Ask Jigsaw: I feel lonely at school

Wednesday, 22 July 2020

What do I do when no one at school likes me and when I feel lonely at school and have no one to go to and don’t want to go to a counsellor or a teacher because you feel they aren’t helpful.

RedLight2

Hi RedLight2,

I am sorry that you are feeling so lonely and you haven’t found that anyone has been helpful. School can be really tough at times. It can seem that some people make friends easily and find their ‘tribe’ straight away. However, for some of us, fitting in is more challenging and school can amplify our sense of loneliness.

Sinead

Jigsaw Clinician

It is important to be kind to yourself outside of school when you’ve had a tough day.

When you feel lonely at school and have no one to go to, it is important to remind yourself of your self-worth. Focus on your strengths and what is good and likeable about you. Think about how you can convey those strengths and characteristics to others. When we’re not feeling great in ourselves, it can seem that no one else likes us and this makes it harder to reach out and try to make links.

Perhaps think about all of the different groups of people in your school and how they are connected. Is it through being in the same class or year group, is it through shared hobbies and interests or through knowing each other outside of school. Are there groups or individuals that you could perhaps connect with? You can watch Eimear talking to Clinician Conor about the challenge of starting a conversation.

It is also important to be kind to yourself outside of school when you’ve had a tough day. Maybe try talking to someone at home about what’s going on. Do something nice for yourself that helps you to feel good. Pay attention to the things that you need to do to help you to feel good.

There is no magic fix, but I hope you can find some ideas here to help with the feelings of loneliness. Thank you for reaching out and talking about something that so many experience.

Take care,

Sinéad, Jigsaw Clinician