How do I manage if I am hearing voices?

You might find these tips useful if you are hearing voices that are troubling you and you are ‘in the moment.’ 

For more information on longer term care, see our page on Hearing voices.

Here are 10 tips on how to manage hearing voices:

• Talk to someone you trust: Sharing your experience can provide relief and support.
• If you need urgent help: Call NHS 111, option 2, where you can access urgent mental health support services. Or use the NHS 111 website.   For more urgent mental health help and support options, click here. 
• Other professional support options are contact your GP or your local NHS early intervention team, who can help if you are hearing voices for the first time. Search ‘[the area you live in] NHS early intervention team’ on the internet.
• Challenge the voices: You do not have to do what they say, or believe them, even if that is hard.
• Distract yourself from the voices by doing something you enjoy, like exercising, gardening, or a hobby.
• Find what works for you: Ignore the voices; focus on the voices you like; only try to listen at set times; shout at them; block them out with music.
• Be creative: It can help to make sense of your experiences by doing things like painting, writing or drawing about them.
• Try relaxation techniques like mindfulness , grounding or deep breathing exercises, to reduce stress.
• Call a helpline: Contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or others for emotional support. See ‘How can I get emotional support?’ below.
• Keep a diary: Track when and what the voices say to identify patterns and triggers.

These tips might help you manage and cope with hearing voices better.

You can watch this Rethink Mental Illness video - Living with hearing voices - Ashley's Story. It’s about someone who hears voices too, and how they have learned to live with it. You might find it comforting to hear how someone else copes.

What if I want to talk to someone about how I am feeling? 

If you want to talk to someone about how you are feeling, you can click here for more advice and information.

The page includes information on:

• how you can start a conversation about your mental health, and
• details of free helplines that will not judge you and are ready to be kind and listen.

Did this help?

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© Rethink Mental Illness 2025

Last updated September 2025
Next update May 2028, subject to any changes

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