It may be scary to talk about how you are feeling so these tips may help:
Most importantly shame doesn’t like us to tell anyone anything, so if it is hard to speak to a trusted adult the following may help:
Choose your time
If someone is busy then they may not have time to listen to you. Ask if you can go for a walk with them later or if you can do some cooking together.
How to tell
Some people find it easier to write down how they are feeling. You can write on a piece of paper that you are worried about talking about it and give that to your parents or carers. If you are better at talking but are still a little scared, you can start by saying you are worried about how they may respond and that you need their help.
Not wanting to make things worse
You may feel you don’t want to talk as you are worried that you may upset your parents or carers or you may be in trouble. Your parents or carers will want to know if you are worried and will want to help you, they may not have all the answers but can help you to find out how to make things better.
Small steps
You don’t have to discuss everything at once. You may want to just start off with how you are feeling. It may be that once you start talking to you parent’s things will just flow.
Parents understand
Believe it or not your parents were your age once… They have also been given information that may help them understand how you are feeling. Parents may not have all the answers, but they may be able to help you to get additional support.
Talking to your parents and carers really does help – trying to pretend everything is okay can be really tiring and make you feel sad.
If you are not sure how to tell people how you are feeling, Childline may be able to help you.