Whether it’s your first time coming out, or your hundredth, it can be both a daunting and liberating time.
Coming out begins with coming out to ourselves. We need to allow time to explore and discover who we are physically, romantically and sexually attracted to. Here are some tips that can be helpful to remember.
Sinead, Jigsaw clinician, talks about how you can support your difficult emotions and feelings right now by thinking of “Triple A”.
Tom, Jigsaw clinician, talks about what we can do to manage cabin fever while we’re stuck at home.
Time spent online and social media are commonly viewed as the root causes of any problem that young people face.
For a lot of us, work and education is tied into a stable internet connection. Digital communication is more important than ever.
When we ask young people how long they spend online, they often refer to this amount as bad or negative. We’re all guilty of mindless scrolling at times, but does that make it bad?
In this article, you will find:
Hey, not sure if this is relevant so please feel free to ignore if there are better questions.
How do you know when you’re ‘bad enough’? I know that everyone says no problem is too small, but I can’t help but feel that if I seek help somewhere that I’d be taking the spot away from someone else who is more in need.
Over the past year, I’ve gotten super obsessed with counting my calories; restricting and then ‘binging’ (not really large amounts of food, just more than I think I should be eating) as a result, occasionally using other methods like appetite suppressants and laxatives to compensate. However, I don’t think that it’s serious as I’m not under weight or over weight yet, so I don’t think I have an eating disorder?
Not sure what I should do, I’d really appreciate an insight, as the new year is making me feel like there’s more I should be doing to be skinnier etc.
Thank you so much x
-Sershxo
Hi Sershxo,
Many people who have come to Jigsaw have worried that their problem isn’t ‘bad enough’ or that others need or deserve the support more. It is very difficult to compare problems, as there are usually so many different factors at play, including the issue or issues, the coping resources someone has, what is going on around them etc. Rather than thinking about other people who may access a service, it is more helpful to think about your own needs.
In this video, Alice, a Jigsaw volunteer, asks Sinéad, a Jigsaw clinician what causes stress and what you can do about managing it.
Alice, Jigsaw Youth Advisory Panel member and Sinead, Jigsaw Clinician talk about the effects of stress and how to support a friend who is stressed.
Having a routine is good for our wellbeing. It creates structure in our week and gives us a sense of purpose. Routine also makes it easier to do the things that are important to us.
With schools and colleges closed, work situations changing, and physical distancing, many people are struggling with daily life feeling quite different.
We can use routine as a way to support our mental health at this time.
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a situation where we have to be mindful about our health and wellbeing.
As we return to schools, colleges and workplaces, we are being told how to keep safe, recognise symptoms and respond if we become ill. If you do notice worrying symptoms, follow the HSE advice: phone the GP to make sure you are OK and discuss what care you might need. However, many of us are feeling increased anxiety about our health which is not helpful.
Although things are starting to return to normal, many of us are still unable to take part in our pre-covid routines. We may have lost previous coping strategies or fallen into unhelpful habits during the period of lockdown. The current situation can increase worry about our own health, and that of others. This stress in itself can impact our physical health. For this reason, we must do our best to manage stress.
