belongs to a network of organisations – collectively known as Live Well Kent & Medway – that can help you to manage your mental health and address the issues that are affecting it. Working together, we can:

• give you the tools to better manage your mental health
  
• prevent you from falling into further hardship
  
• restore or develop your connection to the local community.
  

This includes help to develop coping strategies, feel more confident and connect with other people. There’s also culturally sensitive support if you’re part of an ethnic minority community.

If you're worried about money, there’s advice related to debt and borrowing, accessing benefits, job hunting and transitioning from benefits to employment.

There are group activities which will benefit anyone who’s feeling cut off from others. Some are themed around activities such as reading, cookery, healthy eating, and more. And because it can be helpful to talk about mental health with people who get it, some of these groups are run by people with similar experiences.

In addition to this, Porchlight works with young people who are struggling with their mental health - particularly when it’s affecting their home life or education. We also run safe space meet-ups for LGBTQ+ young people and provide them with advice for anything they’re going through.

What you can do

We want more people to know that extra help is there if they need it. If a friend, family member or colleague is finding life difficult, let them know they can turn to us.

Find out more about the mental health support we offer

Thousands of people in the UK experience mental health issues each year. Whatever you’re going through, you don’t need to go through it alone.