Category: Information and resources

Ask Jigsaw: Coping with Coronavirus health anxiety

Posted on by eve

How to cope with health anxiety? I’m always such a hypochondriac, and I regularly experience bad anxiety over symptoms I convince myself I have. With Coronavirus rampant at the moment, I’m feeling worse than ever. I’m not sleeping and my mind is constantly on whether I’m coughing or if I’m feeling a bit warmer than usual. Honestly just feeling so scared and drained, I really don’t know how to cope :/

Hi,

You are not on your own with feeling anxious about Covid-19. It’s hard to switch off from the news and information about escalating rates of infection. It is natural to turn our attention to ourselves and our loved ones. We may worry about getting sick, particularly if we have previously been anxious about our health.

Ask Jigsaw: Scrolling for Coronavirus information

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I am finding it really difficult to stop scrolling on my phone cos I need information about what’s going on. I want to take a break, but I don’t want to miss out on any updates. Plus I want to stay in touch with my friends, but that can be drama too. Some of them are freaking out and some just think the whole thing is a joke and are going out anyway. I don’t know whether to just turn my phone off altogether or how do I limit it?

-Starfish

Hello Starfish,

A lot of young people joining the Jigsaw online group chat are also noticing a change in what they’re seeing on their phone, and how it’s affecting them. There is a direct link between the time we spend online and our mental health.

Watch: Realising it’s not just me

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Lauren is a 20 year old health and social care student from Clondalkin.

When her anger and anxiety started to impact on her life Lauren decided to go to a Jigsaw service for support. However, she worried what people around her would think. Once she started telling her family and friends about her mental health, Lauren realised ‘it’s not just me’. We all need help and support at different times. Here, Lauren talks about her experience of going to Jigsaw.

 

Ask Jigsaw: How do I know if I have an eating disorder?

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How do I know that I am developing an eating disorder and how should I explain it to my parents and therapist?

Hi there,

Noticing a change in our mental health can be a little frightening. It’s not unusual to seek a diagnosis for us to better understand what’s going on. If you have noticed a change in how you think about your body, or how you feel and/or act in relation to food, it’s important to explore this further. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have an eating disorder. Quite often, if we get the right support when we first notice these changes, we can prevent things from getting worse. In other cases, we might need to get a diagnosis to access a higher level of support. You can find out more about the development of eating disorders at Body Whys.

Webinar: My World Survey 2

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We recently ran a webinar for teachers, who have taken our online courses.

The webinar was based on the key findings from My World Survey 2, Ireland’s largest national youth mental health study, conducted by UCD School of Psychology and Jigsaw.

This is a recording of the webinar, where the team focused on the data from second level students. They also looked at the risk and protective factors linked to the mental health of adolescents in secondary level schools.

The recording is made up of a 30 minute presentation, followed by a question and answer session with all the participants.

Speakers

Professor Barbara Dooley, School of Psychology, UCD
Associate Professor Amanda Fitzgerald, School of Psychology, UCD
Dr. Aileen O’ Reilly, Research Manager, Jigsaw

Mental health services for under 18s

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It can be an overwhelming experience for a parent when your child is experiencing difficulties with their mental health.

There are many supports available to you and your son or daughter, but knowing what mental health services there are how and how to access them isn’t always easy.

Below we’ve listed some of the mental health services for under 18s in Ireland, how to access them, and costs. The service or organisation you go to depends on what your child is going through is considered mild, or more severe in nature. The first step to knowing this is going to your GP.

Adjusting to lockdown

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Keith, 24, a Jigsaw volunteer gives his story: I am on lockdown with my parents. Unfortunately, there are no pets, except those on animal crossing.

It was hard at first, as my daily routine has completely changed, along with just having to adjust to the current circumstances.

However, over the weeks we’ve been in lockdown, several things that have popped up, which I have definitely incorporated into my new daily routine. One of which is the time I’m spending by myself. I’m learning a lot about myself and what my resilience levels are like at the moment which is actually quite liberating. Another great thing that has come from this is the amount of time I’m spending with my family nowadays.

Coronavirus and mental health

Posted on by eve

During this global pandemic the recommendation is social distancing and staying safe. There is also a lot of focus on mental health.

Looking after your mental health is always important. But with Coronavirus spreading, we now face more and different challenges to our wellbeing.

Some of the stressors that we now face include:

  • Uncertainty about the future
  • Loss of routine
  • Fear of catching Coronavirus
  • Isolation from social distancing
  • Losing loved ones
  • Spread of misinformation
  • Worry about the actions of others
  • Boredom.

It’s unrealistic to think that the current situation won’t affect most of us in some way. We might be experiencing feelings of stress right now, or feel slightly numb or immune to it. However, the more we pay attention to our emotional and psychological needs the easier it will be to get through this turbulent time.

Keep what works

Minding our mental health does not mean we do lots of new stuff. We need to change the things that have worked previously to our new situation. Think about what helped your mental health before. Find ways to incorporate them into your new regime. Watch 5-a-day for mental health here.

Strategies for managing mental health can be adapted for now. Read more about: