Meghan, 20, a Jigsaw volunteer from Cork gives her story: The past few months have been uncertain for myself, and I’m sure many others, with many new changes in every aspect of our lives.
Uncertainty of when I’ll be able to see my friends, uncertainty around college and when we’ll be going back on campus, work and being able to feel comfortable and safe in crowded areas.
Ross, 18, a Jigsaw volunteer from Offaly, talks about starting college this year.
Like any young person, or any person at all in Ireland in 2020, it’s safe to say life has been anything but normal since March. Going from “schools are closed for two weeks”, to finding out that the culmination of 12 years of schoolwork, the Leaving Cert, was now cancelled, was an emotional rollercoaster.
The relief from finally getting a concrete answer gave room to thinking more about college and my concerns about third-level education in the world’s current state.
Eva talks about what led her to contact Jigsaw and what the experience of getting one-on-one support from a Jigsaw Clinician was like for her.
I was going through bit of a rough time. I was thinking that I was going to have to talk to someone about all of the things that were happening for me. So I googled Jigsaw and looked at the website and read the stories as well. I did wonder, is this really going to help me? Is this genuine? I just wasn’t sure what the service is about.
One day my rough times escalated … It was the month before my exams. I was in the library and I was so down that couldn’t focus at all. I was thinking, if this is going to continue, I will mess up my exams. I was constantly thinking about my worries and it wasn’t doing me any good. That’s why I decided to make a move and talk to someone.
In Jigsaw and UCD’s My World Survey in 2012, young people were asked if there was a special adult in their lives they could turn to when they were in need.
71% of young people had at least one adult they could talk to when they needed support. Here we asked Jigsaw Youth Advisory Panel volunteers who their One Good Adult was. Who is your one good adult?
James is 22 and from Kerry.
After he moved out of home, he experienced difficulties with his mental health. Eventually, fed up with staring at the wall, James went to Jigsaw for support. He talks here about his experiences.
James, aged 22, talks about his experience of seeking support for his mental health.
Ricky is 24 and from Sligo.
Following a relationship break up Ricky experienced a dip in his mental health and decided to go to Jigsaw. He still has good days and bad days, but feels he has developed the skills he needs to help him cope. Here Ricky talks about his experience.
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.
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.
When I was in Junior Cert, I felt a bit stressed, but so did everyone else. It wasn’t too bad, but I was looking forward to doing transition year for a bit of a break.
When I started in TY, things began to go downhill. My best friend had gone straight into fifth year and started hanging around with a new group. We weren’t spending as much time with each other and I didn’t feel like going out as much. You’re supposed to really enjoy TY, but I found it hard to get motivated.
It felt like there was no point in going in to school most days. I started having arguments with my mum about homework and getting up in the morning. Everything just felt boring and pointless.
It all came to a head when we were at my Nan’s 80th birthday. All my family were there and usually I’d really enjoy family parties, but I just didn’t feel like I wanted to be there. My aunt came up to me and started asking about school. You can tell when someone is just asking to be polite, but she was genuinely interested.
