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Using technology to support your mental health

We hear a lot about the downside of technology, and how we should try to spend less time on it. But the pros of technology have also become obvious.

Our need for connection and fun is still clear. Though at present, our usual routines have been disrupted and everything is a little bit out of sorts.

But we have to adapt to the way the world is now and reach out in ways that we can. We need to restructure how we do the things that help our mental health, and technology can help.

Jigsaw clinicians Vicky, Sarah, Valerija and Aoife discuss how they use technology to support their mental health during this time.

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.

Being there for friends while social distancing

Disruptions caused by the pandemic changed life as we know it. We were challenged to accept the uncertainty of the moment.

Focusing on what is within our control helped with the stress we may have felt.

We can, fortunately, control how we maintain our connections and friendships with others. Covid may have made us more aware of our vulnerabilities. However, we have also been able to find new ways to connect and care for the people in our lives. 

From singing across balconies to neighbourhood volunteer groups, people across the globe found ways to connect. 

Substance use and mental health during COVID-19

Covid-19 has highlighted how our actions impact ourselves and the people around us. It’s helpful to consider how the use of alcohol and drugs can influence and impact our ability to cope with this situation.   

Life was tough enough, and Covid-19 can make everything seem harder. Faced with challenging circumstances, alcohol and drugs can seem like a way to cope. We may feel they will help us escape the uncertainty of this pandemic.

Both the Covid-19 situation and substances can impact mental health, so inform yourself as much as possible to make the right decisions for you.

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.

Feeling pressure

Life can feel full of pressure sometimes. Especially while we figure out who we are, what we want, and how we want our lives to be.

Young people who come to Jigsaw often talk to us about the pressure they’re feeling. Some of the things they feel pressure from include:

  • Fitting in – Having to change who they are to be included in a group.
  • Supporting friends – Feeling they have to respond to friends’ difficulties, even when it interferes with their own wellbeing.
  • Conforming – Falling in with an education system that feels unfair and out of line with everything else in their life.
  • Performing well in exams – Comparing results and achievements.
  • Competing and doing well in sports or other hobbies – This can be to the point where they no longer enjoy it.
  • Future plans – Feeling they should know what career path to choose.
  • Fulfilling the expectations of others – Living up to the expectations of parents. Or matching the achievements of siblings.

What is depression?

Depression is a term that is used in many different ways by different people. Commonly, people use the word depression to describe feeling sad, upset, or fed up.

Many of us describe things, such as news stories, as ‘depressing’. We may also describe ourselves as being depressed at different times in our lives and for different lengths of time.

In this article, you will find:

Hearing voices

We know that many young people hear voices or sounds that other people can’t hear. The recent My World Survey found that over one in five adolescents has had this experience.

This can feel frightening or confusing. Particularly with a backdrop of movies and tv programmes that portray hearing voices as ‘crazy’. However, there are many explanations for the phenomenon of hearing voices.

What is bullying?

Unfortunately, being bullied is a relatively common experience. ‘Bullying’ means repeated actions with the intention of causing distress.

In a recent survey of over 19,000 young people in Ireland, 39% reported they had been bullied at some point. However, despite being something many of us go through, people often try to hide that they’re being bullied. This can make it even more isolating and distressing. Bullying is never acceptable.

In this article you will find:

What bullying is

Bullying can be obvious, like physical violence, verbal abuse, or humiliation. But there are also less visible versions of it, such as emotional bullying or exclusion.

Bullying could be any combination of these:

  • Verbal put downs
  • Embarrassing you
  • Exclusion
  • Damaging or stealing belongings
  • Racial abuse.

Bullying can be a very isolating experience and has a negative impact on our self-esteem.