Start with the part you can influence
You cannot control the appointment date, but you can make the waiting period less uncertain. Confirm that your referral is active, save the service contact details and decide how often you will check in. If your symptoms change, contact the service or your GP rather than waiting for the original appointment.
Make a one-page waiting plan
Write down: who is holding your referral; the last update you received; medicines you take; what has been getting harder; one person you can contact; and the urgent-help route for your area. Keep it somewhere easy to find. This can also help when an appointment arrives at short notice.
Use support that does not depend on a diagnosis
You do not need to wait for a diagnosis to ask your GP about symptoms, speak to a pharmacist about prescribed medicines, use NHS self-help information, contact a listening service or ask work, college or university about reasonable support. Some areas also allow self-referral to NHS Talking Therapies.
Do less, consistently
A waiting period can create pressure to fix everything yourself. Aim for small repeatable basics instead: a regular wake-up time, food you can manage, a short walk or time outside, less alcohol or recreational drugs if they worsen symptoms, and one human contact. These are not substitutes for treatment; they are ways to make the wait safer and more manageable.
You do not have to use every suggestion. Choose the one thing that would make today or your next contact with the service a little easier.
Trusted sources
NHS: Every Mind Matters ↗NHS: Talking Therapies ↗General UK information, not a diagnosis or personal treatment plan. Services vary by area and UK nation. Information reviewed 8 September 2026.