Seeking Support
It's OKAY to
reach out
With the daily demands of our lives, we may sometimes feel stressed, worried, or even sad. It is common to feel this way and we are not alone in experiencing them. When things start to feel overwhelming, it’s okay to reach out for support.
Inspired by real events, here are stories of everyday youth taking the
first step to reach out for support. Listen now.
Understanding
what it means
to reach out
Connecting with others
Reaching out can mean connecting with someone we trust. It can be a friend, a loved one, a counsellor or even a healthcare professional. When we talk about our thoughts and feelings with someone else, we often realise we are not alone.
Supporting others
We also play an important role in supporting others, such as our fellow peers. Pick up conversation tips that can help us support them with empathy and care.
Misconceptions about reaching out
We may be hesitant to reach out for support due to some misconceptions that may be holding us back from seeking the support we need.
Why is it
important to reach out for support?
There are different ways we can reach out. We can read up on self-care tips, text a loved one, healthcare professional, or lend a helping hand to others.
Whatever method we choose, reaching out for support can help us in the following ways:
When we are going through a tough time, reaching out to someone, or getting new information and knowledge, can give us a different perspective or new insights.
Reaching out and talking to others can help us relieve pent-up frustrations or worries. Talking to someone we trust can help us sort out our feelings and make us feel better.
There may be times when our problems could feel too much for us to handle on our own. But we are not alone. There are many people around us who can support us.
Sometimes, we just need to reach out in order for them to know how to support us. Feeling a sense of belonging and connectedness to others during difficult times can be a great comfort.
What are the common signs that we should be reaching out for support?
When we feel that we are experiencing mood swings
When we start having negative thoughts
When we feel that we are going through changes in our behaviour
When we feel that our physical health is starting to get affected
How can we reach
out for support?
It can be difficult to talk about our struggles and feelings when we are feeling overwhelmed. Know that we are not alone and there is help and support available, including confidential avenues if we need a safe space to speak to someone.
We could ask ourselves who we feel most comfortable to share our struggles with. This is someone we would feel most comfortable talking to.
They can be a family member, a friend, or a healthcare professional.
Start with something like:
“Hey, there’s something I’d like to talk with you about. It’s kind of important to me and I’m wondering if you could make some time.”
Sometimes we may simply want a listening ear. At other times, we might need emotional support, or practical help instead. It’s okay if we don’t know, but it helps to think about what we would like to achieve.
We can try to:
Pen down what we want to share to help us direct our focus towards finding the outcome we want.
Choosing an environment that we feel comfortable in can help us feel more relaxed, making it easier to open up.
We can also schedule a time so that we can have an uninterrupted conversation.
Try saying:
“I’m wondering if you have a few minutes for us to talk today.”
“Is there a good time that I could call you this evening?”
We don’t have to share about every feeling we have but observing our emotions, acknowledging them, and identifying why we feel them is healthy and a good practice.
If we are not ready to talk yet, we could write down what we are feeling through text or email to someone whom we feel comfortable with.
Try saying:
“I’m not feeling like my usual self.”
“I’m having thoughts that are troubling me.”
It’s alright not to know why we feel a certain way.
Once we accept what we feel, we can be more candid with ourselves in understanding our emotions.
During the conversation, it might take us a few tries to express what we feel or need.
The first step is the hardest – commend ourselves for the effort.
We can try to:
Express what we are feeling even if we are unable to fully explain the reason why we’re feeling that way (e.g. “I feel angry, but I don’t know why.”)
Sometimes, others may not know what we need from them. It can be good to be direct about our needs, so the other person can better understand how to try and help us.
Clarify our needs by saying:
“I just need a listening ear.”
“I would like to hear your opinion or suggestion.”
“I am feeling down, I need your company.”
“Can you help me?”
Sometimes, the person we’re speaking to may not respond in a manner we hoped they would. They may have the best of intentions but may not know how to provide us with the comfort we need.
It’s important not to let their reaction or response discourage us.
We can try to:
Identify another person who can respond to our needs.
Opening ourselves up is a brave and strong act. Be proud that we’ve taken the first step to reach out.
After the conversation, we could also reach out to our supporters to thank them for their time and let them know how important the conversation was to us.
This gives them an opportunity to continue the dialogue with us going forward.
Try saying:
“Thank you for taking the time to speak with me the other day. It really was important for me to let you know how I was feeling.”
The journey to reaching out may not always be easy.
No matter how big our problem is, don’t give up in getting the support we need, because it can get better over time.
We can try to:
Continue to practise self-care to keep us going
Mental healthcare
professionals
who can
provide support
There are different types of mental healthcare professionals we can reach out to for support.
Seek mental health resources & services
Not sure where to seek support? Trying the tools below can help us find suitable mental health resources or tools for our needs.
Mental health services
Belle, Beyond the Label helpbot, is an interactive platform for users to find mental health resources and services in a private and convenient manner. If you or anyone you know is overwhelmed with stress or anxiety, you may find the help you need via Belle.
Get access to Belle
You may also visit here for more mental health resources or download the list of community mental health services including your nearest GP here.
Social Workers
(e.g. Family Service Centres)