It must be really hard to feel like no one loves you or cares about you. Lots of people feel like that sometimes if they don’t feel listened to or people are horrible to them.

Sometimes parents and carers might do things or say things that make you think they don’t care. It is hard to understand why they act the way they do. They may well love you very much but maybe aren’t very good at showing it.

If you are in care and you feel unloved and away from your birth family, it can be really hard. It is tough to be looked after by carers if you don’t feel loved or cared for properly.

When feeling like this it can be easy to retreat inside yourself and become lonely and isolated, which means being far away, cut off and alone. But the thing is that nowadays, through things like text and email, it has become easier to speak with someone about your feelings and to say these really hard words to someone who does care how you feel.

If you follow the links on this site you can discover other, safe sites where you can simply post how you feel and then check for replies or even engage with people, counsellors or other young people in monitored chat rooms where you can speak safely about how things are for you. There might also be things that you can do for yourself that may help a bit, like making new friends or joining a club or starting a new hobby. It is important to be around people who make you feel good, and want to be around you as a friend.

It doesn’t make up for feeling unloved – very little can, but what it does is let you know that you’re not alone. And if you really don’t feel like talking about it then just try to remember these words and this page and then when the time’s right for you, it’ll be here for you to come back too.

Remember, you deserve to be loved by people who make you feel happy and treat you with respect. Don’t give away your love for free – friends and relationships should be good for you and you are worth being looked after and loved.