Pat's Answer
I'm sorry to bother you, I just need somebody to hear me
Your Question
Dear whoever is reading this, I’m sorry to bother you. I just need someone to hear me out. I will be turning 18 soon and life feels… Depressing. Now I’m not clinically depressed or suicidal or anything like that! I’m just feeling down…I just feel sad because I’m gonna have to spend the best years of my life.. Stuck at home. Social distancing Face Masks Lockdowns Hand Sanitisers It’s not fair. No one knows how long this pandemic will last…I like spending time at home, don’t get me wrong, I’ve a lovely family, but I feel trapped… I’ll probably never get my driving license at this point because they keep shutting the test centres down… I’ll never get the proper experience of third level education… Maybe I’ll never date anyone again, how could you… No wants to risk getting infected… Will I never get to go shopping again… Like in a real shop… Not online… And the masks… No one can see each other anymore…. I understand that everyone else is going through the same thing… And everything was fine with me, up until now, just before my birthday…. Heck, it’ll be a struggle for me to find a place to buy a birthday cake and candles… Everything. Is. Shut. I’m not writing because I want the stupid cake… I want to feel like this will end at some point…And I do realise that no one knows when this will end… But how can I stay positive? Thank you if you have read my rant.
Answer
Hello, welcome to Ask Pat. ​
We are always here to listen and chat in Childline when you need to talk or be heard.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us. We are sorry to hear that you feel your life is depressing and you are feeling down. You are very brave and have taken a great step forward in talking about the difficulties you are facing in coping with COVID-19 and the restrictions put in place on your life.
You feel that you are missing out on so many important milestones, events, friendships, and life experiences and are concerned about others in your life being infected. You are feeling sad due to COVID-19 restrictions and not knowing what the future may hold for your opportunities of meeting a partner, third level education and achieving your goal in getting your driving licence. Your 18th birthday is a big milestone and you had expectations for celebrating with friends and family. It is understandable you are feeling sad and down.
You have a right to seek help and support about your thoughts and feelings, and everything you have been experiencing due to COVID-19 restrictions on your life. You mentioned that you have a lovely family, have you spoken to a family member or sought support from someone you trust such as an aunt, uncle, teacher or youth group leader about how you are feeling? We know that it can be hard to open-up to someone who is close to us, so maybe talking to somebody outside of your family who you are comfortable talking to might help you at first. You have a right to feel supported and heard.
You say you want to know how you can stay positive and it is important for your own mental wellbeing that you get the help and support that you deserve. There are organisations that might be of help to you, such as:Â www.jigsaw.ie;Â www.yourmentalhealth.ie; www.spunout.ie These are just some of the websites you may like to look at or that may help you understand what is going on for you or can offer direction in how to avail of other supports. The ISPCC Childline website has some information too which you may like to look at: www.childline.ie/childline-covid-19-resilience-hub/ .
You are welcome to talk by phone on 1800 66 66 66 or text on 50101 or through web chat on www.childline with Childline. These services are open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. They are free and confidential. Childline is here for you whenever you would like to talk, or chat and we really would love to listen to you.
We hope that you find some of the above supports helpful. Remember, we in Childline are always here to listen and hear you. Thank you for reaching out and describing what is going on for you.
We hope to hear from you soon,
Pat