Tips on building mental health
Young people can work on building positive mental health at any time.
If you or a friend need help with mental health
Find out where to get help if you’re worried about your mental health or want to help a friend.
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Some stress is a normal part of everyday life, but it is important to be able to know when stress is stopping you from doing day-to-day activities. If this is happening or you often feel down, seek help.
About mental health and wellbeing
Good mental health helps you to thrive, learn, develop and manage the normal stresses and challenges of life.
We can think about mental health as existing along a continuum.
Lots of thing shape our mental health and how we feel, including our:
- environments
- experiences
- relationships
- personality.
When you’re ’flourishing’ you feel connected to others, are involved in your learning and activities and can ‘bounce back’ from life’s challenges.
When your mental health is suffering it can really affect how you feel and think and your relationships with other people. It’s normal to feel sad or anxious sometimes, but when these feelings don’t go away it’s important to seek help.
Learn more about the mental health continuum
When your mental health is flourishing
You’re more likely to:
- feel happy and positive about yourself
- be kind to yourself during tough times or when things don’t go the way you expect
- enjoy life
- bring a positive mindset to learning
- build positive relationships with family and friends
- manage sad, confusing, or angry feelings
- bounce back from tough times
- be willing to try new or challenging things.
Source: Raising Children Network.
Building a positive mindset
There’s lots of ways to look after your mental health and stay on top of stress.
It helps when you:
- eat well and exercise regularly
- get enough sleep
- set aside some time each day to relax
- put time into activities and relationships that make you feel good
- set yourself short and long-term goals to look forward to
- try to deal with problems sooner rather than letting them build up
- set boundaries around technology and social media use
- be aware of how drugs and alcohol can affect your mental health
- connect to your culture and community.
For further tools and tips:
- visit headspace and explore tips on a healthy headspace including their Health headspace action plan
- watch the Feeling it - Smiling Mind video series for tips on looking after yourself, managing emotions, and navigating uncertainty
- learn about positive mindsets, building your mental wellbeingand building a healthy relationship with drugs and alcohol at ReachOut.
Mental health and connecting to communities
Positive mental health can also come from connecting with our culture, with our communities and those share our background, identities and history. Our culture is more than just our identity. It is our values, worldview, interactions and sense of belonging.
Open all
- For Koorie young people
The term ‘Koorie’ is used to refer to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
You can learn more about how culture helps build your mind, body and spirit by talking to your family, community and Elders. You can:
- visit headspace, and hear about mind, body, spirit, culture and country and yarning safe
- find your local Aboriginal Health Service at the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
- watch this video at ReachOut where Sancia shares her culture.
For more support Koorie students can also:
- contact your Koorie Engagement Support Officer or talk someone at your school about how to access one.
- contact the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated for information and help at vaeai@vaeai.org.auor at (03) 9481 0800.
- For young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds
There are resources and supports available for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Connecting with culture can be empowering and can increase positive feelings and emotions. Culture can bring up challenges and you might want advice.
These pages provide information and advice:
- Conflict between family and culture | Cultural identity | ReachOut Australia
- Connecting with culture | Head to Health
- LGBTIQ+ young people
- Rainbow Network provides a directory of all LGBTIQ+ support groups in Victoria.
- ICAN Network is a national leader in supporting, empowering and amplifying the voices of Autistic-LGBTIQA+ young people. They run peer-led online mentoring groups for Autistic-LGBTIQA+ teens.
- Intersex Peer Support Australia is an intersex peer support, information and advocacy group for people born with variations in sex characteristics and their families.
- Young people with a disability
- ICAN Network - Australia’s largest provider of Autistic-led group mentoring programs, training and consultancy.
- Diverse Learners Hub - information and guidance to support autistic students under the ‘for students’ dropdown.
- Yellow Ladybugs - an autistic-led non-government organisation dedicated to the happiness, success and celebration of autistic girls and women.
- I am…an autistic person - resources from Amaze.
Student voice and advocacy
Sharing your voice and advocating for other young people is a great way to make friendships, strengthen your community and build your own mental health.
Open all
- For all young people
- The Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC) is the peak body representing school-aged students in Victoria. You can join the VicSRC Student Community or apply to become an Ambassador to represent your peers and amplify student voice in education.
- Rural Youth Ambassadors program brings together passionate and diverse rural young people, to develop their leadership skills, grow knowledge and establish a representative voice for all rural young people.
- Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic): key policy advocate for young people and the youth sector in Victoria. Contact YACVic to get involved in a range of opportunities to share your experience and influence policy across Victoria.
- Koorie young people
- Koorie Youth Council (KYC) is the representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Victoria. KYC values the diversity and strength of young people as decision-makers.
- Young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds
- Connect with others, learn and develop skills, have your voice heard, and create positive change through the Centre for Multicultural Youth.
- Develop skills and experience in advocacy, governance and leadership in the Intercultural Young Advocacy Leaders program. To find out how to get involved, contact the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria.
- Join the Youth Ambassador Network to advocate and influence the national agenda for young people from refugee backgrounds. Supported through the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network, which works in partnership with young people, from refugee and migrant backgrounds to promote their rights and interests.
- LGBTIQ+ young people
- Find events, workshops, campaigns and resources developed by and for young people at Australia’s national network for LGBTIQ+ youth, Minus18.
- Young people with a disability
- The Diverse Learners Hub - information, tools and guidance to support students with diverse learning needs, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Updated 26 March 2026
About the VIC Government
- The Premier and ministers
- Find a Vic Gov department, agency or service
- Strategies and policies
- Inquiries and royal commissions
Grants and programs
Jobs and careers
Arts, culture and heritage
Business and the workplace
- Mentally Healthy Workplaces Framework
- Portable Long Service Authority
- Victoria’s racing industry
- Workforce Inspectorate Victoria
- Liquor licensing, sale and supply
Communities
- Children
- First Peoples - State Relations
- Finding records
- Gender equality & women’s leadership
- LGBTIQA+ equality
- Multicultural communities
- Seniors Online
- Veterans support and commemoration
- Volunteering in Victoria
- Youth Central
Education and training
- Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority
- Early childhood education – information for professionals
- Kinder: Best Start, Best Life
- Education – information for parents
- Schools.Vic - information for schools
- Education grants, programs, awards and events
- PROTECT
- TAFE, training and universities sector
- TAFE Victoria
- Victorian Skills Authority
- Apprenticeships Victoria
- Learn Local
Environment, water and energy
Finance and economy
Health and social support
- Family violence reform
- NDIS Worker Screening Check
- NDIS and disability services and support in Victoria
- Patient Review Panel
- Transforming Trauma Victoria
Housing and property
Law and justice
- Adoption
- Births, deaths and marriages
- Honorary justices
- Machete ban
- Safeguarding Victorians against terrorism
- Stolen Generations Reparations Package
- Victims of Crime
- Victorian Racing Tribunal
Safety and emergencies
- Emergency Recovery Victoria
- Victorian Emergency Relief and Recovery Foundation
- Emergency Recovery Resource Portal
- How well do you know fire
- Fire Services Reform
- Water safety
- Marine Search and Rescue
Science and technology
- Data sharing and open data
- Data.vic - discover and access Vic Gov open data
- Developer.Vic - portal for API developers
- Go.vic URL shortener
- Vic Gov IT project dashboard
- Victoria’s free public wi-fi network
- Cyber security in the Victorian Government
Sport and recreation
Traffic and transport
- Cameras Save Lives
- Transport Fines
- Getting Around
- Transport Planning
- Transport Future
- Climate Change and transport
- Future Directions For Transport
- Transport projects
- Ports and Freight
Working in the Victorian Government
- Single Digital Presence home
- Accommodation and Library Services
- Executive employment in the Victorian public sector
- Budget, procurement and funding
- Careers in the Victorian Government
- Council and Regulator Toolkit
- Guidelines for working in government
- Join a government network
- Standards and guidelines
- VicFleet CarPool
- Victorian Government style guide