My best friend who is 14 wants to harm herself and I’m able to talk her out of it a lot but I’m afraid if someday I’m not there to help or give her the advice she needs or something like that.
I could really use some help here I’ve already recommended this website for her. I really need help with what to do for her because I am worrying a lot because of this. Please contact me for advice I should give to her. Thanks
-Five
Parental separation is one of the many challenges that young people can experience during their life.
We might experience our parents separating during childhood, adolescence or in early adulthood. Regardless of when it happens, parental separation can bring up many difficult feelings and every person will experience it differently.
You may experience some of the following:
Remember that parents choose to separate for many different reasons that are to do with their relationship. It is not your fault.
What should I do if my best friend left me and I don’t have anyone else to talk to and at home I don’t feel good enough to talk to someone about it. School starts soon and I don’t want to have no friends.
-Hannah
Hi Hannah,
I’m sorry that you feel like you are on your own with no one to talk to. Friendships make us feel connected and understood. So when they end, it’s normal to feel lonely or sad. It’s hard to accept but we have no control over our friends’ actions, so if they end the friendship, we can feel helpless.
Whether we are feeling run down, experiencing low mood, or are in crisis we all need to reach out for support sometimes. You are not alone.
Recent research conducted by Orgyen and the World Economic Forum highlighted that 87% of the global population is affected by mental health difficulties. This can either be through individuals’ own experience or that of someone close to them.
My Mam and Dad separated recently and my Dad moved out. I am really angry with him for loads of different reasons. I have access with him on Saturday’s and its really awkward , we sit in McDonald’s and he asks really awkward questions about school and my Mam, I have told my Mam that I don’t want to go anymore and she says i have to go or else she will get in trouble with the court.
Its really getting to me because i think neither of them care about how i am feeling, they just care about the court and doing what they think they have to do, I done think anyone really cares about me and its getting me down
-Louise
Hi Louise,
When parents are separated it can bring up lots of emotions for people. We may feel relief, sadness, anger or fear about what will happen. It means change in terms of practical arrangements and often can have an impact on our relationships with parents.
Im currently really struggling with finding motivation and interest in college. I enjoy the course but for some reason i just cant motivate myself enough to hold down and do the work. Its not just in college though and its impacting other parts of my life as well including work and general interaction. Is there any techniques that could help me to focus or that would help me with motivation?
-sk
Hi sk,
Motivation rises and falls at different times throughout our lives. Understanding our own experience of it can help us to manage it better.
When we’re part of a minority group, we can sometimes experience discrimination from others.
Discrimination can impact on our mental health and how we feel about ourselves.
i’ve been feeling not myself and thinking a lot about the meaning of life. i just don’t see a point if we all die in the end. i don’t want to die but i can’t stop constantly thinking about what is the point of anything.
i also keep thinking about what happens after death, is that it for everyone- that we just cease to exist. i haven’t thought about life this way before and i don’t like thinking about it this way but is it all that it is.
-9999
Hi there,
Thank you for reaching out, those are some big questions that many of us grapple with.
Emily, 18, a Jigsaw volunteer from Donegal gives us her story: As the daughter of an essential worker, I’ve come to recognise that quitting time is non-existent these days for some workers.
Dinner time is rarely a shared occasion. As I write this, she’s on phone call number two of the day, on her day off. This is the new normal for myself, and a lot of other young people living with an essential worker during this pandemic.
For many young adults in Ireland over the past few months, there has been additional stress added to the fact that they are living through a global pandemic. For some, almost overnight, they have gained a new responsibility, not only for themselves but for siblings and other family members too, because their parents have been occupied with helping to fight the ongoing crisis. For myself, as well as trying to keep on top of college work, I have been looking after my five younger siblings. This includes doing washing, tidying up the house and making sure they are all fed and watered, as well as checking in to make sure they are ok with their schoolwork. This has been stressful and frustrating at times, but overall very rewarding to know that the pressure is taken off my mammy somewhat when she gets home from work in the evenings.
I have found a few different ways of working in order to help myself and the others in my house as much as possible. My hope is that by sharing them, I can help other young people that find themselves in the same situation as myself. They include:
Even if it is just a basic list of things I need to do the next day, writing a list always helps me to stay motivated and keep going throughout the day to get as much done as I can.
Based on the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing‘ report 2008 by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), here are five things you can do daily for your mental health.
The UK Government commissioned the NEF to develop a simple set of evidence-based actions for people to improve their wellbeing. NEF drew on a very broad base of research for their recommendations, from psychological to economic literature.
