Why are relationships important?

Your relationships with other people are important to your mental health. Positive, healthy relationships with family and friends, can boost your mood and can support you during tough times. If you don’t have many close relationships, or your relationships have broken down, this can make you feel lonely. If your relationships are negative, abusive or involve violence this can make you feel unsafe, scared and sad. If a relationship is healthy, the other person should never do things that make you feel bad about yourself.

How can I change my relationships?

It is never too late to make new friends, to repair broken relationships or to escape from dangerous or unhealthy relationships. It can be difficult to build relationships with other people and to trust them. There are lots of reasons why relationships might be hard for you and it is ok to ask for help.

These  are some possible reasons but there are many others: 

• You might have autism or a learning disability which means that it can be difficult to understand other people and learn how to talk to them.
• In the past, you might have been harmed or hurt by someone you trust and that can make it difficult to trust other people.
• You might be struggling with a mental health difficult like anxiety or depression that makes it difficult to open up to other people.
• You might feel different or unsure of yourself and find it hard to connect with other people.

The Health for Teens website offers lots of information and advice for all types of relationships and issues.

What can I do if my relationships are violent or abusive?

If a friend, partner or family member is violent or abusive towards you, it is important to ask for help.  Abuse is always wrong and it can be very difficult to talk about but you’re never alone. If you’re worried about abuse, find out what it is and who can help you.

Abuse isn’t always carried out by a stranger and can be someone you know, which can make it feel hard to speak out about. If you tell someone, they can help to make it stop. Check out the Learn More and Get Help Now links on this page.