You don’t deserve to be hurt or humiliated. You don’t have to explain everything perfectly to ask for help.
Need help right now?
Immediate danger, serious injury, or you may act on thoughts of suicide: call 911 or ask someone nearby to call. If you can, move to a safer place with a trusted person.
Overwhelmed, hopeless, or having thoughts of suicide? Call or text 988 in the U.S., or chat online. You can also reach out about a friend. You do not need to finish any questions here.
Call and text buttons open your device’s supported app; they do not automatically connect you. On a computer, use a phone or the 988 chat link. External services have their own privacy and safety policies.Language, accessibility, and help outside the U.S.
For Spanish support, call 988 and press 2, or text AYUDA to 988. Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors can find relay and videophone options on 988’s accessibility page. Outside the U.S., use your local emergency number or local crisis service; 988 and 911 may not work where you are.
I need someone with me now
Contact someone you trust. If the first person is unavailable, try another person or 988. For immediate danger, use emergency help.
I’m overwhelmed and don’t feel safe being alone. Please come stay with me and help me get support. If you can’t come, please help me find someone who can.
This button only copies text. It does not contact anyone.
Your privacy: We do not save these answers, send them to LifeHelper, or submit them to a school or employer. Entries stay only while this page is open. This page is not monitored and cannot dispatch help. Names are optional.
Choose only what you want to answer. Skip any question. This is a guide to support options, not a test of how serious your experience is.
Fear can make it difficult to speak. You can ask for help without having every answer or proving you are a “perfect victim.”
I’m scared I’ll get punished
You deserve protection and support even if you argued back, broke a rule, or are worried someone will blame you. We can’t promise how a school or employer will respond. Ask for a trusted adult or support person to be with you, and explain what you fear.
I’m afraid I’ll be blamed or punished. Please help me explain what happened and make a plan to keep me safe.
They may retaliate
Tell the person helping you about threats and where contact happens. Ask what they can do before contacting the other person: supervised transitions, a safe contact, avoiding contact, and a follow-up time. Don’t confront the person alone.
I’m worried they will retaliate when they find out. What can we put in place before you speak to them?
I won’t be believed
You don’t need a perfect account or evidence to ask for protection. Describe what you remember, separate what you saw from what you heard, and say when you are unsure. A support person can help you explain.
I don’t remember every detail, but I feel unsafe. Please listen and help me work out the next step.
I argued or fought back
Explain the whole sequence honestly, including your own actions. Your actions do not mean you deserve threats or harm. Ask for immediate safety support while the situation is reviewed.
I reacted too, and I want to explain that honestly. I still need help with the threats and staying safe.
I don’t want to upset my family
You don’t have to protect everyone from your feelings. If home is not safe or a family member is involved in the harm, choose another trusted adult, counselor, or support service.
This is hard to talk about. I need you to listen first and help me decide what to do.
I don’t know who is safe to tell
Think of someone who listens, treats people respectfully, and can act: a school counselor, teacher, coach, relative, health professional, or campus support worker. Choose a backup too. If you have nobody available and feel overwhelmed, 988 can help you connect with support.
Can you help me find someone who can support me safely? I don’t know who to ask.
I’m worried about privacy
Before sharing details, ask what can stay private, who may need to know, and what happens if there is a safety concern. Adults and professionals may have reporting responsibilities. No one should promise absolute secrecy.
Before I tell you more, can you explain what you need to share, with whom, and whether you can tell me before you do?
I already told someone and nothing changed
You are allowed to ask again and choose another route. Take a support person, describe any new harm, ask for a written safety plan and a follow-up time, and contact another responsible person. Immediate danger needs urgent help, not a waiting period.
I reported this before, and it’s still happening. What safety steps will happen now, and when will you follow up?
What might happen when I tell?
The person may ask whether you are safe, what happened, and who can support you.
Ask to talk privately and bring a trusted support person if possible. You can say you need a break.
Ask who needs to know and what they will share. Safety concerns may require involving others.
Ask for concrete protection, one named contact, and a time to check in again.
Ask how to report any retaliation. No one can guarantee another person’s behavior.
Use a name, role, or initials—or leave names blank. This tool does not send messages. If you need immediate help, use the contacts at the top.
Your message
I need help with something that is happening to me. I would like to explain it privately.
Please help me make a plan to stay safe. Can we speak privately, with someone I trust present if possible?
Before sharing details, please explain who you need to tell and why. Please tell me what safety steps can happen and when you will check in with me.
Before printing or saving: Use a device and printer you trust. A PDF, printout, or copied message can remain on a shared device. This does not send a report or request help.
LifeHelper Tips · Personal support worksheet
My request for support
I need help with something that is happening to me. I would like to explain it privately.
Please help me make a plan to stay safe. Can we speak privately, with someone I trust present if possible?
Before sharing details, please explain who you need to tell and why. Please tell me what safety steps can happen and when you will check in with me.
Prepared by the visitor at lifehelper.tips/support. This worksheet has not been submitted to anyone. Review and share it yourself with someone safe. For immediate danger in the U.S., call 911. For emotional distress, call or text 988.
Make this plan with a trusted adult or support professional if you can. You do not have to solve bullying alone. Leave any field blank, and keep the plan somewhere safe.
If safety changes
If someone threatens or injures you, get to a safer place and seek help. If you might harm yourself, tell someone and ask them to stay with you; contact 988. Immediate danger needs 911 in the U.S. A worksheet is not emergency help.
Ask adults for changes around you
Discuss supervision, safer routes, separation from the person causing harm, safe transport, and a named contact. Protection should not depend on you avoiding every situation perfectly.
Before printing or saving: Use a device and printer you trust. A PDF, printout, or copied message can remain on a shared device. This does not send a report or request help.
LifeHelper Tips · Personal support worksheet
My personal safety and support plan
First safe person
Not entered
Another person if the first is unavailable
Not entered
A safer place I can go
Not entered
Getting there safely
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My next step today
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If threats escalate or I’m injured
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If I don’t feel safe being alone
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Our check-in and follow-up
Not entered
Prepared by the visitor at lifehelper.tips/support. This worksheet has not been submitted to anyone. Review and share it yourself with someone safe. For immediate danger in the U.S., call 911. For emotional distress, call or text 988.
This is a personal record, not a complaint submission. You can ask for help without evidence or an exact date. Don’t delay urgent help to finish it.
Keep evidence safely
Describe existing evidence. Don’t confront someone, re-enter danger, or circulate humiliating videos to get proof. Don’t save or forward sexual images of minors; ask a trusted adult or appropriate authority for help reporting them.
Incident 1
Before printing or saving: Use a device and printer you trust. A PDF, printout, or copied message can remain on a shared device. This does not send a report or request help.
LifeHelper Tips · Personal support worksheet
Personal incident record
Name / initials: Not entered
Intended recipient: Not entered
Incident 1
Date and time
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Place or platform
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What happened
Not entered
People who may have seen it
Not entered
Existing evidence and where it is kept
Not entered
Who I told and when
Not entered
What happened after I told
Not entered
Requested support
Not entered
Prepared by the visitor at lifehelper.tips/support. This worksheet has not been submitted to anyone. Review and share it yourself with someone safe. For immediate danger in the U.S., call 911. For emotional distress, call or text 988.
Being ignored or blamed does not mean you should stop seeking help. A report number, meeting, or investigation is not a substitute for immediate safety.
Another support route
A trusted teacher or counselor, then the principal or another administrator, district superintendent, or your state education department can be support routes. You do not need to follow a rigid sequence if someone is unsafe or unavailable. Ask a trusted adult to help identify the school’s reporting procedure.
What can keep me safe today, including from retaliation?
Who is my named contact, and how can I reach them?
Who will be told, and what information will be shared?
Can we write down the safety steps and our follow-up time?
Who can I contact if it continues or the plan isn’t followed?
Before printing or saving: Use a device and printer you trust. A PDF, printout, or copied message can remain on a shared device. This does not send a report or request help.
LifeHelper Tips · Personal support worksheet
My follow-up and supported meeting plan
Setting: school
Who I told, when, and what happened
Not entered
What is continuing or has changed
Not entered
The next safe person or office I will contact
Not entered
Who can support me in the meeting
Not entered
The safety steps I will request
Not entered
When and how we will follow up
Not entered
Prepared by the visitor at lifehelper.tips/support. This worksheet has not been submitted to anyone. Review and share it yourself with someone safe. For immediate danger in the U.S., call 911. For emotional distress, call or text 988.
Online harm counts. Messages, gaming chats, AI-generated content, rumors, and unwanted sharing can all be reasons to ask for help.
Threats, blackmail, or sexual images
Don’t send money, more images, or personal information to make threats stop. Seek a trusted adult or appropriate authority’s help. Do not download or forward sexual images involving minors. Immediate threats to physical safety need emergency help.
Do not investigate or confront the person yourself. Reporting routes depend on the situation and platform.
Your dignity comes first
You do not need to keep checking harmful comments or circulate a video to prove what happened. Ask someone safe to help handle evidence and reporting. If distress is overwhelming, reach out to 988.
These fictional situations let you practice a safer response. There is no grade, timer, or “readiness” certificate. You can skip any situation.
Situation 1 of 8
A group blocks your way
Several students are insulting you and blocking the hallway. You see a staffed office nearby. What is a safer next step?
You can make a difference without being a counselor or facing an aggressor yourself.
Check in privately
“I saw what happened. You didn’t deserve that. Would you like me to sit with you or go with you to get help?”
Listen without blaming, include them, and offer safe company. Don’t pressure them to explain publicly or spread the story.
If they mention suicide or you are worried
Ask directly and calmly: “Are you thinking about suicide?” Listen and take the answer seriously. Don’t promise secrecy about danger. Get a trusted adult or professional involved, and contact 988 for guidance about a friend.
If danger is immediate, call 911. Stay with them if safe, or keep contact while help is reached. Don’t physically intervene if it puts you at risk.
Call and text buttons open your device’s supported app; they do not automatically connect you. On a computer, use a phone or the 988 chat link. External services have their own privacy and safety policies.
If you witness bullying
Get a responsible adult or staff member. Avoid a physical confrontation.
Offer to walk with the person to a supervised place if safe.
Describe what you actually saw privately. Don’t add rumors.
Don’t repost videos, join jokes, or identify the person publicly.
Check in later, and get support for your own feelings too.
A child or young adult may fear punishment, losing their phone, retaliation, or not being believed. The first response can make it easier—or harder—to keep talking.
Start with safety and listening
“Thank you for telling me. You don’t deserve to be hurt. I’ll listen, and we’ll work on keeping you safe. I’ll explain who needs to know and why.”
Ask whether they are safe now and need medical or emotional support.
Listen privately, without demanding a perfect timeline or proof.
Acknowledge fear of punishment and retaliation; don’t promise an outcome you cannot control.
If you are worried about suicide, ask directly and connect with crisis or professional support.
Respond without adding harm
Separate those involved and meet immediate safety needs.
Don’t blame, dismiss it as drama, or say “just toughen up.”
Don’t force mediation, a public apology, or a confrontation on the spot.
Don’t interview children together or in front of peers.
Don’t promise absolute secrecy. Explain reporting responsibilities and share only what is needed.
Avoid automatically taking away their online connection as punishment for reporting online harm; plan safety together.
Follow through
Agree on a named contact, practical protections, how to report retaliation, and a follow-up time. Write down concerns and actions, follow applicable safeguarding policies, and involve appropriate professionals. Ask whether the person feels safer after the plan—not just whether a report was filed.
Do not make the child responsible for ending the bullying. Support should also address the person causing harm and the environment that allows it.
After a frightening incident or a death
Offer calm, age-appropriate support. Don’t share graphic images or speculate about a single cause. Give children room to talk without forcing disclosure, and help them connect with a counselor when needed. Watch for worsening distress and get prompt help.
These small steps may help you settle while you reach someone. They do not replace protection, counseling, or urgent help. Stop any exercise that feels uncomfortable.
A short grounding exercise
Step 1 of 4
If you can, sit or stand somewhere safe. Feel your feet on the ground or your back against a chair.
For the next hour
Connect with a safe person; you don’t have to be alone with overwhelming feelings.
Take a break from harmful messages. Ask someone to help handle reporting.
Drink water, eat something if you can, and choose a safe place to rest.
Arrange a check-in. Longer-lasting sleep, school, work, or mood difficulties deserve professional support.
Call and text buttons open your device’s supported app; they do not automatically connect you. On a computer, use a phone or the 988 chat link. External services have their own privacy and safety policies.
If you have hurt, threatened, excluded, or humiliated someone, you can take responsibility and change. You still deserve support, and the other person deserves safety.
An apology is not a demand
If contact is welcome and an appropriate adult agrees it is safe, an apology can name what you did, acknowledge the harm, and describe what you will change. Don’t add excuses or pressure the person to forgive you. Sometimes the safest repair begins with no direct contact.
Ask for help changing
“I have been hurting someone, and I want to stop. Can you help me take responsibility and handle my feelings without harming people?”
A counselor, trusted adult, or support professional can help you work on anger, peer pressure, and behavior. If you think you might hurt someone now, move away from the situation if safe, get urgent help, and contact 988; call 911 for immediate danger.
These resources are primarily for the United States. External services have their own privacy policies and reporting responsibilities. Ask them what to expect. LifeHelper is not affiliated with these organizations.
Call and text buttons open your device’s supported app; they do not automatically connect you. On a computer, use a phone or the 988 chat link. External services have their own privacy and safety policies.
Bullying often involves a power imbalance and repetition or a likelihood of repetition. A single assault, threat, harassment incident, or coercion still deserves help. A website cannot decide what happened or determine the right legal process.
Support tools, not a diagnosis
This is educational guidance, not counseling, a clinical screening, legal advice, or an emergency service. It cannot determine whether someone is safe or predict suicide risk. You can ask for help after one incident or whenever you feel unsafe—even if you are unsure whether it is bullying.
Suicide has many contributing factors. We do not use graphic stories, videos, or a person’s tragedy as a test or teaching scenario.
Guidance informed by StopBullying.gov, the 988 Lifeline, and NIMH. Official resources reviewed October 2026; service policies can change.