Nobody is normal

Feeling different

Everyone is different, which means that nobody is normal. But sometimes that can make you feel left out or alone.

Watch: Nobody is Normal

Lots of things can make you feel different, you might:

look different to the people around you, or be deaf or disabled
struggle with your mental health
worry about how people will react to your sexuality or gender identity
have experienced something difficult
feel self-conscious about the way you look
be scared to share what’s happening at home.

Or lots of other things.

Whatever’s making you feel different, it doesn’t mean you have to cope alone.

Coping with feeling different

There is nothing wrong with being different from other people. But if feeling different is making you feel isolated or upset, then there are things you can do to feel better:

Talk about what’s happening

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.

Get support from other people

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.

Celebrate what makes you unique

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 might make you unsafe or be judged, it can help to talk to an adult you trust first.

Get support if you’re being bullied or feel unsafe

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.

Try something new

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.

Coming out

Whether you choose to come out or not, we've got advice for you.

How to look out for yourself

Find out how you can keep showing up for yourself and give your mental health a boost.

Talk to us

Our counsellors are here to talk to you about anything. You can say as much or as little as you feel able to, and they’ll listen and support you.

They won’t judge you, or tell you what to do. But they can help you to think about the future, and if you’d like to change something. The counsellors are there every day, and there are lots of ways to contact us.