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:
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:
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.
We can often find it difficult to talk about our anxieties and worries. It’s not unusual to form a habit of thinking it’s “all in my head”, or “not a big deal”.
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.
If you spend any time on Jigsaw.ie or our social channels, you’ll see plenty of references to One Good Adult.
One Good Adult (OGA) refers to an adult who a young person can turn to if they are in need of support. The theme of One Good Adult emerged from the My World Survey, a national study of youth mental health. OGAs support young people in their life by listening to them, giving them time and space to open up and not judging them.
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:
This one hour online course for primary school teachers, has been developed by Jigsaw, in collaboration with ESCI – Education Support Centres Ireland.
The aim of the course is to increase the mental health literacy and skills of primary school teachers of 5th and 6th class pupils.
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.
We held the second instalment of a new series of webinars for parents on Monday, 9 November.
The theme of this webinar was self-care during winter months. You may notice when you are tired, stressed or feeling run down, this can have a knock-on impact on the dynamics and relationships in the household. This can then increase tensions and arguments. As a parent, paying attention to your own mental health and wellbeing is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
In this webinar, Jigsaw clinicians Conor and Olive gave a 20-minute presentation. This was followed by questions and answers from parents.
The areas covered are:
You can view the full recording below.
