Reaching out can be difficult, and some people struggle with when to ask for help and how to go about doing so. The following will discuss when and how to reach out, as well as the benefits of asking for help.

• You should ask for help when you're ready. There is no rush, take your time and only share what you want to when you feel ready to.
• You should ask for help when you feel as though what you are going through is taking up a lot of your thoughts, or decreasing your quality of day-to-day life. You should seek help immediately if you feel you are a danger to yourself or others. If you are in a crisis now, look at the 'Currently in crisis' section of TeenHelp's Safety Zone (click here).
• Choose someone you trust to reach out to. It is very important to choose someone you trust to confide in, as it is likely you are planning to share deeply personal information. If you want to build up trust with someone while working on easing your anxiety about confiding in someone, try slowly introducing small topics before you get into the larger one you'd like to discuss.
• Consider how you would like to tell someone. While some people are comfortable with verbally sharing information, others are not.
  • You can write a note; this allows you to process your thoughts and think about what you want to say.
  • You can use the note in your conversation, or you can give the note in its entirety to the person you want to confide in.
  • If you want to talk to someone verbally, plan a time to have a conversation. You can ask them to find a time to talk, so they will remember and bring it up later, or you can bring it up yourself.
  • You can also speak to someone in a public place if you are nervous about their reaction.
• If you do not feel as though you have anyone in your life to reach out to, or if you have reached out and would like to talk to your peers, try some of TeenHelp's features. You can use the Support Forums, Chat Room, HelpLINK, Live Help, or the Blogs for instance.
• Reaching out allows you to lift some weight off of your shoulders. You do not have to do this alone; sharing with someone can be a healthy emotional release. You may also find that you can relate to some people, and being open about what you're experiencing allows you to work on getting through it, whether you speak to a professional or use self-help techniques.

Find out more about how you can reach out below.