Alex's Answer

Hi, welcome to Ask Alex and thanks for getting in touch. 

You are wondering if there is a limit to how many times you can chat with Childline as you have no one close to you who you can speak to about your worries and stresses.  

We are sorry to hear that you don’t think that you have anyone to talk to about how you are feeling. We want to reassure you that there is no limit on the number of times you get in contact with Childline. We are here to listen to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Also, you don’t need to have a “problem” to get in contact with us, you can chat to us about anything from your favourite hobbies, your relationships, how you feel about certain topics to any fears and concerns you may have or challenges you are facing. Sometimes young people worry that the issue they want to talk about isn’t serious enough or that they are wasting Childline’s time; this is, quite simply, not true. 

Childline is happy to chat about whatever is going on for you and no problem is too big or too small!   

You stated in your question that you don’t have anyone close to you and haven’t been able to talk to anyone about how you are feeling. We are sorry to hear that and well done on reaching out to Ask Alex with your question. We are wondering if you would consider speaking to someone about how you are feeling, even if you don’t believe that you have a close relationship with them. Sometimes speaking to a person we don’t know that well can be easier to do than speaking with people we are close to, and it’s a great first step towards getting the help and support we need. The person could be someone outside of your family such as a school counsellor or youth worker. Also, we are wondering if you would consider speaking to someone within your family such as a parent, grandparent, big brother, or sister. 

If you are nervous about how the first conversation will go, it may be an idea to write your feelings down in a journal or practice the conversation in front of the mirror. You might be surprised by the support that you receive when you are brave enough to open up and share your feelings with a trusted adult. 

In the meantime, Childline is always here to support you with whatever you are going through. 

You can contact any of our Childline services which are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are free and they are confidential.   

The Childline website (https://www.childline.ie/) has lots of articles about current issues that you may like to read. The website also has information on your rights as a child, your privacy and protecting your data. There is an advice and information section as well as the Ask Alex service!  

The most important thing for you to know is that no matter what you say or ask, you will not be judged nor you will not be told what to do when you get in touch with Childline. You will be listened to by someone who cares about what is going on for you.  

Now that you know there is no limit to the number of times you can contact us, please feel very welcome to get in touch again. Thanks for taking the time to write to us.  

Take care, 

Alex