I am anxious about the leaving I scratched myself what can I do? ( I tried get apt with local jigsaw device there are no apt’s til may)
– Lc220
Hi Lc220,
You are not alone in feeling anxious or worried about exams. The leaving cert year can be a really difficult one for many different reasons. The exams themselves are difficult, along with thoughts about the future. You can find out more about some strategies and ways to cope with Leaving Cert stress here.
Below, Alan talks about positive thinking and how you can practice gratitude.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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:
After not clicking with people in first year, Jess, Jigsaw Volunteer talks to Conor, Jigsaw Clinician about heading back to college and being worried about making friends all over again.
Conor explains that when we have had bad experiences with friendships, picking ourselves back up it can be challenging. We might be feeling rejected, or a bit hopeless about meeting new people.
Clinicians from our Dublin City service talk about using technology to support your mental health.
Disruptions caused by the pandemic changed life as we know it. We were challenged to accept the uncertainty of the moment.
Focusing on what is within our control helped with the stress we may have felt.
We can, fortunately, control how we maintain our connections and friendships with others. Covid may have made us more aware of our vulnerabilities. However, we have also been able to find new ways to connect and care for the people in our lives.
From singing across balconies to neighbourhood volunteer groups, people across the globe found ways to connect.
