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Health & NHS
CalmAbout 45 min✓ Official sources · reviewed 2026-07-26

Mental health support that's actually free

Moving countries is hard on the mind — here's the free help most newcomers never find.

Your progress0 of 5 steps done
  1. Step 1

    Accept that the dip is normal

    Around month three, most newcomers hit a wall: the excitement fades, the paperwork grinds, home feels far away. This is so common it has a name — culture shock — and it passes faster when you treat it as weather, not as failure. Low mood, poor sleep and homesickness are signals to use the support below, not to tough it out silently.

    Prepare

    Nothing — just honesty with yourself about how the move is going.

    Watch out

    Comparing your inside feelings to other people's Instagram version of migration — everyone's month three looks better online than it was.

  2. 2

    Self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies

    Here's the secret most people miss: you don't need your GP's permission for therapy. NHS Talking Therapies takes self-referrals online for anxiety, low mood, stress and sleep problems, and it's free. Search "NHS Talking Therapies" plus your area, fill in the short form, and they call you back for an assessment. Interpreters are available if your English isn't ready for feelings yet.

    Prepare

    Your GP registration (you need to be registered, but not referred).

    Watch out

    Waiting for it to get "bad enough to deserve help" — early referrals get shorter waits and lighter treatment.

    This one is serious — get real help

    This step involves a high-risk area (legal, immigration, medical or benefits). We won't advise you here. Ask MyLife AI to prepare, or contact an official or appropriately regulated service before you act.

  3. Step 3

    Save the crisis numbers you hope never to need

    Two numbers go in your phone today. Samaritans, 116 123: free, 24/7, someone who listens without judging — you can call about anything that feels too heavy. And 999 (or 111 option 2 for urgent mental health) when someone's safety is at immediate risk. Saving them now, while things are fine, is what makes them usable on the worst day.

    Prepare

    Just your phone.

    Watch out

    Assuming crisis lines are "not for people like me" — they exist precisely for people who think that.

  4. Step 4

    Tell your GP — it's a normal appointment topic

    In the UK, booking a GP appointment "because I've been feeling low" is completely ordinary — GPs handle it every single day and nothing about it touches your visa or immigration record. They can arrange therapy, check whether something physical (thyroid, vitamin D — genuinely common after moving north) is dragging you down, and discuss options at your pace. Medical confidentiality is strict.

    Prepare

    A sentence or two about how you've been sleeping and feeling — write it down if saying it is hard.

    Watch out

    Fearing that mental health help affects immigration status — it doesn't, and GPs don't report patients to the Home Office.

  5. Step 5

    Build the two habits that actually protect you

    Loneliness and darkness are the two quiet forces working against newcomers here. Fight the first with one standing human commitment a week — a Turkish community group, a five-a-side game, a language exchange, church or mosque, anything with faces that expect yours. Fight the second by getting outside in daylight daily through winter. Boring advice, measurable difference.

    Prepare

    Ten minutes to find one local group and put it in your calendar as recurring.

    Watch out

    Letting "I'll socialise when my English is better" delay you a year — groups are exactly where the English comes from.

Need help? Ask MyLife

It already knows which playbook you're in. Answers come from official sources, with dates.