Talking to your family, a friend or a loved one
Sometimes loved ones and families can be a really good source of support. Ask yourself these questions to help you work out who you might talk to in your family:
- will they give me a hard time?
- will they make me more upset?
- can they help me or find me support?
- do I want to talk to someone who is not involved in the situation?
You may not want to tell everyone in your family what you are going through. There might be someone close to you who can offer support. They might have gone through tough times in the past and have good advice for you.
I wouldn’t talk to anyone in my family
There may be reasons why you do not want to talk to your family. Sometimes families can cause a lot of distress. Even if they are understanding, you might find it difficult to talk to them. If you don’t want to speak to your family, try talking to a GP, your friends or Samaritans on 116 123.
There are other people to talk to
Your friends are often really good people to talk to when you are having a tough time. You might find out they have been through similar difficult times themselves. Some friends might be better at this than others. Figuring out the right person to talk to can be hard. Ask yourself these questions:
- will they give me a hard time?
- will they make me more upset?
- can they help or find someone to help?
- do I want to talk to someone who is not involved in the situation?
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Counselling or therapy
Some of your friends might have spoken to someone such as a psychologist before. They might be able to help you find someone to talk to and explain what it’s like.
Everyone is different and the person who helped your friend might not be right for you. If you talk to a counsellor and it doesn’t feel right, try another one, or another service. You’ll find someone you’re comfortable with.
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