This article is from page 53 of the 2009-12-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 53 JPG
ENNIS Samaritans are urging peo- ple not let their worries spiral out of control and to seek support for emo- tional distress this Christmas and during the coming year.
According to a new survey carried out on behalf of the Samaritans, over half of the population (59 per cent) in the Republic of Ireland has worried this year about debt and money.
The survey also found that exam stress and pressure to achieve high marks in studies were one of the big- gest worries for 52 per cent of young
people (aged 18 and 24), while lone- liness was one of the top worries amongst 17 per cent of young people (aged 18 and 24) compared to only eight per cent of older people (aged 55 plus).
Mary Lynch of Ennis and Clare Samaritans said: “In the last year, Samaritans received more _ than 375,000 calls in the Republic of Ire- land and many of them were about the worries identified in this survey, with approximately one in every ten calls linked to financial stress.
The poll of 1,000 people asked the public to identify their five big-
gest worries over the past year. After money, the other top-five sources of anxiety were problems in relation- ships with family and friends (re- ported by 38 per cent of people) and fears about job security (35 per cent) followed by concerns about physi- cal health (32 per cent) and domestic politics (28 per cent).
Ms Lynch said sharing problems allows people to cope better with life’s challenges.
“If people don’t talk about their problems, they can build up over time and spiral into more serious emo- tional distress. Sharing your troubles
can be a huge relief and is often the first step to finding a way of coping with the challenges that life throws at all of us. Samaritans-trained vol- unteers are available 24/7 to offer confidential support to anyone feel- ing anxious, unhappy or distressed this Christmas and throughout the coming year,’ she said.
The Samaritans offer confidential, non-judgemental emotional support on a 24-hour basis. They can be con- tacted by calling 1850 60 90 90, by email at jo@samaritans.org or face to face at the premises on the Kilrush Road in Ennis.