Meet Anna, our resident Agony Aunt & giver of good advice!

If you have a problem and need some advice email Ask Anna here: info@youth-fm.org
Annacan help and seek help from others on your behalf. Don't suffer alone in silence.
(You don't have to give your name and all printed problems will be kept strictly anonymous.)

2nd October, 2008

Dear Anna,

Recently I have been really confused about who I fancy. In the past few weeks I have got really strong feelings about my best mate who is also a boy. I am really worried about people at school finding out because they are always making jokes and saying its wierd. I don't know who to tell and really need help.

Confused,
North Cheam
(aged 15)

Anna says....

Dear Confused,

First of all, don't panic. Most people at some point in their lives have feelings for someone of the same sex. As you get a bit older you might decide that you fancy people of the same sex, people of the opposite sex, or people of both sexes. You don't have to decide right now and you should give these feelings time to run their course. Whatever you decide it is important to be happy in yourself.

Ask Anna

20th September, 2008

Dear Anna,

I am currently undertaking A-Levels at college and despite going through GCSEs, I'm finding the step up in level a stressful one to handle.

The coursework is twice as hard and twice as large as anything I've ever attempted before. As well as this the exams are just round the corner and effectively determine my future. Add the fact that I'm an amateur runner, cricketer, cricket scorer and also play badminton, there just doesn't seem to be any time in the day anymore!

What shall I do?!!

Anon.

Anna says...

First of all, breathe!! The best way to manage your stress is to practice effective time management. Structure your time in such a way that you have specific times set aside for your educational and recreational activities. One way of doing this is by timetabling your day, leaving realistic amounts of time to complete your work.

Think about which subjects you feel less confident about and prioritise these in your schedule. It's important to remember that although these exams are very important, they are not designed to catch you out, rather for you to show what your strengths are, and if you feel relaxed and confident you are likely to shine.

If you are finding the coursework too hard, speak to your teacher who should offer help and advice. There are many online sites to help with revision, why not have a look on our careers page or ask your teachers if they can recommend some?

Make sure you leave enough time for sleep as your brain is no use to you if it is tired and overworked, and continue to play sports as these will keep you physically and mentally well.

Best of luck with your exams,

Ask Anna

15th July, 2008

Dear Anna,

My Dad always comes home after work and drinks straight away. I love him when he's sober but when he drinks he gets well angry and shouts all the time. But the worst thing is when he wakes up in the morning and doesn't know what he's done the night before and he always says sorry and promises he'll never do it again but he always does. I'm too embarrassed to tell anyone and I don't know what to do...

Anon

Anna says...

It is very probable that your Dad is suffering from an alcohol problem, and at some point he's going to have to face this. Although it may feel like you are alone and nobody understands...
You are not!! There are many alcohol related support groups out there which we will send you links to. (They will appear on line here too very soon) There are specific groups which you can attend where you can meet people in very similar situations to yourself, and share your experiences. You are never alone and there is always someone at the end of the phone.

Please do have a look at our TEEN ISSUES page, as it has lots of links to helpful organisations that you can turn to for help and advice.

Ask Anna