Category: Family
Managing Christmas
Christmas for many is a season of hope and celebration, but it can often feel overwhelming.
Supporting migrants from war-torn areas
Hearing stories about conflict in other countries can bring up a number of feelings.
Rolling news about events such as the war in Ukraine and other conflict areas, can be overwhelming and leave us with a sense of helplessness at not knowing what to do.
Connecting with others
We can also feel empathy and sympathy for what our fellow human beings are going through.
Part of being human means we can connect with people we have never met, worrying about their situation and feeling their distress. It’s not unusual to feel different emotions at one time.
Fleeing a war-torn country is a very challenging thing for someone to do. People are forced to leave family members, homes, pets, jobs, and careers, as well as their social community.
Adjusting to being in a new country you didn’t necessarily choose isn’t easy. There may be many barriers to settling in, such as language and different cultural norms, like foods that are eaten.
Coping with Christmas
Christmas can be the most wonderful or the most stressful time of the year, depending on your situation and outlook. Expectations can be high around this time of year and minding your own mental health should be a priority.
In this article you will find:
Setting boundaries with young people
As a parent, you have worked hard over the years to set boundaries for your children. To help them differentiate right from wrong and to make good choices.
However, as they get older many young people may seem determined to test boundaries (and their parents) to the limits.
Spend some time thinking about your boundaries and expectations and how they evolve. This can help avoid some of the conflict that inevitably arises as young people progress into adulthood.
In the article, you will find:
Webinar: Managing family conflict
We held the final instalment of our 2020 series of parents’ webinars on Monday, 7 December.
Jigsaw clinicians Jules and Laura gave a 20 minute presentation on managing family conflict, followed by questions and answers from parents.
You can view the full recording below:
Maintaining boundaries
Boundaries demonstrate what we think is acceptable, or unacceptable, in peoples’ behaviour towards us. Establishing boundaries can be a way of protecting ourselves.
To help in this article we cover:
- What are personal boundaries?
- Why are boundaries so important?
- How to create boundaries
- Aisling’s (17) shares her experience of setting boundaries.
Ask Jigsaw: Mother comments on weight
I lost all my confidence due to the mean comments my mother makes about my weight. Is there any way I can make her stop making those comments? I know I have to lose some weight but she makes comments all the time. I have told her numerous times to stop but she won’t.
-una
Hi Una,
It’s not surprising that we absorb the comments that our parents make about us. If our parents make positive remarks, we tend to feel more confident, but if they are negative it can make us doubt our self-worth. I’m sorry that you have had to experience negative remarks from your mother about your body image.
Ask Jigsaw: Self-harming and feeling trapped
hi if you are self harming and your mam knows you have a history of it, is it ok for her to tell you to kill yourself and hit you even if it was a couple of times. everything is ok now but im not allowed leave the house because i’m grounded for drinking but she thinks i don’t have a phone and i feel trapped and i have started self harming again and having panick attacks.
tasha05xo
Hi Tasha05xo,
It sounds like things are really difficult for you at the moment. Thank you for reaching out to us.
Coping with parental separation
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:
- Sadness. When circumstances change in our parent’s relationship, this can lead to feelings of sadness. When we feel sad, we might notice a change in our mood, and we may not enjoy the things we usually get joy from.
- Confusion. We may feel confused about what is happening in our family. We may feel like we are stuck in the middle of things at times or uncertain about what will happen in our future.
- Guilt. At times we may feel guilty about the feelings we experience and thoughts we have about the separation.
- Relief. We might feel a sense of relief when our parents come to an agreement about what will happen next.
- Anger. We could feel angry about what is happening in our family and how things have changed.
- Blame. Sometimes when we are trying to understand what is happening, we may blame ourselves or others.
- Loss. We may feel loss for how our family has changed.
Remember that parents choose to separate for many different reasons that are to do with their relationship. It is not your fault.