Recently I have not been myself, in failing at school, I hate being at home and my friendships keep falling apart, I come home every day from school, go up to my room and don’t talk to anyone, I only live with my stepdad and mum and it seems to only be my mum that’s sometimes wants to have a conversation, not my stepdad, I don’t know what’s going on but what I can say is that I’m certainly not myself. I feel depressed and anxious all the time and find it hard being a school but I still go, I just need someone to talk to that won’t judge me, I just need some help x
Sam
Hi there,
When you’re feeling low it can sometimes be hard to talk to other people and you might prefer to be on your own. But often keeping your feelings to yourself or isolating yourself from friends and family can make you feel more disconnected and alone. It can become a habit that’s hard to change and asking for help can seem difficult, but it's really important.
When there are several things you’re finding difficult it can sometimes seem like everything's going wrong. When things feel overwhelming it can help to look at each thing that's worrying you separately and then find one small step you can take to start to make things better. Start with the thing that’s bothering you the most.
You could speak to your teacher about your school work, or write a letter to your mum explaining how hard you’re finding things or arrange a fun activity with one of your friends to help you to feel better. It might be that feeling depressed and anxious is affecting you most and you could speak to a Childline counsellor or another adult you trust about finding ways to cope or to talk to your doctor about getting help and support.
Whatever step you take first, it’s likely that doing something to help yourself will help you to feel more hopeful. You might see that there's a link between your mood and other things that are worrying you. Perhaps feeling sad and disappointed started when you felt like you were struggling at school. Or feeling depressed and anxious has had an impact on your relationships and your school work.
Remember, it’s not always possible to feel better straight away but facing up to problems, asking for help and starting to break things down into manageable chunks can help you to move forwards. Try to focus on the changes you’re making even if things aren’t exactly how you want them to be right now.
Thank you for your letter.
Take care,
Sam
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