Here’s a hello from Nicole, one of our educators
Disclaimer: These videos are part of the WISER tutorial anything else that comes up as a suggestion is not part of the WISER tutorial. Youtube will suggest related content based on viewing history. Enjoy the videos.
As mentioned in the Puberty session, the hormones that trigger changes in our bodies also can affect the way we feel, react and interact with people. As we get older, we realise that other people’s lives and families are different to ours, and thinking about that can change the way we feel, react and interact with people also. Plus, young people get a fair bit of school pressure and decisions to make that can be scary. So there are lots of challenges happening inside you, as well as changes outside you like changing schools, brothers and sisters growing up or being born, changes for our parent’s and caregivers – there are many things than can affect us a lot over these years.
With all this going on, it’s normal to feel strong feelings! Maybe you cry more or get angry more than you used to, or feel confused or scared about the future. You’ll find that lots of people your age feel this way sometimes too. Here’s a video about ‘teen angst’ – which is what people call all those strong angry/sad/frustrated feelings that are hard to understand.
For some people, feeling depressed or anxious happens a lot. This video talks about that a bit.
Who do you think is a good person to talk to? It’s best if you can think of an adult you trust and know already. If not, there are a few other options. In Galway we have Jigsaw, you can contact them on 091 549252 or galway@jigsaw.ie to make an appointment.
Youth Work Ireland runs a counselling service, you can contact them on 0860247763 or check out www.youthworkgalway.ie. You can always contact Childline on 1800 666 666 or www.childline.ie.
In this girl’s story about judging herself, anxiety and how she got through it, you can hear about one way to handle these challenges. Sometimes you might need more help than this, and that’s okay too.
Ditch the monkey! This video clip series is made by spunout.ie. The girl in the last video talked about how the voices in her head were calling her names and saying she was a failure – well we all have a critic in our heads because it used to be what kept us safe in dangerous situations. But these days for lots of people that critic, or the ‘monkey’ in this video, tells us things that make us feel worse and make choices that lead to unhappiness. Here’s two from the#DitchTheMonkeyseries.
https://spunout.ie/health/article/pmh-connect-ditchthemonkey
As well as talking to a safe adult or support people, there are some things you can also do to look after yourself. Here’s 26 ways to help yourself if you’re having a tough patch, and keep in mind that alcohol and drugs/substances may seem like they help in the short term for some people, but they NEVER help in the long term.
Take care, and check out www.amaze.org for more information
