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Sex Emergency Health Young People's Health Clinics Pregnancy All Mixed Up Drugs & Alcohol Healthy Living All Mixed Up How you feel influences your behaviour and affects how you manage and plan your life. For example, feeling under stress at school can affect how you study. Being bullied at work may stop you doing your job as well as you could. There could be many reasons why you feel or behave the way you do. This section has advice and information on:   emotions   bullying (and cyber bullying)   stress   self-harm   eating disorders   depression   suicidal thoughts   keeping a healthy mind Information, advice and support about all of these, and other, issues is available from: Connexions Direct www.connexions-direct.com – 080 800 13-2-19 (or text: 077664 13-2-19) Childline www.childline.org.uk – help line: 0800 1111 Samaritans www.samaritans.org.uk - call 08457 9090 90 There4me www.there4me.com Emotions Everyone feels down from time to time. Living with your emotions can sometimes feel like a rollercoaster ride. When this happens it's important to seek help. It can be easier to see things more clearly with support and guidance. You may be worried that your difficulties are too serious to tell someone else about – or you may feel your worries are too small to get help. Don’t worry either way. Should you feel unable to talk to your family or a teacher, there may be others who can help. These include Connexions personal advisers, youth workers and staff at young people’s clinics and drop-in centres (see Your Town/Area for addresses). Bullying Bullying can take place at school, college, work or at home. Bullying can make you so frightened that you pretend to be ill to avoid being bullied. Bullying includes:   people calling you names   making things up to get you into trouble   hitting, pinching, biting, pushing and shoving   taking things from you   damaging your belongings   stealing your money   taking your friends from you   spreading rumours   threats and intimidation   making silent or abusive phone calls   sending you threatening texts   posting insulting messages on a website forum or message board You don’t have to accept bullying. Although some young people try to accept bullying as a way of life, and try to carry on, ignoring it doesn’t always work. What you can do If you want to beat the bullies some of the best things to try are:   telling someone you trust. What about a teacher, parent, carer or friend?   trying to ignore the person bullying you   trying to stay in a group and avoid going places by yourself. That way you are not such an easy target   making sure your body language is confident (and standing tall!)   keeping a diary of what happens. Who was involved? When did it happen? What did they do?   asking your school about its bullying policy Advice about bullying Bullying UK www.bullying.co.uk - advice and tips about being bullied. Don’t Suffer in Silence www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying - advice about bullying from the government Kidscape www.kidscape.org.uk - charity dedicated to preventing bullying and child sexual abuse Trouble at Work www.troubleatwork.org.uk – covers bullying at work Cyber bullying Cyber bullying is when someone aims to threaten, tease or embarrass somebody else by using a mobile phone, the internet or another from of technology. This includes:   email   instant messengers and chatrooms   social networking sites   mobile phones   interactive gaming (by abusing, threatening players and locking out of games)   sending viruses   abusing personal information (posting photos, emails and blogs without permission) Although cyber bullying cannot physically hurt you, it can still leave you leave you feeling vulnerable and very upset. You can also feel scared, lonely and stressed and that there’s no way out. Stress Everyone feels "stressed out" at times. Often this is caused by:   problems with families, friends, girl and boy friends   difficult situations at school, college or work Three of the most stressful things for young people are:   exams (see STUDYING & REVISION)   money (see MONEY)   friends (see RELATIONSHIPS) Here are some things you can do to beat stress:   take time out to listen to some of your favourite music (and do nothing else!)   exercise (helps both to de-stress and keep you fit)   walk or cycle rather than catch a bus   go and see your mates (rather than phoning them)   learn a new skill or sport   talk to someone you trust If you feel you are getting stressed and unable to cope, and you don’t feel able to talk to your family or a teacher, there are other people you can talk to such as a Connexions personal adviser or youth worker. Self-harm Self- harm describes a range of things that people do to themselves which causes direct and immediate harm to the body. This includes:   repeated cutting of the skin, usually on the arms   burning   scalding   scratching   swallowing or inserting harmful objects   self-poisoning Young People and Self Harm www.selfharm.org.uk - a good source of advice about self-harm. Eating disorders Worries about eating are increasing among young people. It can be a lonely and worrying experience. There are several different types of eating disorder including:   anorexia nervosa   bulimia nervosa   compulsive (or binge) eating Some people might experience symptoms of more than one of these disorders. There are also other varieties which you may hear referred to as EDNOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified). Somerset and Wessex Eating Disorders Association www.swedauk.org – has lots of useful information on its web site. The association also runs a helpline on 01458 448600 Beating Eating Disorders (BEAT) www.b-eat.co.uk – information and advice about eating disorders. Helpline for young people: 0845 634 7650 Depression We all get down at one time or another. It could be because of a break-up or the loss of someone you love. You may feel sad, fed up and helpless but people react in different ways. It’s normal to feel stressed, anxious, lonely or that no-one understands us. For most young people these feelings come and go. But, if this goes on for a long time, it can stop you getting on with your life. Depression can be caused by:   someone close to you being ill or dying   worrying about how you look   feeling guilty or responsible for someone else's behaviour   worrying about your sexuality   feeling left out or not being part of a group   moving or leaving home   feeling useless and worthless   arguing with friends or family   having a parent or carer who is depressed or worried about other things   changes in your family or becoming part of a new family   thinking things will never get better   having trouble with your boyfriend, girlfriend or a close friend   worrying about exams or getting disappointing results   being bullied at school or elsewhere   someone close moving away   feeling you have no-one to talk to or that no-one understands you   you being abused You maybe depressed if you are:   feeling life is not worth living   worrying about things   feeling lazy or bored and often tired   not wanting to go out   lying or making up stories   crying a lot   eating a lot more or a lot less than usual   moody, irritable or snappy   having trouble sleeping or having bad dreams   feeling like harming yourself   stealing things or getting into trouble   feeling no-one likes you or people are talking behind your back   not concentrating on your work   daydreaming Ways to help yourself When you are depressed it’s important to find a way to cope. You might find it good to:.   make a tape of your favourite music   do some drawing or painting   write things down in a diary   write a poem or song   listen to some music   watch something you enjoy on TV   get outside in the fresh air   try a sport, something like dancing or just go for a walk   eat regularly and as healthily as you can Talking to someone you like and trust might also help. They may be able to bring along somebody else or phone someone for advice if you don’t want to do it yourself. Samaritans www.samaritans.org – can offer support 24 hours a day if you find yourself feeling very depressed or suicidal. Call 0845 790 9090. Suicidal thoughts Lots of young people feel suicidal at some point. Suicidal thoughts can come into your head for no reason at all. This can be frightening and sometimes happens because certain chemicals in your brain are not working properly. This causes you to feel very low and depressed. You may be feeling suicidal because something has happened to you such as:   splitting up with someone   being bullied   feeling ashamed of something you have done   feeling ashamed of something that was not your fault   someone close to you has died   not getting the exam results you wanted   feeling confused about your sexuality   feeling you can’t live up to other people’s expectations   problems at home   someone close to you has attempted or actually committed suicide   you have been using drugs or drinking heavily Just like physical illness, emotional health problems can vary from mild to serious. Anxiety and depression are very common and both can be successfully treated. But depression can kill if suicidal thoughts get the better of you. What kind of person feels suicidal? Many young people who think about taking their own lives...   are very sensitive to failure or criticism   set themselves targets which are difficult to achieve   cannot cope well with disappointment   find it difficult to admit to having problems   find it hard to tell others how they are feeling So what can you do? Tell someone you trust what you are feeling. If you find it difficult to talk you could write it down and send a letter, email or text s. You should also consider getting help with the problems which may be causing your depression. And remember the Samaritans www.samaritans.org can offer support 24 hours a day if you find yourself feeling very depressed or suicidal. Call 0845 790 9090. Keeping a healthy mind Most of us, at some time, will experience some type of psychological problem. And if anyone asks how we are, we usually say we are fine. It's easier to say that and means no one has to deal with any embarrassing emotional stuff. Research shows that mental illnesses affect 1 in 4 of us at some point in our lives. Mental illnesses include:   depression   Schizophrenia   anxiety   obsessions   phobias There are many misconceptions about mental illness and much ignorance. If you do have a problem, it's probably better to talk about it rather than bottling it up. Psychosis is a general term for mental health problems that can make someone lose contact with reality. It can seriously effect how someone thinks, feels and behaves. Help and advice about mental illness Sane Line www.sane.org.uk - information and support to anyone suffering from mental health problems. Helpline: 0845 767 8000 Rethink www.rethink.org - provides help on dealing with severe mental illness. Helpline: 020 8974 6814 Young Minds www.youngminds.org.uk – charity working to improve the mental health of children and young people Papyrus www.papyrus-uk.org – works to prevent young suicide and promote emotional wellbeing For Mental Health www.fmhsussex.co.uk - information on mental health for young men. Mind www.mind.org.uk - information and support for anyone who is experiencing mental or emotional distress. Helpline: 0845 766 01643 Mindline Somerset www.mindtws.org.uk - helpline 01823 276892 MDF: The BiPolar Organisation www.mdf.org.uk – support for bipolar manic depression)sufferers. Helpline: 08456 340 540 Maze Advocacy www.mazeadvocacy.net - advocacy for young people in emotional or mental distress. Helpline: 0800 970 9883 (or text 07806 444 353) Return to top of page Make text larger Make text smaller Text Only Display Disclaimer