I am having some friend troubles. I don’t feel appreciated. I don’t think my friends give back as much as I give. It makes me feel lonely and like giving up! I’m even worried about sharing how I feel because I know they would be mad at me. is that fair? I don’t know what to do – please help me.
THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW:
- Thank you for writing into TeenCentral and sharing your story with our community. We are sorry to hear that you are going through such a hurtful moment in time. Here are some things to consider while you working through this difficult moment.
- First and foremost, your safety comes before anything. You wrote, “I’m lonely and I feel like giving up!” If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts you can find a number of support lines on our HELP tab including this one:
National Suicide Hotline: Available 24/7 – DIAL or TEXT 988 – or CHAT at 988lifeline.org.
- You can also find a great new post on our WHATS NEW tab about talking about suicide.
- Consider connecting to someone positive and supportive in your life. Even if you’ve tried this before, keep your eyes for someone who could fill this role for you. If not your parents, this could be a teacher, family member, family friend, religious leader, coach, therapist, or counselor. The key to building resilience, or the ability to bounce back from adversity is to have strong adult supports throughout your youth. We hear you that you are on a waiting list for therapy, and your parents don’t care for mental health, which is why it is even more important to connect to another supportive person who can give you guidance and support IRL to count on. Any healthy relationship is a two-way street, requiring a little give-and-take.
THINGS TO CONSIDER AS YOU WORK THROUGH THIS:
- We encourage you to learn more about the depression you are experiencing right now, you can find some useful help on our LEARN tab or right here on the NAMI website.
- Try checking out our TOOLS tab for some helpful ways to navigate the difficulties you are having with your peers. We have a Good Friend/Toxic Friend tool, Conflict Conversation Organizer, and Making Hard Decisions.
- Lastly, try to find some ways to cope with the feelings of rejection, depression, and negative self-talk that you are currently experiencing. You may have to do a little trial and error to figure out what works for you. Try guided journaling questions, reading, creating something artistic, physical exercise, grounding techniques, or walking out in nature and practicing mindfulness.
- Just one other tip: consider the topic of toxic friendships by reading HERE, and test some of your friendships for toxicity by using THIS TOOL. This might be helpful to you.
