Tom, Jigsaw clinician, talks about what we can do to manage cabin fever while we’re stuck at home.
Category: Friends
Watch: Staying connected in current circumstances
Here Claire, Jigsaw Clinician, talks about connectivity and staying in touch during these new circumstances.
Watch: Social media use during the pandemic
In this video Linda suggests how we can use social media in a way that is less likely to negatively impact our mental health.
Watch: Concerned about being left behind
When a group of friends head off in different directions after finishing school, it is easy to feel concerned about being left behind.
Jigsaw volunteers Sam, Nicola and Rachel, with Youth and Community worker Sinead, talk about how they feel about leaving their school friends as they head off on new adventures.
Watch: Worried about making friends
After not clicking with people in first year, Jess, Jigsaw Volunteer talks to Conor, Jigsaw Clinician about heading back to college and being worried about making friends all over again.
Conor explains that when we have had bad experiences with friendships, picking ourselves back up it can be challenging. We might be feeling rejected, or a bit hopeless about meeting new people.
Watch: How to start a conversation
Eimear, Jigsaw volunteer, asks for advice about how to start a conversation in a new situation, for example when starting a new course.
Jigsaw works with many young people who go to a class, society meetings or football training and still feel lonely. This is because they find it really hard to talk to someone. So they’re going, but not connecting. That can be really hard and there’s not a simple fix.
When we’ve gone through difficult experiences like being bullied, or have had negative relationships, we can start to believe unhelpful things. We can start to believe “no one would want to speak to me” or “I’m not good enough for people to talk to”.
Watch: How can I support a friend who is stressed?
Alice, Jigsaw Youth Advisory Panel member and Sinead, Jigsaw Clinician talk about the effects of stress and how to support a friend who is stressed.
Ramadan during lockdown
Karima, a Jigsaw volunteer gives her story
Friday, 24 April was the first day of Ramadan for me and many other Muslims around the world.
This Ramadan will be different to the many others I’ve experienced, due to the current lockdown situation.
Throughout the month of Ramadan, most Muslims won’t eat or drink between dawn and sunset. This is known as fasting and it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam; alongside Faith, prayer, charity and doing Hajj (a journey to the city of Mecca). Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. As we use the lunar calendar, its date changes on a yearly basis that is based on the different moon cycles.
Being the best
We live in a competitive world, where comparison is everywhere. It’s often present in school or college, on the sports field or in relation to social status.
There can be a focus on ‘being the best’ when we are ranked and compared to those around us.
At school or in college there is often competition, with exams designed to assess our academic ability. Ratings can be compared to every other person our age in Ireland.
Sports can come with pressure and a focus on winning. Even in non-competitive activities, such as the gym, we are encouraged to try to get a ‘personal best’. We might focus on doing more weights or improving our time, in competition with ourselves to be our best.
Online and on social media, we can usually see how many followers/friends, likes, or comments another person receives. We often compare our social media stats to those of others. Looking at posts and wondering why some got more support than others can become a habit. What stories are we telling ourselves about success and failure?
Feeling happy being single
Being single doesn’t seem like something to celebrate. Relationships are the focus of a lot of the popular culture we consume.
It can also take a period of adjustment if we recently find ourselves single, through a break-up, or ending a relationship.
Our Instagram feeds are filled with snaps of ‘happy couples’ and #relationshipgoals. There’s a mountain of advice on how not to be single. So, you’d be forgiven for thinking everyone in the world is in a relationship except you.
However, that’s not the case. According to the most recent Irish Census, 41% of people over 15 years-old are single. Yet still, we can feel the pressure to ‘couple up’ and this can be challenging.