Persistent problems at school or work may leave you feeling overwhelmed, stressed, singled out or left behind. What’s worse, such challenges can be impossible to avoid, with daily exposure impacting your mental health and wellbeing. There are 4 hotlines in South Korea where you can ask for help if you:

Often absentee yourself for headaches, flu, injuries and stomach bugs that you don’t really have.
Have trouble understanding tasks, assignments and lessons, and feel left behind or inadequate.
Feel isolated, withdrawn and constantly tired at school or work.
Constantly feel tired, lazy, sad or depressed, wishing you weren’t at work or school.
Use drugs, alcohol or self-harm to distract yourself from your problems at school or work.
Have difficulty following lessons or instructions, and feel unable to focus.
Have begun to ‘self-medicate’ with drugs or alcohol at or after school or work.
Feel so trapped and powerless about school or work that you consider suicide or self-harm.

From heavy workloads and pressure from teachers or management, to low confidence, undiagnosed learning disorders, and subnormal vision or hearing. So many issues can drive serious challenges at school or work. Your worries may even be social ones. Interactions that others find easy may feel more demanding for you.

When negative feelings about school or work start impacting your ability to thrive, it might be time to speak to someone. You have the potential to find your voice and succeed, but sometimes you can only do this with support and understanding. Consider contacting a helpline in South Korea for free, confidential help.