I am considering running away from home. I've had the idea in mind for a few months now, and I have a place to stay. I can further explain my reason if somebody requests. Should I do it?

Create a list of the pros and cons of running away. Would you be able to look after yourself? Would you be safe? Would be end up homeless? Is it really going to solve your problem? Then write down why you want to run away. Is it a family problem? A school/work problem? A relationship problem? Then, think about what would happen to you and the people around you if you ran away. Would you survive? Would your family be worried and scared? Would the police become involved? Would your friends be upset and worried? And finally, ask yourself this, Who going to come and look for you? Your family? Your friends? And before you do run away (if you decide to) please try calling a helpline. They are trained professionals and will try and help the best they can. If you think that it will make it better, then make yourself happy. Just don't forget about the people around you, ask them for help and try and fix the problem. Your parents will always love you no matter what, so ask them for advice. Take care of yourself.

Running away from home would be both physically running and mentally running away from the problems. Unfortunately, if you are planning to stay with friends or family, they could get into legal trouble for harboring a runaway. I would suggest talking to a therapist or other professional about your problems at home. 7 cups has great online therapists available at 7cups.com/online-therapy

It sounds like you're reaching out, which is important. I would say that if you are questioning your decision this much there is probably a good reason to take a look at why that is. Does that make sense? I hope so. When I'm making decisions that are big, and I have a hard time telling good ideas from bad, it's usually helpful to write it out and try to take an objective look at what I've written. (Like a pro and con list, for example, could be a helpful example.) And after that, you might try to reason out why you're still feeling unsettled, if you are. What advice would you give a friend if they asked you if they should run away ?

Well, it really depends on the situation at hand. Here are some questions that need to go into the decision: Are you in an abusive household now? Are you afraid of what might happen legally? Would you miss anyone? Sometimes, running away isn't really the answer. But if you are getting abused, then you might want to leave and be free from that. But if you are running away for the thrill or to simply escape, there is a better solution. When people run away, they usually do it because they want to run away to their dream life or to a better one for that matter. What to do instead of running physically away to get a better life is to build the better life. It can start simply by rearanging your room, moving around furniture etc. You could change how you look, to the way you want to be. You could even change who you hang out with, if you're not vibing with the right set of people. And once you build your dream life, you'll be exactly where you wanted to run away to.