For more advice on eating well, keeping active and looking after your mental wellbeing check out all the supports and resources below. You will also find more tips and information at gov.ie/healthyireland
Safefood have some great resources for on cooking and healthy eating and managing treats and snacks.
- Basic kitchen skills
- [external-link https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh7gvGGhPbb1p-pE3K58nXPz -ujevkj | Easy recipes ]
- Planning your meals
- Batch cooking
- 101 Square meals cookbook
- Managing Treats
- Healthy Snacks
You can also check out our Healthy Eating Guidelines here.
Find your Local Sports Partnership here
The HSE have some advice on how to start getting more active
Find out more about walking from Get Ireland Walking.
Cycling Ireland has lots of information for cyclists of all ages and abilities
Parkruns are free, weekly, timed, 5k events. You can walk, run or jog the course, it’s up to you. For more information go to parkrun.ie
Parkrun also have a junior version, just for kids, on Sunday mornings. You can find the list of locations here.
Sport Ireland have developed a series of exercise videos specifically for older adults. You can find them here.
Siel Bleu have some great exercise videos on their YouTube page
HSE also have some more tips and info on indoor exercises for older people here
Age and Opportunity have a Fitline that you can call for tips and advice on getting active
Age and Opportunity are livestreaming their Movement Minutes exercise videos on Facebook on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11am
Libraries Ireland have a huge range of services to choose from, from e-books and magazines, to over 400 courses that you can do online for free. Just sign up using your library card.
Waterways Ireland has developed lots of practical educational content for primary school children and families for activity at home or in nature.
Visit Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and discover a range of amazing places and activities to see and do.
Incredible Edibles have a range of activities on their website, from resources to help children learn about different foods, to tips on gardening.
Grow It Yourself has great tips and ideas for the budding gardening enthusiast. The website includes a useful month by month calendar giving ideas for what to sow/harvest/or prepare that month.
Bord Bia have a wonderful gardening section on their website, with useful growing tips, information on the benefits of gardening, and lots more
Volunteering can help improve your confidence through acquiring new skills and personal growth, all important for maintaining your wellbeing. Go to Volunteer Ireland for more.
Men’s Sheds is a place where men are able to gather and/or work on meaningful projects at their own pace, in their own time and in the company of other men and where the primary objective is to advance the health and well- being of the participating men. Find your local shed here.
MABS have been helping people to deal with problem debt for more than 25 years. If you’re struggling with debt, it can have a huge impact on your mental wellbeing. MABS offers impartial advice to help you manage your money and take control of debt.
They offer support online, over the phone and face to face, and are free, confidential and independent.
HSE have a new, free, online mental health and wellbeing programme called Minding Your Wellbeing. This evidenced based programme which consists of 5 video sessions, each 20 minutes. The programme focuses on practicing self-care, understanding our thoughts, exploring emotions, building positive relationships, and improving our resilience.
HSE also have a great resource called yourmentalhealth.ie that provides clear and practical advice on how to mind your mental health.
You can find information on Mental Health and wellbeing supports for children and young people at the link below
Mental Health and Wellbeing Information for Children and Young People
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50808 is a first of its kind for Ireland: a free 24/7 text service, providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for people going through a mental health or emotional crisis - big or small. From breakups or bullying, to anxiety, depression and suicidal feelings, crisis volunteers are available 24/7 for anonymous text conversations.
Start a conversation by free-texting the word HELLO to 50808 any time, day or night.
Pieta provide professional one-to-one therapeutic services to people who are in suicidal distress, those who engage in self-harm, and those bereaved by suicide. All services are provided free of charge and no referral is needed.
Call free 1800 247 247.
Text HELP to 51444.
Barnardos provide a national telephone support service for parents, in response to the challenges they are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Freephone 1800 910 123 (from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday).
They also provide a children’s bereavement helpline service, for all members of the public telephone 01 473 2110 (from 10am to 12pm, Monday to Thursday). Referrals will be accepted for children up to the age of 18 who have parental/carer’s consent.
Jigsaw is a mental health charity focused on providing expert advice and support, online and in person, to young people across Ireland aged 12 - 25 years-old.
Find a Jigsaw near you by visiting jigsaw.ie/services.
Talk to one of the team through 1:1 Live Chat by visiting here. (1pm to 5pm Mon to Fri).
Visit Jigsaw for more information or email help@jigsaw.ie
MyMind provides free online and phone supports, psychotherapy services for children, adolescents and adults under the COVID-19 project. Clients of age 16 and above can use free-of-charge online counselling.
If you would like to book an appointment you can do so by contacting MyMind through email at hq@mymind.org or calling the office at 0766 80 10 60 (9am - 5pm).
For more information, please visit My Mind.
BeLonG To Youth Services provide support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland between the ages of 14 – 23 years.
Text LGBTI+ to 086 1800 280 to chat in confidence with a trained crisis volunteer (anytime day or night, standard SMS rates may apply).
Visit Belong To for more information.
SpunOut.ie provides a wide range of articles and information for young people aged 16 – 25 years, on many different topics, including mental health.
Free-text SPUNOUT to 50808 to chat anonymously to a trained volunteer 24/7.
Visit Spun Out for more information.
Aware undertakes to create a society where people affected by stress, depression, bipolar disorder and mood-related conditions are understood, supported, free from stigma, and are encouraged to access appropriate therapies.
Free phone 1800 804848 or email supportmail@aware.ie
Aware also offers free online mental health education programmes that you can do from home. These programmes provide tools to help cope with anxiety, unhelpful thoughts and common life challenges.
Shine provides information and support through regional offices and offers counselling and support to individuals living with mental illness and their families and carers.
If you are in distress or seeking information you can contact Shine at any time for confidential support at phil@shineonline.ie
Childline (ISPCC) is Ireland’s 24-hour national listening service for young people up to the age of 18.
Freephone 1800 666 666 (any time, day or night).
Text 50101 (from 10am to 4pm every day).
Chat online at Childline (from 10am to 4pm everyday).
Samaritans telephone service is available 24 hours a day.
Freephone 116 123.
For confidential, non-judgmental support email jo@samaritans.ie
Visit Samaritans for details of the nearest branch.
Turn2Me are a community of fully qualified and accredited mental health professionals working online to provide a high quality, safe, anonymous and confidential space for you to gain support - wherever you are, whenever you need it, for whatever you are going through.
Counselling options for individuals, couples and young people aged 12-17 offered. Log on here.
Stress Control is an accredited free programme that teaches you life skills to deal with stress. The programme helps us recognise the signs of stress and covers topics including how stress affects our bodies and thoughts. It teaches skills to overcome panicky feelings and tips to getting a good night’s sleep.
These mobile apps can help you manage anxiety. They have been reviewed and approved for listing here, by a group in the HSE (Mental Health Apps Review Sub Group).
Mindshift (by Anxiety Canada)
A user-friendly self-help tool based on proven scientific strategies, MindShift CBT teaches about anxiety, helping users to engage in healthy thinking and to take action. Users check in each day to track their anxiety and work with tools in the app.
If you have an Apple phone you can download the app here.
If you have an Android phone, then you can download it to your phone here.
Clear Fear
Clear Fear is an app developed for teenage mental health charity Stem4 which uses the evidence-based treatment CBT to focus on learning to reduce the physical responses to threat by learning to breathe, relax and be mindful as well as changing thoughts and behaviours and releasing emotions. You can personalise the app if you so wish and you will be able to track your progress and notice change.
If you have an Apple phone, you can download the app here.
If you have an Android phone, you can download it to your phone here.
Headspace
Headspace is a well-known mobile app that teaches meditation and easy to use mindfulness skills. Map your journey, track your progress, and reap rewards in your overall health and wellbeing. You can even ‘buddy up’ with friends and motivate each other along the way.
If you have an Apple phone you can download the app here.
If you have an Android phone, then you can click here to download it to your phone.
For Hospital emergency services go to or call the emergency department of your local general hospital.
Telephone emergency services on 999 or 112.
A GP can offer support and advice around a range of mental health issues including feelings of sadness, anxiety, self-harm and psychosis. A GP can tell you about supports in your community and also refer you to counselling or to a mental health service.
Contact the Out of Hours service by searching here.
You will find a useful list of supports available below:
Losing a loved one can be very difficult at any time, but current restrictions make this a very hard time to be grieving. We cannot come together as we used to, for funerals and to share condolences, and this is hard. But it is important to remember that there is support available to help you through this time.
The Irish Hospice Foundation provide support and information to those going through a bereavement at this time.
HSE also have information and support for those dealing with loss of a loved one.
The Be Winter Ready campaign provides crucial information for the public to ensure preparedness for the winter months. See winterready.ie