When we talk about positive mental wellbeing, we often hear the phrase: “It’s good to talk”. It’s an easy thing to remember, but sometimes it can be hard to recognise the benefits of talking to others about our feelings.
Here are just some of the many ways talking can help you cope during a difficult time:
Talking through your feelings can help you understand them
By giving you a chance to use words to explain how you feel, talking can help you explore your mood and emotions. In turn, this can help you understand why you feel this way, and what you can do to improve your mental wellbeing.
Bottling up negative feelings can make things worse
Sometimes, people feel ashamed of talking about their emotions. They might even want to hide them. However, keeping dark or depressing thoughts to ourselves can actually make things worse for us. It allows us to constantly think about the upsetting feelings without interruption which creates an unchallenged negative loop in our brains.
By opening up to someone you trust, you can express yourself in a healthy and constructive way and hopefully find a solution to the problem you’re facing.
Getting another point of view can help you see things differently
When we keep our feelings and problems to ourselves, they can seem a lot worse than they are. Talking through the challenges you’re facing and how you feel about them allows you to understand it from someone else’s perspective. For example, a friend might help you see that a problem you have might be easier to deal with than you think.
In other cases, another person might notice that you’re feeling a lot worse than you realise and help you find support.
Who should I talk to?
- A parent or carer
- A good friend who will keep a secret
- A teacher or guidance counsellor
- A professional listening service like Childline
If you don’t feel ready to talk to someone face-to-face yet, don’t worry. Even writing about how you’re feeling can help you make sense of things. Spending more time with people and doing things you enjoy can help to take your mind off things too.
Whenever you need to talk, Childline is ready to listen. Call 1800 66 66 66, send a text to 50101 or chat online at Childline.ie, 24 hours a day, every day.
