Constantly feeling anxious in busy areas , school becoming a problem I can’t go to canteen by myself I have to meet friends first , a constant anxious feeling over me .
– Layla104xx
Hi Layla104xx,
Feeling constantly anxious is exhausting. The physical sensations and spiraling thoughts, that often accompany anxiety, can be so strong that we avoid everyday things like school, or social events.
There are many reasons why self-care can drop down the list of priorities for school principals.
Multiple roles, busy lives, competing demands can extinguish our best intentions. However, if we want to encourage students and staff to mind their mental health, it is important to act as a role model in minding our own mental health and wellbeing.
Here are five practical ways to begin to consider your own self-care strategies:
I had a friend and we were so close but all of a sudden he turned nasty towards me with no reason that I was aware of. It got to a stage were I got really really sad and had dangerous thoughts in my head but I managed to tell my family and they brought it to the schools attention.
My family and Boyfriend hates this person after what happened and doesn’t want me anywhere near them. But I miss the friendship still and would like to be friends with this person again but I’m afraid will the same thing happen again and I’d also be risking my relationship with my boyfriend and risking my feelings and mental health getting damaged again.
I don’t know how to deal with these emotions… do u have any advice for this situation? Thanks
-Number 5
Hello Number 5,
Friendships are complex and there’s no right or wrong way to navigate them. So thank you for your honesty in sharing your situation.
Sometimes, the closer a person is to us, the easier it is for them to hurt us. It sounds like the unexpected nastiness of your friend confused you, and knocked your self-esteem. When someone we trust treats us badly, we can often start to question our own self-worth. We might start having negative or dangerous thoughts, as you’ve described.
I’m glad that your boyfriend and family were there to remind you that that the friend’s behaviour was not right. You deserve support to handle this.
School staff often juggle multiple complex tasks and demands. Therefore, a focus on staff mental health and wellbeing has become an increasing priority in the education sector.
Taking care of staff helps them to perform to the best of their ability. It ensures they are better able to support their students.
The global pandemic has created a wave of uncertainty, unknowns and change for all of us. Nowhere is this more evident than in schools.
As a principal or deputy, you have probably had to adapt and respond to the needs of your school community in many different ways.
We know that mental health and wellbeing is central to learning and for the cognitive development of young people. Being resilient, relationships and feeling connected to their school communities matter.
As educators, you play a critical role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of students and school staff. But, to care for others it is vital that you and your staff are supporting your own mental health as well.
My best friend who is 14 wants to harm herself and I’m able to talk her out of it a lot but I’m afraid if someday I’m not there to help or give her the advice she needs or something like that.
I could really use some help here I’ve already recommended this website for her. I really need help with what to do for her because I am worrying a lot because of this. Please contact me for advice I should give to her. Thanks
-Five
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:
Remember that parents choose to separate for many different reasons that are to do with their relationship. It is not your fault.
What should I do if my best friend left me and I don’t have anyone else to talk to and at home I don’t feel good enough to talk to someone about it. School starts soon and I don’t want to have no friends.
-Hannah
Hi Hannah,
I’m sorry that you feel like you are on your own with no one to talk to. Friendships make us feel connected and understood. So when they end, it’s normal to feel lonely or sad. It’s hard to accept but we have no control over our friends’ actions, so if they end the friendship, we can feel helpless.
I decided to take a gap year from starting college because of Covid causing everything to be online. I just feel like a coward who ran away as soon as the going got tough. But I just wanted to connect with people and be in the atmosphere of it all.
I’ve always felt trapped within myself, like I’m the audience watching characters in a scene and I can’t break that barrier. Doing College online only amplified this feelings as I was literally watching a screen.
I’m just afraid I made this choice out of fear. I was doing the course out of fear of not doing it and now I’m not doing the course out of fear of doing it. My family supported my decision and I felt brave for telling them how I felt but a part of me still feels like a coward and a failure and I’m afraid I’m going to waste this year and I’ll regret this decision in the future.
-Cole
Hi Cole,
There are many reasons for delaying the start of your studies or training after school. Making a decision to wait until you can fully engage in the college experience is brave. It sounds like it was one that you and your family put some thought into, so trust yourself.
Whether we are feeling run down, experiencing low mood, or are in crisis we all need to reach out for support sometimes. You are not alone.
Recent research conducted by Orgyen and the World Economic Forum highlighted that 87% of the global population is affected by mental health difficulties. This can either be through individuals’ own experience or that of someone close to them.
