Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Lots of young people find it hard as they try to figure out who they are. Finding your interests and learning about your personality can be a challenging journey. Seeing people around you who seem confident and settled with who they are can be a painful experience. Finding ways to appreciate what’s special about you can be important as a way to have confidence and self-esteem.

Talking to people you trust about your qualities or personality traits could be a good place to start. It could help you to feel like you are getting to know who you really are. This could help you begin building confidence in yourself. You can find some ideas about ways to build self-confidence here.

It might take some effort to find new interests or hobbies but trying new things can help you to work out what you might enjoy. It can take time to find something that suits you or that you want to make a commitment to, but it could be worth it to find something you feel passionately about. Trying new things in your spare time can also be a good way of meeting new and different people. Perhaps you could talk to some friends to see whether you want to try any of their hobbies and interests. There are lots of different ideas on ChildLine’s hobbies and interests message board.

If you would like to talk more about getting to know yourself, building self-confidence or finding new interests, the ChildLine counsellors are always there for you to talk to.

Take care,

Sam