Help Available - For YOU!
Everyone has occasions when they feel sad or lonely, but if your problems are overwhelming you, it is time to ask for help.
Some kids feel:
- unloved
- threatened
- they don’t belong
- overwhelmed
- bullied
- vulnerable
- hopeless
- lonely
- sad
- emotional
- afraid
- there are too many problems
- self-inflicted pain will make them feel better, but it doesn’t.
You are not the only one that feels this way. You can feel better.
If you could be brave just one time, you could talk to someone about your feelings and ask them to help you. Sometimes even the people closest to you don’t know how awful it is for you right now.
Who To Ask For Help:
A friend who can be with you and help find you someone to talk to.
A trusted adult – a parent, grandparent, other relative, teacher, coach, church pastor, someone else’s parent.
A help-line – they are listed in the front pages of the phone book or online. Kids Help Phone is 1-800-668-6868 and there is also 310-1234 (no area code) and you may find others in your own community.
A doctor – even a walk-in clinic doctor can listen to you and assist you in finding ways to feel better.
Once you reach out, you can start to feel better! It’s true! If your feelings are really overwhelming you, you may be referred to a counsellor. This is someone who is an expert in helping kids with these kinds of feelings. They have good ideas and they are great listeners!
Once you start to get help from an expert, here are some ways you can also help yourself:
- Occupy your time with positive activities. If you like music, listen to it. If you like to draw, get some art supplies ready. If you like to watch comedy movies, grab a stack of DVDs to have on hand.
- Create a safety box. When you are feeling really low, take out the box and put yourself in a spot where nothing else is around you. The safety box can include some of those feel good activities, like art supplies or CDs, but it can also include some phone numbers of people who will listen to you or slips of paper that include notes so you can be reminded of how valuable you are.
- Write in a diary. If you unload all your feelings onto the page, it’s like sharing it with a friend.
- Take medication if you need it, but only under a doctor’s supervision. Do not self medicate.
- Keep appointments with people who are helping you.
- Surround yourself with positive people.
One time that you can help yourself feel better or avoid self-harm – that’s a success! Feeling better is not too big a task. One step at a time gets you over the hill of sadness. People do understand. You are loved. Start the journey to self-love instead of self-harm.
Think your friend might need help? Are they harming themselves? Sometimes young people think that pain will make the feelings of sadness or hopelessness go away. It doesn’t, but it can be a very difficult habit to break. It is very dangerous to their health and can be a real problem to overcome. Get help for your friend right away if you see any of this going on!
- Long-sleeves in warm weather.
- Lists of their possessions, possibly with names next to them for who should get them if they die.
- Goodbye notes or in-person goodbyes that last a long time or seem weird and out of proportion to what’s happening.
- Lots of private time in their room and long prep time to answer the door.
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