Nobody is Normal

There are lots of reasons you might not have talked about what’s happening. You could be worried about how people will react, or whether they’ll take you seriously.

Talking can be scary, but it can also help you to feel better and less alone. If you’re struggling to talk, there are things you can do to help:

• practise what you want to say in front of the mirror, or with someone you trust
• write things down in a letter, and use it to start a conversation
• plan when you’d like to talk to someone, and think about what they might ask
• reading letters to Ask Sam, to see what other people have said
• think about who you’d most want to talk to, and how much you want to tell them.

We’ve got lots of advice on talking to someone you trust. And if you can’t talk to someone you know, you can always speak to us.

Talking to people who are going through similar things can help you to realise that you’re not alone. But it’s not always that easy.

You might not have come out or opened up about how you're feeling, or it could be hard to safely find people near you who know what you’re going through.

Childline’s message boards can be a great way to talk to other young people who get what you’re going through. They’re completely anonymous and moderated, so that people won’t know it’s you.

You can read the message boards any time, or sign up to post yourself.

It can be tough finding the confidence to show off what makes you unique, especially if it’s something you don’t like. But sharing what makes you different can help you get to know people and feel better about yourself.

You could share things casually in a conversation, or make a post about it online to help other people learn. Sharing and celebrating what makes you unique can help can help you to:

• build your confidence, and feel less like you have to hide things
• share your needs and experiences with others
• help people to get to know you
• encourage other people to share what makes them unique.

If you’re scared that sharing something about yourself that might make you unsafe or be judged, it can help to talk to an adult your trust first.

Being singled out or bullied for being different is never okay, and there are ways to make it stop.

We’ve got lots of advice on bullying and cyberbullying, or you can talk to a Childline counsellor about anything that might be happening.

Feeling unsafe

Whether you’re feeling unsafe because of how you’re feeling or something that’s happening, it’s important to get help.

In an emergency, you should always call 999 and you can also talk to Childline about anything that might be happening.

Trying new things can give you more energy, help you to feel more confident and can be a good way to feel better about things. Trying something new doesn’t have to be big, it could be:

• joining a new club, or group online
• taking up a hobby or learning a new skill
• messaging someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.

If you’d like to try something, but you’re not sure what, try out our brand new Coping Kit for fun activity ideas.