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Why do people self-harm?

Self-harm is when someone intentionally damages or injures their body. Also known as self-injury, it can take on many forms, such as cutting, burning, hitting, or scratching.

Risky behaviour that can be harmful is also considered self-harm behaviour. Binge drinking to the point of blacking out or vomiting regularly, restricting food intake, or overeating could be considered risky.

Supporting your young person as they adjust to change

Moving from primary to secondary school, sitting state exams, starting college, peer and family relationships, and bodily changes, there is a huge amount of change in a young person’s life.

In this article, we will talk about

Mind your mental health as you adjust to Irish life

People leave their home countries for multiple reasons to live somewhere else. They may be forced to leave family members, homes, pets, jobs, careers, and their communities.

For some people, this is to seek a better life for themselves and their families. For others, the decision is forced due to war, civil unrest or poverty. The decision to move can be a very difficult one to make and sometimes has to be made very quickly.

As a parent or guardian, this can lead to carrying a lot of worry for your young person.

Your own mental health can be affected by moving somewhere else. While the reasons for moving differ, most people take time to settle into their new country.

Supporting your young person to live in Ireland

Arriving in Ireland as a migrant is stressful and at times can be a painful experience.

The decision to move may have been difficult and sometimes has to be made very quickly.

As a parent, you want to be able to look after your young person’s physical and mental health to the best of your ability. You also need to be able to look after your own mental health to be able to provide support to others.

In this article, we will touch on the different issues that might come up for your young person and how can you support them.

Some of the areas that will likely come up are:

  • Leaving family behind
  • Education issues
  • Social issues
  • Physical health issues
  • Emotional issues
  • Effects of war and conflict on young people’s mental health.

My Pride story

This is a personal story written for us by one of our young volunteers.

My name is Savannah. I am a Youth Advocate with Jigsaw Dublin City North.

Pride means that I am able to live my life with dignity, integrity, courage, joy, love and in community with others without fear of being ridiculed, shamed or discriminated against.

I feel so passionately about the importance of Pride, not only for myself, my fellow LGBTQIA+ community, but people all over Ireland.

Pride should be a celebrated and encouraged event nationwide and this is why I am so excited to be walking in Pride on the 25 June 2022 for the first time ever with Jigsaw.

Coping with summertime challenges

Many of us look forward to the long summer break from school or college. But without routine and structure, many of us can struggle with so much free time and feel a bit lost.

Everyone’s situation is different. You may not get to see your friends as much during the summer. Or have the same access to money as your friends.

Depending on your situation you might not be able to get around as much as you’d like. Extra responsibilities such as looking after siblings or working might take up a lot of your time.

Sometimes it can feel like everyone else is having a fantastic time.

Supporting migrants from war-torn areas

Hearing stories about conflict in other countries can bring up a number of feelings.

Rolling news about events such as the war in Ukraine and other conflict areas, can be overwhelming and leave us with a sense of helplessness at not knowing what to do.

Connecting with others

We can also feel empathy and sympathy for what our fellow human beings are going through.

Part of being human means we can connect with people we have never met, worrying about their situation and feeling their distress. It’s not unusual to feel different emotions at one time.

Fleeing a war-torn country is a very challenging thing for someone to do. People are forced to leave family members, homes, pets, jobs, and careers, as well as their social community.

Adjusting to being in a new country you didn’t necessarily choose isn’t easy. There may be many barriers to settling in, such as language and different cultural norms, like foods that are eaten.