We know that friends turn to each other for support. Friends can often be the first port of call when times are tough.
It can be hard to see friends going through a difficult time and know what you can do for them.
Category: Information and resources
Porn and mental health
As technology advances, the accessibility of porn has increased. We know that many young people in Ireland are consuming porn.
The recent My World Survey, a study of young people in Ireland, had relevant results on this. It found that almost two-thirds of young adults had watched pornography on the internet.
Feeling anxious as society reopens
Lockdown life since March 2020 brought about many changes for all of us. The easing of restrictions may be very welcome but can bring some feelings of anxiety along with them.
One of the biggest changes for the last year was our social interactions. The on-again off-again seeing people outside the home, led to some creative ways to stay connected. But, it has been a challenge for many to not be able to visit their support systems.
Looking forward to the end of lockdown
If someone told you last Christmas about an impending global pandemic, where people were encouraged to stay at home you would have thought it was science fiction.
Faced with challenging times, we can look for different options to help. Sometimes it’s good to work out what we need in the moment and at that time for support. Other times it can be good to plan for things to look forward to, or work out what’s important to us for the future.
We asked some of our young volunteers around Ireland about what they were looking forward to and wanted to share some of these with you.
Family and friends
Unsurprisingly, a lot of our volunteers mention friends and family.
I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and friends after lockdown. Aisling O’ (18) Meath
Seeing my friends and going shopping. Amina Abdallgany (17) Meath
I am excited to see and spend time with my friends and family. Annemarie Driver (20) Meath
Going back to work, seeing my family and friends. Emily (18) Donegal
Seeing my friends. Daragh Nerney
Being able to go see my granny, friends and extended family members. Ruth O’Dea, Clare/Galway
Hugging my nieces and seeing my family and friends. Visiting my boyfriend whom I haven’t seen in over 4 months. Keith Judge (24) Dublin
Seeing my nana and giving her a hug. I saw her everyday after work and I miss that. Nicola (19) Dublin
I cannot wait to see my friends and family when this is all over! My godson was born the first week of lockdown so I am yet to meet him! This young volunteer has chosen to be anonymous.
Spending time with my friends. Yvonne (24) Limerick
I’m most looking forward to giving all my family and friends and big hug and spending time with them again. Mark (22) Dublin
The impact of parents’ mental health
A person’s mental health can affect those close to them. It can be difficult for a young person if one or more of their parents are struggling.
This might be because they’re worried about them, or because the parent is not able to do the usual stuff they do.
If this is something you’re going through, here is an outline supports and other ways to help.
When do I need to get help for my mental health?
There are lots of ways to think about and describe mental health. We all have mental health and when we face various challenges it can be impacted.
We can start to find things difficult and may wonder what to do next. There are many different types of support out there to help us look after mental health. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Getting support
Not everyone who experiences challenges with their mental health will need to access a service for support. If something is causing you to feel stressed, talk to a good friend, family member or a trusted adult. This can be enough to get you through.
Being anxious in social situations
Sometimes, being around people can be nerve-racking. Many of us experience anxiety in social situations.
Having to speak in public, or walking into a room of people you don’t know, or performing in front of a class can make the most confident person feel anxious.
Feeling very self-conscious in social situations is more common than you think. Many young people who come to Jigsaw tell us they can find being around classmates, strangers or even friends quite difficult. If this sounds familiar to you, know that it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here we’ll explore why you might feel that way and what you can do about it. In this article you will find:
- What does being self-conscious mean?
- What makes us feel anxiety in social situations
- How to manage anxiety in social situations
Dealing with a breakup
Whether you broke up with someone, they broke up with you, or the decision was mutual, feelings can be tough. We can feel sadness, loss, guilt, or anger.
Sometimes we can be upset because we’re confused and not sure what happened. Other times it can even be a relief.
It doesn’t matter how long it lasted or how serious it was, it matters what the relationship meant to you. How you felt about that person and how it ended will impact how you react to dealing with breaking up.
Consent and sex
‘Consent’ is another word for ‘agreeing to’. We use ‘consent’ a lot when we talk about sex. In that context, consent means both people fully understand and agree to what they’re about to do.
It is really about communication, respect and awareness of the other person.
In this article, we’ll cover what you need to know about consent and sex.
How to talk about porn with young people
With advances in technology, pornography has become more and more accessible to young people. It is no longer confined to the top shelf of the newspaper shop, but can be accessed anywhere, anytime.
Although it might be awkward, we need to be having conversations with young people about porn and the impact it can have.