Supporting yourself

YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY MATTERS.

In situations of domestic or family violence, it can be hard to manage emotions or know how to handle conflicting feelings. This can cause excessive stress and impact your mental and physical health. It is important you know how to care for yourself and know where to go if you need help. You are not alone 💜

Look after your mental health

Just like if you catch a virus and need rest to recover your physical health, if you start to feel unwell mentally, you may need time to rest and recover.

Organisations such as Kids Helpline, headspace and Reachout offer free and anonymous online counselling. You can also join a community group on headspace to ask questions about mental health or seek further support.

Set goals for yourself

Being exposed to domestic or family violence may make it seem like you are never going to be safe or escape the cycle. However, that is not true. Setting goals or making plans for the future can help you stay motivated and encourage you to work hard in your passion area. I.e. If you dream of playing Australian soccer one day, set a goal to trial for your regional representative team and train each day to improve.

Remember, your future does not have to be the same as your parents or people you know experiencing domestic violence and just because they may have struggled in relationships, does not mean you are guaranteed to as well.

Aim to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night

Sleeping helps to repair and restore our brains, not just our bodies. Stress can increase the risk of getting sick and getting enough sleep each night strengthens the immune system, making you less susceptible to illnesses. Sleep also helps regulate emotions, decrease stress and is important for achieving a balanced mood. To help improve your quality of sleep, it is also advised to avoid caffeine and limit screen time before bed.

Maintain a healthy diet

We can think more clearly, feel more awake and have improved concentration when we eat a healthy, balanced diet. On the other hand having an unbalanced diet can lead to fatigue, poor concentration and increase the risk of stress.

Tip: if you want to calculate the minimum amount of water (in litres) you should be drinking each day, multiply your weight in kg by 35 and then divide by 1000.

Spend time doing what you love

Whether it's spending time with friends, playing sport, watching movies or reading, it is important to take time to do things that bring you joy. If you're not sure what your hobbies are, you could even try something new!

Create respectful relationships

As you get older, it is likely you will start to create more relationships with people. Ensuring these relationships are supportive and positive, will help provide emotional stability in your own life. If you notice a relationship in your own life is starting to become unhealthy, you can set boundaries with the person involved and make sure it is clear that you won't tolerate poor behaviour. No one deserves to be in a stressful or manipulative relationship.