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.
Category: Asking for help
Webinar: Supporting student anxiety
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.
Supporting student anxiety
Maintaining school connection during Covid-19
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.
Role of the teacher
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.
Minding mental health for teachers during Covid-19
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.
Online limitations
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.
Webinar: Self-care for teachers
Jigsaw Connect: Self-care for teachers
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.
Ask Jigsaw: How do you recognise emotional abuse?
How can you tell when your being emotionally abused?
– Idkhelpmepls:)
Hi Idkhelpmepls:),
Recognising emotional abuse can be complicated. It can have lots of different names, like verbal or mental abuse, and it might have different meanings for different people. It’s really important to explore if we are being abused by someone so that we can protect ourselves, and get the necessary support.
Emotional abuse is systematic emotional or psychological ill-treatment by someone in our lives. It can be perpetrated by a parent, partner, carer or someone else that we have a relationship with. It can include manipulation, humiliation, aggression and intimidation that occurs over a period of time. We might notice warning signs in a relationship that could indicate it is becoming abusive.
Ask Jigsaw: No one to talk to
I’m sick of pretending that everything’s ok when I’m hurting so bad and I have no one to talk to I’m just so alone and wish I had someone to turn to what should I do since I have no one to talk to.
– Mary
Hi Mary,
I’m sorry to hear that things are so hard for you right now and you feel so alone. It is great that you want to talk about what is going on, and recognise the importance of this. It is not always easy to know who the best person is to talk to however. While some people might have a really obvious ‘one good adult’ in their life, for some of us it might take a bit more figuring out.
Supporting young people’s mental health during the pandemic
Through Jigsaw’s work with young people, we are continuously reminded of the challenges parents face, and their desire to help.
It is no easy feat being a parent. The biggest issues right now are dealing with the threat of lockdown, ongoing restrictions, and the uncertainty they all bring.
The pandemic has brought uncertainty and a rapid change to our lifestyle. It has increased the potential for anxiety and frustration, not only for young people, but also for parents.
Ask Jigsaw: Preparing for the future
How do I face a future I cannot predict? What can I do to prepare for a future I may never be ready for? What are important skills for independent living? What can I do now, during this pandemic to prepare for the future? How do I make myself believe in things that are common sense, but yet I somehow refuse to accept?
-Beepbeepimasheep
Hi Beepbeepimasheep,
During times of unprecedented change, it’s not surprising to ask ourselves important questions as you have. It can be useful to ask questions about the future, so that we can feel prepared for what’s to come. However, the only certainty about the future is that it is uncertain, regardless of whether Covid-19 happened or not. It’s understandable if this makes us feel anxious, but giving ourselves the permission to accept this can be very calming.
Ask Jigsaw: Scared of being hurt again
I’ve never gotten along with my dad and he’s really hurt me in the past. Then he moved and now he’s calling me and being nice but he never apologised. I’m scared he’ll hurt me again and I want to forgive him I just don’t know how. What do you think I should do? Sorry to bother you with this i know it’s a hard time for everyone right now.
Anna
Hi Anna,
I’m glad that you got in touch because you deserve to be supported in this situation. Conflict with our parents can really affect us. From a young age, we learn to do what our parents tell us and we can feel a responsibility to do what they say. It’s understandable that you feel uncertain.
It’s our parents’ role to protect us from harm and to treat us with warmth and love. It is wrong, and in some cases illegal, for our parents to hurt us. It sounds like you’ve been hurt in the past. Whether that was physical or emotional, you are right to make sure you are protected from it happening again.