Social distancing measures we need to take to prevent the spread of Coronavirus will no doubt have an impact on our mental health.
Our clinical team in Limerick are staying in touch through Zoom for team meetings. Here they discuss what in particular they are finding difficult, but also how they are looking after their own mental health and what you can do too.
TV, radio and social media continue to be filled with stories about Covid-19. However, schools, colleges and workplaces are gradually re-opening following advice from the government.
The novelty of time at home has more than likely worn off by now. In fact, there’s a lot of ‘new normal’ talk, but let’s remind ourselves, these are unusual times. It is important to look after both our mental and physical health.
Though there are very different challenges right now.
In this video, Leona talks about ways we can navigate the family conflict that can arise.
College can be a daunting place in a standard year. Though this year continues to throw up additional challenges.
At school, there were probably 30 people, at most, in your classes at a time. You more than likely had a desk or a locker and a place for your things. You owned a bit of space.
Now, you might have virtual lectures with 200 students. Timetabling, and limited numbers on campus grounds for now, can mean fewer opportunities to meet people outside of your course group.
Check your own college’s arrangements during COVID-19 here.
As a parent or guardian, hearing about young people harming themselves can be really alarming and difficult to understand.
If you suspect that your young person is harming themselves, there is a lot you can do to support them.
The last webinar in our series for teachers this term is about supporting student stress and anxiety. This is a recording of the webinar. It explores ways to recognise and understand anxiety and when it may become a problem. The speakers also look at whole-school approaches to anxiety, responding to individual student needs and recommended resources and support options.
School connection is the extent to which a young person feels like they belong at school and feels cared for by that community.
It’s built through relationships, and also perceptions about those relationships within the whole-school community.
As we know, the role of a teacher is more than about giving information on their subject. Teaching involves creating a connection with and between students. It is often the intangible bits of teaching that mean the most to both students and teachers.
Now, more than ever, teachers are feeling the need to help students ground themselves in a world that can feel unstable and insecure.
Few teachers could have anticipated that they would have to work from home. This worldwide pandemic has made us change the way we live, interact and work.
For obvious reasons, teaching young people does not easily transition to the ‘working from home’ model. It’s impossible to recreate the conditions of the classroom online. Naturally, teaching is most effective when we can pick up an atmosphere, or notice the body language of a disinterested student.
While we expect young people to be comfortable with technology, online learning is new for many. We also cannot assume that students have the physical space and tech available for online learning all day long.
Recognise the limitations of online teaching and know that it’s not on you.
We recently ran two webinar for teachers, who have taken our online courses. The focus was how post-primary and primary school teachers can support their own mental health.
Josh, our Jigsaw volunteer, talks to Jen, a Jigsaw clinician, about effective ways to manage anxiety.
