How are you feeling today?

How often do you ignore your feelings?

How often do you choose not to speak about how you are feeling because you are concerned about the effect it will have on others?

Our world has suffered and continues to suffer from some unexpected and difficult times – Covid and the war in Ukraine to name but two. Even if they do not directly affect our lives, they can still have an impact on how we are feeling. We would not be human if they didn’t. Then of course, there are changes in our own personal circumstances – as Ronan Keating aptly tells us ‘Life is a rollercoaster’.

Feelings really are the only indicator that we have by which to assess our mental well-being and we experience them for a reason. Yet, all too often it is seen as a weakness to seek help for our emotions even though we wouldn’t think twice if we were in physical pain. Sadly, men in particular have had this instilled in them from an early age, and yet, statistically speaking, they are the most likely to take their own life.

Samaritans in Spain has been set up in order to provide a way for people to express their feelings in total confidence, honestly and openly. We believe that everyone should feel empowered to take action when their emotions are overwhelming them. A short call with one of our trained listeners can make such a difference both in terms of a release and regaining some control. We are not a solution provider, nor are we trained therapists. What we are, are a group of people who have received special training in order to be able to listen with empathy and understanding.

Whilst we do receive calls from people who are experiencing suicidal feelings, we want to stress that no-one should feel that they need to wait until they reach this point before talking to us. We are here for anyone who is experiencing negative feelings of any kind such as anxiety, loneliness, distress or despair.

How to access our Service

We are available to ALL English speakers irrespective of Nationality, and the quickest and easiest way to make contact is to call our FREEPHONE number which is 900 525 100 and anyone in mainland Spain or the Islands can access this. At present, we operate between 10am and 10pm every day. We also have an email address which is pat@samaritansinspain.com but as it takes us a little longer to respond to emails, we recommend making that call if you can.

Spreading the word

Even if you do not feel in need of our service, you can help to make sure that others who might are aware of our existence. The easiest way to do this is by strengthening our presence on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/samaritansinspain and Liking the page as well as Sharing and engaging with our posts.

So… how are you feeling today? No, really, how are you honestly feeling?