Need to talk? Samaritans are there to listen 24/7

Do you worry that friends, family or colleagues will not understand or do you not want to burden them?

Marie, the new Director of Ballymena Samaritans said: “Talking about your feelings at an early stage is vital to maintaining your mental health and wellbeing. It is never to early to tell someone how you are feeling. Samaritans gives you a safe place to talk about what is going on in your life. Our well trained volunteers will listen and will allow you the space to work through all of your opinions. Everything you say is confidential and you can contact us on 116 123 and the calls are Free.”

Things to look out for in yourself when you’re finding everyday life hard. - Maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you’re not feeling okay – just not yourself. You might be feeling tired more often, be feeling emotional, and you might not want to do the things that you usually enjoy right now.

Struggling to cope with everyday life doesn’t look or feel the same in everyone. Everyone copes differently. Asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness. Samaritans are there to listen. You can call them on 116 123 or email at [email protected]

Marie said: “People contact Samaritans with all sorts of concerns and what might be a small issue to you may be huge to someone else. You could be going through something new or have been struggling to cope for some time, either way, we’re here if you feel you need some extra support. Everyone feels low at some point in their lives and if you’re struggling to cope it may be difficult to see beyond your current situation. Talking about how you’re feeling can help put things into perspective and help you to feel more positive about the future.”

Samaritans won’t make decisions for you and they will support the decisions you make. You are the expert on your own life. If you want advice, they may be able to give you contact details for organisations that specialise in helping with specific problems and situations.

When things return to “normal” Ballymena Samaritans has a very strong outreach team, going out to schools, clubs, in fact any organisation that invites Samaritans to come and talk about the work they do. If you would like to find out more about the service contact the Ballymena branch on 028 2564 4846 daily between 7.30pm and 10.00pm or e-mail [email protected]