Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Sometimes it can be difficult to understand our thoughts and feelings. You've done the right thing by coming here to talk them through. Talking about things that worry and confuse us is a good way to start to understand them. 

I can hear that the feelings around wanting to run away are especially difficult to understand as things between you and your friends are getting better and you get along with your family. You haven’t told me about what problems you did have with your friends, but it sounds like whatever happened was upsetting. When people go through difficult times they can get stressed and emotionally exhausted. Even when things start to get better the impact of what happened can still have a big effect on how you feel about yourself and your mood in general. 

I’m wondering whether you’ve had the opportunity to talk through the difficult time you’ve been through recently with your friends. This is a very valuable and important part of starting to feel better and happier. Perhaps this is something you could do with a counsellor at ChildLine. 

There are many different symptoms that might mean you’re depressed. We have some more information about depression and feeling sad which you might want to look at. You might have a few questions once you’ve looked at it and you could talk these through with a ChildLine counsellor whenever you are ready.

If you ever think you are going to run away it’s important to think about how you’ll keep yourself safe first. It would be a good idea for you to contact a ChildLine counsellor before leaving home so you can talk to someone about your feelings and your plans. You can call ChildLine for free on 0800 1111 from any phone. You might also find our page on homelessness and running away useful.

Take care,
Sam