Ask Sam letter

Asker

To Sam

Talking to someone

hey sam. uhh i dont really know what to say. my parents already cope with a lot of family issues and i feel bad trying to talk to them about home or school because i dont want to cause any trouble and its hard to get the words out. i dont want to phone childline because i dont want to waste time when people need it more than me. and it just doesnt feel right talking to teachers. everyone always talks about having a ‘trusted adult’ or smth but whenever we have to write about who that might be my mind goes blank. i just scribbled ‘parents/grandparents’ but realistically it's not that simple.

Ask Sam

Sam

Hi there,

It can feel hard reaching out for support sometimes, but how you’re feeling is important and you should never feel like you have to cope alone.

A trusted adult is anyone who you feel safe talking to. That could be someone in your family, a teacher, your doctor, or even a family friend. Sometimes it can feel hard to think about who you’d feel safe talking to, but you can always talk to Childline.

If you do feel ready to speak to someone in your life, it can help to remind yourself that you do deserve support with how you’re feeling. Even when people are busy or stressed, it can be good to think about what they’d say if they knew you needed help.

Some young people find it helps to plan when to talk. Try to think of a time when you won’t be disturbed, and you can speak privately. You could even arrange a time to talk. It can help to plan what you’d like to say as well, we’ve got lots of advice on different ways to start the conversation.

You’re never wasting our time at Childline if you want to talk. Young people contact us about all kinds of things, big and small. You can get support with anything here. There are lots of ways to talk to a counsellor at Childline, so it can help to think about what feels most comfortable. You can even talk to other young people on the message boards.

Take care,

Sam

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