Background: Increasing mental health problems among young people are frequently reported. There is also a growing discussion about whether this increase reflects actual mental health problems, or if young people have more limited abilities to deal with normal challenges in life. From a social justice perspective, young people’s own thoughts and experiences need to be considered when mental health promotion among young people is addressed. 

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe young people’s experiences of promoting aspects for mental well-being.

Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with 33 youths aged 16 to 25 years. The interviews were based on the mental well-being items used in the national public health survey ‘Health at equal terms’, annually conducted by The Public Health Agency of Sweden. Qualitative content analysis was used to capture the youth´s experiences.

Findings: Preliminary findings describe promoting aspects for mental well-being as; feeling involved in social contexts, having support from loved ones, receiving help from others, feeling significant as a person, being listened to, having an inner strength, feeling that one’s life is meaningful, and reasonable expectations from oneself and those around.

Conclusion: Findings show that both internal and external aspects are important for promoting mental well-being among young people. Some aspects are beyond their control, which indicates that society needs to create prerequisites for young people to develop mental well-being.