Some tips to support your mental health in difficult times #mentalhealthawareness

We all need to look after our mental health, and at the same time support others. As such, Hostage International is supporting Mental Health Awareness Weeks in 2026, which take place across Canada, Europe, the UK and beyond in May.

Wherever you are in the world, and whatever you may be experiencing, these weeks encourage communities to connect, raise awareness, and combat stigma.

Hostage International is joining the wider conversation around mental health, connection, and support.

For many people affected by kidnapping, arbitrary detention, or hostage situations, however, the idea of “looking after your mental health” can feel distant, unrealistic, or even impossible.

When someone you love is being held, or when you are trying to rebuild life after release, survival often becomes the priority.

At Hostage International, we support people living through some of the most traumatic and uncertain experiences imaginable.

We support former hostages and detainees as they adjust to life after release – something many people underestimate in its complexity and emotional impact.

We also support family members and loved ones who often carry an enormous burden too. Lives are put on hold. Minds jump constantly to worst-case scenarios. People live for prolonged periods with levels of fear, uncertainty, helplessness, and stress that no body or mind was designed to endure indefinitely.

In situations like these, generic wellbeing advice can sometimes feel disconnected from reality. And yet, when adapted with compassion and realism, small acts of care and regulation can still matter. They cannot remove the trauma or uncertainty, but they can help people endure it.

With that in mind, psychologist Lucy Courtney-Brisbane BSc, MSc, PGDip (one of Hostage International’s clinicians supporting individuals and families affected by hostage situations), shares some reflections and practical guidance for those who may be feeling overwhelmed.

Some top tips to support your mental health: 

First and foremost: nothing about your reactions to an extraordinary situation makes you weak, dramatic, or “bad at coping.”

You may find yourself exhausted, angry, numb, frightened, unable to concentrate, unable to rest, or overwhelmed by emotion one moment and detached the next. These are deeply human responses to prolonged stress, uncertainty, and grief.

Often, anger sits on top of something even more painful: fear, helplessness, injustice, and anticipatory grief.

Please try to extend kindness to yourself and to those around you.

It can help to remember:

• You are living through an extraordinary and profoundly unfair situation. It is normal for emotions to fluctuate rapidly and sometimes feel difficult to manage.
• Even in circumstances where very little feels within your control, there are still small and meaningful ways to care for your mental health and support those around you.

The UK’s Mental Health Foundation speaks about two broad types of supportive action for mental wellbeing: short-term strategies and long-term habits. Both can be valuable, though they may need adapting depending on your circumstances.

 Short-term strategies

Short-term strategies are small interventions that can help regulate the body and mind in moments of acute stress or overwhelm. They are not about “fixing” the situation, but about helping you get through difficult moments safely and steadily.

Examples include:

• Grounding exercises when anxiety feels overwhelming
• Slowing and deepening your breathing when stress escalates
• Stretching or unclenching the body when carrying physical tension
• Listening to a short, guided meditation or calming audio exercise
• Going outside briefly, even for a few moments of fresh air
• Listening to music that helps regulate or lift your mood

These may feel like “small wins”,  but they are powerful, particularly during periods where life feels frighteningly outside your control.

 Long-term habits

 Long-term wellbeing habits are not quick fixes. Their effects are often gradual and subtle, but over time they can help strengthen resilience, stability, and recovery.

Examples might include:

• Eating regularly and as well as you can
• Gentle, consistent movement or exercise
• Developing a short mindfulness or yoga practice
• Maintaining some form of daily structure or routine
• Staying connected with safe and supportive people
• Making time for moments of rest, even when sleep is difficult

At Hostage International, we recognise that sleep can become profoundly disrupted during and after traumatic experiences. For that reason, we often focus less on achieving “perfect sleep” and more on creating opportunities for rest and nervous system recovery.

For some people, that may mean a consistent bedtime routine, listening to an audiobook, reading poetry or short stories, practising guided relaxation, or simply reducing stimulation before bed. When minds are racing, gentle distraction and comfort can sometimes be more realistic and compassionate goals than sleep itself.

The important thing is not perfection. It is consistency, flexibility, and self-compassion.

For families, caring for your own wellbeing is not selfish. It helps sustain you through an intensely demanding situation and may help you remain emotionally and physically stronger for when your loved one returns. Holding together the threads of your life and of who you are outside of the current situation helps create a stronger foundation for the future.

For former hostages and detainees, small routines and acts of self-care can become part of the long process of readjustment and recovery after trauma.

And for anyone affected by these experiences, you do not have to carry this alone. Find out more about how Hostage International can help. If you need support, please contact Hostage International: [email protected]