You can sign up to be a volunteer and share your experience in our videos or with the media, or you could jump on to one of our forums and share anonymously. ReachOut has a few different ways to help you start talking. Maybe you’d prefer to put it in writing and share it online, or to record it on a podcast. You might be happiest doing it sitting down with your best friend, your mum or dad, or a relative you look up to. There’s no right way to tell your story – it’s yours to tell, so share it in the way that works best for you. If you ask directly for what you want, you’re more likely to get it.

If you want the person/people you’re sharing with to do something, remember to make this clear.

Take people on a journey so that they can feel and understand things from your perspective.

Know what you want to say and how you want to say it, and you’ll be in a good place to succeed. Practise, practise, practise! As with most things in life, practise makes everything easier.Acknowledging this will help you to tackle your nerves and to use that energy in a positive way. Understand that sharing your story is a scary thing to do – whether you’re speaking to one person or a hundred.Here are some tips and tricks to help you get started: If you feel the need to get personal stuff off your chest, find someone you trust to share it with and give yourself as much time as you need. If you’re nervous, try to think beforehand about what you’d like to say, or bang out a draft before you hit ‘post’. The most important thing is that you feel safe and comfortable with however you choose to do it. There’s a tonne of ways to share your story.

Telling your story