Alex's Answer

Hi there,  

Thank you so much for reaching and explaining to us what is going on for you. 

Sharing with us that you are feeling depressed is a really good start, and there are lots of things that can help with depression. 

Depression can look and feel different for everyone. For you, when you say you are feeling depressed what does that look like for you, what are your feelings, and how long do these feelings last for? As depression affects us all differently and lasts differently with each of us, different things can help us, when we are all feeling depressed. We are all individuals that our moods change and what we do can impact our decisions. Have you shared this anyone, about how you are feeling, you have been great at sharing it with us, do you feel there is anyone in your family/friend group that you can share this with as well? 

With depression, self-awareness is a key point, questions we can ask ourselves are how long we have been feeling like this, was there an event that started the feeling, is there an environment that you are in that is impacting this, are there people you socialise with that trigger this. Sometimes, keeping a mood journal can assist you in managing when you are feeling like this, and another technique that can assist sometimes is connection with someone, or even connection to outdoors, going out to have a walk, run. 

Depression sometimes requires an intervention by a professional to assist you, have you considered this? Even talking to someone. There are services available to you to chat to whenever you are ready. These include Aware (www.aware.ie) , TURN2ME (www.turn2me.org ), and Pieta House (www.pieta.ie ). 

Remember that you are not alone. If you ever need to talk or need help finding resource here at Childline, there is a team of people ready to listen to you whenever you are ready to share your thoughts and feelings. We are available 24 hour a day, 7 days a week. You can contact us via phone: 1800 66 66 66, or through our webchat at www.childline.ie. You can start a chat at any time by clicking on the Orange Tab on the right-hand side of your screen.   

Thanks again for contacting us, and give yourself a thank you as well, for reaching out, the first step of saying this is a great thing to do. 

Take care of yourself,  

Alex