Everyone has a different experience of school.
Most students go through some ups and downs throughout the year. Experiencing problems at school is not unusual for many young people.
When difficulties get on top of us, it can be like a domino effect. One domino falls over and all the rest seem to pile up. It’s OK to have mixed feelings about school, as everyone has their good days and bad days. Whether you’re having problems with schoolwork, friends, or fitting in, you are not alone.
Join a youth mental health revolution by taking part in our cycling challenge, Revolution x Jigsaw.
We’re asking you to get on your bike and cycle 100km in September to raise funds for youth mental health services across Ireland. You could also create your own cycling challenge to raise funds for us too.
Wherever you are, whatever age you are, whether you are a cycling pro or just taking off your stabilisers, join the Revolution at revolutionxjigsaw.ie. Help Jigsaw continue to support our young people’s mental health.
Uncertainty around exams and missing out on experiences has left many young people feeling frustrated. Many students can find themselves procrastinating or losing sight of their end goals.
Take comfort in knowing that learning how to self-direct your study is a skill for life.
Below, find a helpful conversation between Evelyn O’Rourke from RTÉ Radio 1 Drive Time’s Study Hub and Jen Trzeciak, eMental Health Manager at Jigsaw, about ways for students to stay motivated to study in a time of uncertainty around exams and school.
Here are some more strategies to help you stay motivated when studying from home:
Members of our Youth Advisory Panel in Roscommon worked together to create this infographic with tips and advice about starting secondary school.
After the holidays going back to school can seem a little nerve-wrecking.
We talk about self-care a lot. But what does it mean?
We’ve had to learn to try and live alongside Covid in the last while. So let’s remind ourselves that these are unusual and challenging times.
As lockdown restrictions continue to be lifted, it’s important to incorporate self-care into our daily routine.
Linda, Jigsaw clinician runs through some ways we can look out for ourselves.
It can seem like everyone else has found their group and is fitting in at school. We can end up feeling very lonely and isolated when we don’t feel we fit in.
If you feel like you don’t fit in, you’re not on your own. According to My World Survey 2, over one in five young people considered friends to be a source of stress. 39% of adolescents reported that they had experienced bullying at some point in their lives.
As we get older, we tend to spend much less time with family and more time with friends. For many young people, fitting in is really important. It seems that everybody wants to be popular. This can lead to social rivalry, competition and bullying, particularly in school.
When you feel like you don’t fit in, it can be an extremely tough experience. There are no easy answers, but some of the following may help.
Although Jess, Jigsaw Volunteer, never experienced social anxiety, she felt her confidence took a knock when she started college.
Watch as she asks Conor for advice on feeling lonely in college. They also deal with the thought that no one wants to talk to you.
Lockdown life since March 2020 brought about many changes for all of us. The easing of restrictions may be very welcome but can bring some feelings of anxiety along with them.
One of the biggest changes for the last year was our social interactions. The on-again off-again seeing people outside the home, led to some creative ways to stay connected. But, it has been a challenge for many to not be able to visit their support systems.
‘Consent’ is another word for ‘agreeing to’. We use ‘consent’ a lot when we talk about sex. In that context, consent means both people fully understand and agree to what they’re about to do.
It is really about communication, respect and awareness of the other person.
In this article, we’ll cover what you need to know about consent and sex.
