MindSG - Seeking Support
An informative site encouraging people to seek support when feeling overwhelmed, explaining why and how to reach out, with access to mental health resources.
Seeking Support
It's OKAY to
reach out
With the daily
demands of our lives, we may sometimes feel stressed, worried, or even
sad. It is common to feel this way and we are not alone in experiencing
them. When things start to feel overwhelming, it’s okay to reach
out for support.
Inspired by real events, here are stories
of everyday youth taking the first step to reach out
for support. Listen now.
Understanding
what it means
to reach out
Connecting with others
Reaching out can mean connecting with someone we trust. It can be a friend, a loved one, a counsellor or even a healthcare professional. When we talk about our thoughts and feelings with someone else, we often realise we are not alone.
Supporting others
We also play an important role in supporting others, such as our fellow peers. Pick up conversation tips that can help us support them with empathy and care.
Misconceptions about reaching out
We may be hesitant to reach out for support due to some misconceptions that may be holding us back from seeking the support we need.
Why is it
important
to reach out for support?
There are different ways we can reach out.
We can read up on self-care tips, text a loved one, healthcare professional, or
lend a helping hand to others.
Whatever method we choose, reaching out for support can help us in the
following ways:
When we are going through a tough time, reaching out to someone, or getting new information and knowledge, can give us a different perspective or new insights.
Reaching out and talking to others can help us relieve pent-up frustrations or worries. Talking to someone we trust can help us sort out our feelings and make us feel better.
There may be times when
our problems could feel too much for us to handle on
our own. But we are not alone. There are many people
around us who can support
us.
Sometimes, we just need to reach out in order
for them to know how to support us. Feeling a sense
of belonging and connectedness to others during
difficult times can be a great
comfort.
What are the common signs that we should be reaching out for support?
When we feel that we are experiencing mood swings
When we start having negative thoughts
When we feel that we are going through changes in our behaviour
When we feel that our physical health is starting to get affected
How can we reach
out for support?
It can be difficult to talk about our struggles and feelings when we are feeling overwhelmed. Know that we are not alone and there is help and support available, including confidential avenues if we need a safe space to speak to someone.
We could
ask ourselves who we feel most
comfortable to share our struggles with.
This is someone we would feel most
comfortable talking
to.
They can be a family member, a
friend, or a healthcare
professional.
If you are in NS, you can reach out to
your buddy, your commanders, or to
professional counsellors.
Start with something like:
“Hey, there’s something I’d like to talk with you about. It’s kind of important to me and I’m wondering if you could make some time.”
Sometimes we may simply want a listening ear. At other times, we might need emotional support, or practical help instead. It’s okay if we don’t know, but it helps to think about what we would like to achieve.
We can try to:
Pen down what we want to share to help us direct our focus towards finding the outcome we want.
Choosing
an environment that we feel comfortable
in can help us feel more relaxed, making
it easier to open
up.
We can also schedule a time so
that we can have an uninterrupted
conversation.
Try saying:
“I’m wondering if you
have a few minutes for us to talk
today.”
“Is there a good time
that I could call you this
evening?”
We
don’t have to share about every
feeling we have but observing our
emotions, acknowledging them,
and identifying why we feel them is
healthy and a good
practice.
If we are not ready to talk yet,
we could write down what we are feeling
through text or email to someone whom we
feel comfortable
with.
Try saying:
“I’m not feeling like my
usual
self.”
“I’m having
thoughts that are troubling
me.”
It’s
alright not to know why we feel a certain way.
Once we accept what we feel, we
can be more candid with ourselves in
understanding our
emotions.
During the conversation, it might
take us a few tries to express what we
feel or
need.
The first step is the hardest
– commend ourselves for the effort.
We can try to:
Express what we are feeling even if we are unable to fully explain the reason why we’re feeling that way (e.g. “I feel angry, but I don’t know why.”)
Sometimes, others may not know what we need from them. It can be good to be direct about our needs, so the other person can better understand how to try and help us.
Clarify our needs by saying:
“I just
need a listening
ear.”
“I would like to hear
your opinion or
suggestion.”
“I am feeling down, I
need your
company.”
“Can you help
me?”
Sometimes,
the person we’re speaking to may
not respond in a manner we hoped they
would. They may have the best of
intentions but may not know how to
provide us with the comfort we need.
It’s important not to let
their reaction or response discourage us.
We can try to:
Identify another person who can respond to our needs.
Opening
ourselves up is a brave and strong act.
Be proud that we’ve taken the
first step to reach
out.
After the conversation, we could
also reach out to our supporters to
thank them for their time and let them
know how important the conversation was
to us.
This gives them an opportunity to
continue the dialogue with us going forward.
Try saying:
“Thank you for taking the time to speak with me the other day. It really was important for me to let you know how I was feeling.”
The
journey to reaching out may not always
be easy.
No matter how big our problem is,
don’t give up in getting the
support we need, because it can get
better over
time.
We can try to:
Continue to practise self-care to keep us going
Mental healthcare
professionals
who can
provide support
There are different types of mental healthcare professionals we can reach out to for support.
Seek mental health resources & services
If you or
someone you care for has thoughts about suicide, please reach out to
Samaritans of Singapore’s 24-hour helpline at 1-767 (1-SOS) or CareText.
Alternatively, you can try the tools below to find suitable mental
health resources or services for your needs.
If you need general mental
health support, these services
can help identify your mental
health
needs,
provide brief support, and guide
you to the most appropriate
mental health resource.
Social Workers
(e.g. Family Service Centres)