Getting through today
Health and feelings · 4 min read
When everything is on fire, the plan is small: the next hour, not the next month. Here are things that genuinely help, and the numbers for when they do not.
Shrink the problem
Pick one thing that has to happen today and let the rest wait until tomorrow. Write the one thing down. Everything else is genuinely allowed to sit still for a day.
Things that help more than they sound like they should
- Eating something, even if you are not hungry.
- Drinking water and going outside for five minutes.
- Telling one person the truth about how bad it is.
- Putting your phone face down for an hour.
If you are thinking about ending your life
Please call Lifeline on 13 11 14. It is free, it is any time of day, and you will not be judged or reported for saying it out loud. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.
You can call for someone else
All of these lines will talk to you about someone you are worried about, and tell you what to do next.
Today only
Six small things. Any one of them counts.
- Eat something
- Drink some water
- Go outside for five minutes
- Tell one person how it really is
- Do the one thing that has to happen today
- Save a crisis number in my phone
Who to call
- Lifeline — 13 11 14 — Someone to talk to, any time of day or night
- 13YARN — 13 92 76 — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis line
- Beyond Blue — 1300 22 4636 — Support for anxiety, depression and hard days
- Kids Helpline — 1800 55 1800 — Free counselling for people aged 5 to 25
All guides · Read this in the app
This is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice — the rules differ between states and territories.
Not an emergency service
If you’re in immediate danger, call 000. For family and domestic violence support any time, call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).