Most of us expect that after being a student at school or college we will get a job and embark on a career.
Lots of young people work to help finance their studies. However, particularly in the current climate, many are finding it difficult to find a job or a career. When facing the uncertainty around employment it is vital to pay attention to our mental health.
We talk about self-care a lot. But what does it mean?
We’ve had to learn to try and live alongside Covid in the last while. So let’s remind ourselves that these are unusual and challenging times.
As lockdown restrictions continue to be lifted, it’s important to incorporate self-care into our daily routine.
Linda, Jigsaw clinician runs through some ways we can look out for ourselves.
When life throws curve balls, we may find ourselves becoming impatient, wanting life to return to the way it was. We might want things to progress more quickly, or at least know what’s going to happen next.
There are times when our lives can take unexpected turns.
You or a family member may lose your job, illness might challenge your expectations of yourself or something you were looking forward to doesn’t work out the way you anticipated.
Unusual circumstances can cause feelings of impatience and stress to increase. You may find yourself overthinking things, feeling easily irritated by others, or less like yourself. Everyday problems can seem harder to solve.
While the new year is a time to look forward and plan ahead, December offers a chance to reflect on the year that’s gone.
Without a doubt, it’s been a tough and challenging year for many of us.
It’s completely understandable, we may focus on the toll the year has taken on our lives and plans. Missed opportunities due to social restrictions, unemployment and uncertainty about the future have led to challenging situations for young people. Some of the experiences we’ve heard about from young people this year are low mood, trouble sleeping and anxiety.
Jigsaw volunteer Sinead from Galway looks back on her experience of the past year (2020).
Christmas can be the most wonderful or the most stressful time of the year, depending on your situation and outlook. Expectations can be high around this time of year and minding your own mental health should be a priority.
In this article you will find:
Fionnuala (23), a Jigsaw volunteer from Kerry, lives with a parent who is it high risk in relation to Coronavirus due to an underlying health condition. Here, Fionnuala shares her story.
I feel anxious about bringing Coronavirus home, it’s a big thing as I have a family member who is high-risk. With the figures going up and down, it’s an unknown, and I don’t like unknowns. I find myself watching the news and the numbers quite closely. It feels like continuous months of checking. In Kerry, they went really down recently, we had zero for a lot of days. Whereas yesterday it went up to 19, so I’m back to being completely restricted again.
I just feel everything is so overwhelming atm, like so much expectations and pressures coming from everywhere. A lot of the time I feel like I cant cope with things everyone else can deal with. I’m just slacking in everything and I sometimes feel like failure.
I tend to jump to the worst case scenario really quickly and I’m worried I might do something impulsive sometime. I don’t really know what to do or how I’ll stop feeling this way, i always convince myself facing up to stuff is too hard to do. Do u guys know what I should do? Thank you 🙂
-Aishlinn
Hi Aishlinn,
It is such a difficult place to be in when it feels like a lot is expected of us and that we are getting pressure from every angle. When we are feeling overwhelmed, it’s hard to start anything and that can lead to feeling like a failure.
We held the second instalment of a new series of webinars for parents on Monday, 9 November.
The theme of this webinar was self-care during winter months. You may notice when you are tired, stressed or feeling run down, this can have a knock-on impact on the dynamics and relationships in the household. This can then increase tensions and arguments. As a parent, paying attention to your own mental health and wellbeing is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
In this webinar, Jigsaw clinicians Conor and Olive gave a 20-minute presentation. This was followed by questions and answers from parents.
The areas covered are:
You can view the full recording below.
I have been unemployed due to COVID since March and have no idea where to start over again as I have no college degree but beforehand had a really amazing job in the business industry. I don’t think I will ever get one like it again. Im stuck in bed all day not knowing where to go or what to do.
-neswilla
Hi neswilla,
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve lost your job due to Covid. There are lots of young people in a similar position at the moment, so your question will help others too.
