If you are missing, or about to leave, there might be lots of things going on for you. They could be practical issues, like housing or money. They could be about relationships and other people. Or, perhaps there are a number of different things, all impacting you at the same time.
The effect of what’s going on means that you might be experiencing lots of feelings and emotions, and some of them may feel new to you.
Some of the situations below are common things people we hear that people are going through when they contact us. If you decide to contact us to talk about how you’re doing, we will be calm, non-judgmental, and won’t make you feel awkward about your emotions.
Being angry about what’s happening is understandable, and we won’t judge you for being angry, or tell you to calm down. If you are so angry that you can’t really talk to us, we may suggest you call us back in a little while.
You don’t have to be embarrassed or worried about how you react while you speak to us. We are used to talking to people who are crying or very upset. We’ll be there with you, and will do our best to make you feel safe talking to us.
You may call us and then find the words stuck in your mouth, and not be able to say very much. We’ll give you time and space and help you feel comfortable. You might find it helps to text or email us instead, and we aim to be just as supportive that way. Things can be flying around in you head. You might be scared or confused. That’s okay – we’re hear to listen and support you. We want to create a space where you can take a moment for yourself, and be supported.
It is easy to go over things in your head and blame yourself. You might feel guilty about what’s happened because you are missing – like how people back home are feeling. Whatever has happened we know you’ll be under pressure, or feeling stressed. We’re not going to make things worse by blaming you or telling you off – allow yourself some time for yourselve and we can talk things through with you. Is everything bottled up? Whe bad things are happening we can hold everything in, specially when we are trying to sort practical thing out. You might find that when you start talking to us, the emotions come to the surface, and it may be hard to contain them. That’s okay – we’re not going to be shocked or impatient, and will be here for you.
It’s common to be feeling very low. You might be asking yourself “what’s the point?” This could be the effect of what’s happened, or a way you have been feeling for a long time. There may be no obvious way out of what’s happening, or sense things are going to change. We understand that and won’t tell you to cheer up, or try to fix everything. You might just need to tell someone how rubbish things are. That’s fine – we’re hear to listen, not minimise what’s going on, patronize you or make a bigger deal out of things.
Emotional wellbeing and mental health are closely related
You may have been facing challenges with your mental health, or finding what’s going on has made it worse. You may not know how to describe what’s going on in your head. It may be that some professional mental health support could help you – we’re not here to replace that and may be able to suggest some services you can use. It doesn’t have to be one or the other – if we are the service that gets you through the toughest time with your missing situation we are happy to be there for you.
However you’re feeling, we’re here to listen. We will never judge you, or tell you what to do. You don’t need to hide or explain your emotions to us. We will support you, and try to help you identify what you are feeling and what might help. Our helpline is free and completely confidential.
Talk to usWe have launched a regular email so that you can be aware of new missing person appeals and share them far and wide! We are also calling on all Heroes to be the eyes and ears for Missing People on the ground. Your sighting of a missing person could make a difference in a crucial time.
