Alex's Answer

Hi there,  

Thank you so much for reaching out to us, you are really brave opening up about how you are feeling at the moment.  

You are asking why you are ugly.   It sounds like you are feeling very down, and we are glad that you contacted us. It also sounds like you are hard on yourself. It is important to know that everyone is beautiful and unique in their own way.  

You deserve to feel good about yourself and sometimes doing so takes a little work. It can be helpful making a list of all the things you like about yourself; you could even ask your trusted friends and family members what they appreciate about you and add their comments to your list too. Whenever you are feeling down about yourself, read that list to remember all the wonderful qualities you have that make you unique.  

If you feel that you have something else triggering these thoughts and feelings, it is important for you to know that you have a right to talk to a trusted adult and to receive support around how you are feeling. Do you have an adult who you feel comfortable talking to about other things going on in your life? Would you be able to talk about these feelings with them too?  

There are organisations where you can find support and information about body image, BodyWhys (www.bodywhysbodyimage.ie/) and SpunOut (spunout.ie/voices/advice/body-image-body-positivity). Also, the Childline website has this article www.childline.ie/my-body/ which you may find helpful.  

You have the option of contacting us at Childline on our 24-hour listening service too. Childline is always here to listen and support you. You can call Childline on 1800 66 66 66 or chat to us on our webchat service oat www.childline.ie (just click the orange Live Chat button). Our Childline service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we are always here to listen to you about whatever is going on. You do not have to feel alone, we are here for you whenever you are ready to chat. 

Take care, and thanks again for reaching out. 

Alex