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Category: Ask Jigsaw Q&A

Ask Jigsaw: I’m having trouble communicating

Posted on by eve

Hello, I’m having trouble communicating and having general conversations with people I know and don’t. Mostly I think it’s the fact that I don’t have anything to share with people that they will find interesting and that makes me feel like I am a boring and plain person. Do you have any advice? 

-Alex

Hi Alex,

Thank you for your question. A lot of us have experienced difficulties with communication, and the current Covid-19 restrictions don’t help matters! We’re not doing much so we have less news to share, and we’re also a bit out of practice when it comes to socialising.

 

Ask Jigsaw: I recently lost a family member

Posted on by eve

Hi jigsaw, I recently lost a family member over the Christmas. I’ve been struggling in lockdown as I have so much time to sit around idle. The only thing is, I cant seem to accept it. I can’t believe he’s really gone and I feel like at any moment I will see him walk through the door. I didn’t even cry at the funeral. I feel as though I have been on autopilot ever since. Is this normal? Please help

-Ella

Hi Ella,

I’m so sorry to hear that you lost a family member over the Christmas. That must have been so difficult, particularly during COVID with restrictions on funerals. I hear you about struggling with lockdown and having so much more time to think.

Ask Jigsaw: Suffering from PTSD since getting Covid

Posted on by eve

I have been suffering from PTSD since getting Covid and having to stay in the hospital. Almost every night I have the horrific nightmares. I am on medication and sleeping tablets because without them I just lie awake. When I sit down to lectures the dreams keep flashing across my mind while I try to focus, or the memories of being hooked up to machines while all these doctors came and went.

When I came home from isolation after the hospital, everyone treated me like a plagued dog. It was March when I got sick, so in fairness people were scared. People wouldn’t come near me even though I wasn’t sick anymore, so I burrowed myself away from them and everyone else.

I haven’t felt clean since coming back from the hospital. I feel like everything I touch has been contaminated by me. I don’t want to touch people

My psychiatrist is the only person that stands in my corner and I love her to bits, but I’m 270km away from her while attending college. I’m about to sit some exams and my head is completely fogged by either wretched memories of nightmares that mix with real memories, paralysing fear strong enough to make me vomit and shake. While I sit at my chair and hyperventilate, smashing my palm into the corner of my desk so that my mind will stop flashing these images, I’m trying to force-feed myself a lecture I’ve watched 5 times but nothing will go in. I’m alone, swimming in assignments due and covered in bruises from trying to beat myself into submission.

-plague

Hi there,

Thank you for being so open and honest in your email and for reaching out for support. It is not always easy and takes real courage and strength.

It sounds like you are dealing with a lot right now. It is not your fault that you got Covid. The fact that you had Covid does not change the fact that you deserve respect, compassion and kindness, just like everyone else.

Ask Jigsaw: Feeling anxious going to bed

Posted on by eve

Hi, 

I just wanted to know if it was normal to have anxiety before sleeping at night as multiple times during the past few weeks I’ve been feeling anxious going to bed and I’m not quite sure what is causing it. 

– gracex06

Hi gracex06,

Feeling anxious before sleeping at night is common and you are not alone experiencing this. Often when we are feeling stressed these feelings can surface at night making it difficult to sleep. This can be frustrating especially if you are unsure where this anxiety is coming from.

Ask Jigsaw: How would I be tested for ADHD?

Posted on by eve

 How would I be tested for ADHD without going to a doctor? Where would you recommend going?

-Caitlin

Hi Caitlin,

Thank you for reaching out today. Unfortunately, there is no way to get a diagnosis for ADHD without going to see your GP and/or a specialist. This is because mental health conditions such as ADHD are complex. It takes time and training to assess each person’s individual symptoms and experience.

 

Ask Jigsaw: I can’t figure out if I’m lesbian or bi

Posted on by eve

I don’t feel like myself anymore, like I’m stuck in a looking glass trying to break free. I can’t talk to anyone and I feel alone. I hate the fact that I know if I try to talk to anyone it will be around school the next day. I want to tell people who I really am that I don’t want to be in a perfect ken and barbie marriage when I’m older I just want barbie. The bad part is I can’t figure out if I’m lesbian or bi I’m so confused I feel like no one will accept me. I don’t know what to do and I need some advice?

-silver123

Hi Silver123,

I know how lonely and isolating it can feel when we feel like we have no one to turn to. I am really glad you reached out for support today.

Ask Jigsaw: How do I know if I have a mental disorder?

Posted on by eve

How do I know if I have actually have mental disorder? I don’t know what is real and what is not. Is it anxiety or am I just oversensitive about everything? Do I have depression even though I don’t have all the symptoms? How is a diagnosis given?

-Username

Hi there,

It’s healthy to feel a wide range of emotions in response to things that happen in your life. For example, you might feel sad after a bereavement, or anxious during exams. This does not mean that you have a problem with your mental health.

Ask Jigsaw: I’m self harming. What should I do?

Posted on by eve

I have recently started to cut my wrist and I’m not exactly sure why. I am an extremely shy person and could possibly have social anxiety. At first I thought it was a way of asking for help without actually talking to people but now that I have done it I am extremely scared of anyone finding out and am now terrified of what might happen. I don’t know what to do and need help. I am a very young person and shouldn’t even be considering on self harm. What should I do?

-Sarah  

Hi Sarah,

Sometimes there’s no particular reason why people start to self-harm. It can quickly become a habit that’s difficult to break on your own.  

Ask Jigsaw: Everything is overwhelming

Posted on by eve

I just feel everything is so overwhelming atm, like so much expectations and pressures coming from everywhere. A lot of the time I feel like I cant cope with things everyone else can deal with. I’m just slacking in everything and I sometimes feel like failure.

I tend to jump to the worst case scenario really quickly and I’m worried I might do something impulsive sometime. I don’t really know what to do or how I’ll stop feeling this way, i always convince myself facing up to stuff is too hard to do. Do u guys know what I should do? Thank you 🙂

-Aishlinn

Hi Aishlinn,

It is such a difficult place to be in when it feels like a lot is expected of us and that we are getting pressure from every angle. When we are feeling overwhelmed, it’s hard to start anything and that can lead to feeling like a failure.

Ask Jigsaw: Should I reach out?

Posted on by eve

I think I have anxiety, but I am not too sure and too nervous to reach out somewhere for help. I also have very poor self confidence and find that this is affecting my life negatively. Do you think it’s worth to try to reach out to somewhere .

-mm1224

Hi mm1224, 

Thank you for your question. Lots of young people wonder about whether or not they should reach out for help, so your question will help others. Reaching out for help is not easy, and it’s natural to be nervous about it.

You mentioned that having low confidence is affecting your life negatively. It makes sense that you might want to make some changes.