N-Dubz joins Samaritans to offer help with coping with stress
Stress about exams and exam results are amongst the top reasons young people contact Samaritans. As students of all ages wait with bated breath for exam results over the next few weeks volunteers across the country, including those at the Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow branch, will be here to listen in confidence 24 hours a day.
Hip hop group N-Dubz front girl Tulisa, a Samaritans supporter, said, “Try not to put too much pressure on yourself; everyone is different and not everyone is going to get top grades in their exams. There are so many options out there for people – a variety of college courses to suit people with different academic abilities and career aspirations. I found school really difficult as I suffered depression as teenager but then I found my ambition was singing and realised it was something I could be good at so I worked hard and focused on that.”
The build up to exam results can be a time filled with tension as candidates contemplate their futures. Panic, anxiety, fear, guilt and despair are just some of the emotions that might be running through the minds of students. Managing these feelings can seem impossible, especially without the emotional release of having someone to talk and offload to.
Stephen Pettitt, Director of Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Samaritans, said: “At this time of year there are thousands of people all over the country worrying about their imminent exam results. It’s a stressful time, and not getting the results you’d hoped for doesn’t help either. It’s really important to remember that passing or failing exams isn’t the same thing as succeeding or failing as a person. Lots of people succeed in their professional lives without gaining any formal qualifications, so failure or getting lower grades than you needed or wanted doesn’t equal disaster.
“Even so some people will be feeling a lot of stress, or maybe even distress, both in the run-up to receiving their exam results and after they get them. Samaritans is available all day every day for anyone of any age who wants to talk in complete confidence about their feelings. So our message to people waiting for their results, or to anyone suffering any sort of distress because of other issues, is that we’re here to offer you emotional support. Don‘t hesitate to give us a call.”
Samaritans has recently produced an online emotional health resource to help young people spot signs of stress in themselves and their friends. It offers guidance on how they can tell someone if they are struggling emotionally, how they can approach friends who they are worried about and things they can do to try and maintain good emotional health.
An alternative version of the resource has also been developed for professionals working with young people to help them identify signs that might indicate a young person is in distress and how they can direct them to help and support.
Both resources can be downloaded on the Samaritans’ website:
www.samaritans.org/emotionalhealth
If you require hard copies of the emotional health resources mentioned please contact Claire Duncan Email c.duncan@samaritans.org, Tel: 0208 394 8345.
August 11, 2009
|