Friends

Friends can make things more fun, and help cheer you up when you feel down. But sometimes friends can upset you. It can be hard to know what to do, but we have advice to help.

friendship problems

Friends upsetting you

Your friends could be leaving you out of games and fun, ignoring you, being mean or talking about you when you are not there.

Falling out with friends

If you've had an argument or feel hurt by your friends, it can be really worrying. Sometimes you might feel caught in between 2 friends who have fallen out.

Worrying about a friend

There could be lots of reasons you might worry about a friend. You could worry that they're in danger, or they're behaving differently.

Missing a friend

Sometimes things in life change. You might miss a friend if your family has moved away, or your friend has moved to a new school.

Sometimes it can be hard to make friends and it can take time. It may be upsetting when people aren’t as friendly to you as you'd like. You may feel left out at play time and feel lonely at school. You could also feel shy about talking to new people or joining in a game.

If you're feeling this way, you could try:

watching games at first, then thinking of ways that you can join in to make them more fun
looking for ways to include others who could also be feeling left out
talking to a safe adult about what makes you feel worried - they might be able to help you find ways to start talking to people
talking to Childline about what's worrying you - we have advice and tips to help.

Talking about your feelings can really help. However you're feeling, you don’t have to go through it alone, Childline is always here for you.

Illustration of a dog holding a speech bubble with the words speak out

If you're worried about friends, talking can make things better. Find out how to speak out and stay safe.

Find out how

What you can do

Try talking to your friend

It might feel difficult, but telling your friend how they're making you feel can really help.

Choose somewhere quiet and safe to talk, where others won't be able to hear you.

Give it time

Sometimes it can help to take some time to think about what's happened. Try to think how your friend might be feeling, and if they know how you feel.

friends wouldn't let me
join in
but talking to Childline helped

Worried? Call us on 0800 1111 or chat online

Ways to feel better

Bear Hug

Hugs are great - they can comfort us when we're feeling upset. There may not always be a safe person to hug, but the good news is that you can always hug yourself.

Cross your arms in front of you and reach around your body until the palms of your hands are touching your sides.

Squeeze tight for 5 seconds. Take a 5 second break. Squeeze for 5 more seconds. You can repeat this as much as you like.