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James and Fiadhna's advice in World Mental Health Day

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James and Fiadhna's advice in World Mental Health Day

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Once we're through the panto, the carol service, the big build up, the festive season can go a bit flat and wellbeing can go out of the window in favour of sitting indoors over indulging in rich foods. So here are some wellbeing tips for throughout the 12 days of Christmas - from 25 December 2022 to 5 January 2023 to help boost your wellbeing and give you a boost into the New Year.

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By Lisa Ryan.
The festive season can be a busy time of celebrating but sometimes it can be overwhelming and stressful for many people. This may be because you are feeling stressed, anxious, lonely, dealing with addiction, depressed or grieving the loss of a loved one.

Here are some tips on how to mind your mental health over Christmas:
Rest
Christmas is the perfect opportunity to take some time out of your day to day life. Take the time to re-energize by giving yourself a change of scene or pace.
Boundaries
It's okay to prioritize what's best for you especially around a difficult time. Plan ahead and say no to events or gatherings that might not be beneficial for you. Try not to isolate yourself for the whole time but know that it's ok to put yourself first. Don't feel like you have to do all that is traditionally expected of you.
Self Care
Look after yourself, make sure you are eating well and getting some physical exercise over the Christmas period. Try to keep a regular sleeping pattern. If you are working over Christmas, try making sure you have the adequate time off to rest.
Monitoring you alcohol
Christmas parties encourage socializing and it's very easy to get carried away but know your limits. It's important to maintain your personal wellbeing too. Be sure to eat before you drink and alternate between glasses of water wherever you can.
Support
Reach out to those around you for support, talk about how your feeling or reach out to support services. Make a list of any services that you might need and their Christmas opening hours.
Plan Ahead
Tell people what they can stop, start or continue doing to help you. For example, you could let them know any activities you'd like to be involved in, and what they can do to support you during Christmas. Or you could tell them any questions or topics that you find hard to discuss, so they can avoid asking about them.
How to support a loved one at Christmas
While Christmas may be a joyful and fun time for you, for a loved one close to you they may have a very different experience. For many people the festive season can be overwhelming and difficult. This may be because they are feeling stressed, anxious, lonely, dealing with addiction, depressed or grieving the loss of a loved one. Here are some tips on how to support them during this time:

Ask your loved one how you can help them.

Let them know you understand Christmas can be difficult for them and you're there for them.

Listen and offer support but avoid pushing unwanted advice.

Be patient with them, learning and practicing new coping strategies takes time.

Reach out to loved ones who may be lonely at Christmas.

Set boundaries and seek support for yourself, if needed.

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Minding your mental health at Christmas - Let's Get Talking

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By Lisa Ryan. The festive season can be a busy time of celebrating but sometimes it can be overwhelming and stressful for many people. This may be because you are feeling stressed, anxious, lonely, dealing with addiction, depressed or grieving the loss of a loved one.

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Everyone has a different experience of school. It is not uncommon to have challenges at school. Read some advice below

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Everyone has a different experience of school. It is not uncommon to have challenges at school. Read some advice below

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Most students go through some ups and downs throughout the year. Experiencing problems at school is not unusual for many young people.

When difficulties get on top of us, it can be like a domino effect. One domino falls over and all the rest seem to pile up. It’s OK to have mixed feelings about school, as everyone has their good days and bad days. Whether you’re having problems with schoolwork, friends, or fitting in, you are not alone.

Some common problems in school and solutions:

Difficulties with school work

Friendships at school

Not getting on with teachers

Anxiety in school

Bullying in school

Move from the idea of being the best to doing your best.

Difficulties with school work

Having trouble with school work or falling behind is a common worry for students. Falling behind can happen easily, especially if we miss days of school. Some teachers can also fly through lessons. Or sometimes we can just find it hard to concentrate.

When we are finding it hard to keep up with homework it may cause us to feel overwhelmed or anxious. It can also be frustrating or stressful when the teacher asks us a question and we don’t know the answer.

Having ongoing difficulties at school can drain motivation. This can then cause you to feel like giving up or as if there is no point. If any of this sounds familiar to you it’s really important you talk to someone.

Here are some things to consider if you find you are feeling overwhelmed at school:

Alternative ways of learning- Opening up to a teacher or parent can help. Firstly, try to identify the exact problem. Is it one subject you are finding difficult? Or do you find it hard to concentrate all the time? We all learn in different ways and at different paces. Think about what type of learning suits you. Using pictures or diagrams will be a lot easier and make a huge difference if you are a visual learner. Look up talks and lessons on YouTube could help if you need to hear things a few times. Would studying and discussing with a friend help?

Talk to your teacher or year head- Let your teacher know what areas you’re having difficulties with and its impact on you. They may be able to come up with some suggestions for how you can catch up or get back on track with your study. The earlier you flag that you’re struggling the easier it will be to manage things, but it is never too late to talk.

Take notice of the good things- Think about the positive things that happen during the day. “‘This morning I did this well in … “. If you answered a question right or made a new friend make a mental note of it. When things aren’t going so well, try to remind yourself of some of these nicer experiences.

Try to change how you think about school- Getting something wrong in class or failing a test can be frustrating and upsetting. But, know that we all have bad days or make mistakes. Can you shift how you look at events like this? Easier said than done, we know, but they can be opportunities to learn from and do better next time. There is nothing to be learned by getting things right all the time.

Listen to what you are telling yourself- Are you putting yourself under pressure to be the best at a particular subject? Is it possible that you’re being overly hard on yourself and self-critical? Do you tell yourself you can’t do something or that you’re stupid? Become aware of your ‘inner voice’ and learn to be kinder to yourself.

Make a plan- Time management can make a big difference to the school experience. Most of how you spent the day is not your choice. So it can be useful to spend time, even a few hours, planning a schedule for the time you have outside of school. Include time for homework, study, fun, and relaxation. Remember, time out from school and study is important too. Prioritise tasks and when you will do schoolwork or study. Start small with realistic goals. If you have difficulty doing any homework or study, start off with 20 minutes in the evening and build it up. This sounds like very little but think of it like building a muscle or stamina. You wouldn’t go out and run a marathon without gradually building up your stamina.

No matter what stage you’re at in school, it’s never too late to build good study habits. Read Sarah’s story to find out how scheduling can help.

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Subscribe to me @Dr Julie for more videos on mental health and psychology. #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #shorts👇Links below for my new No.1 bestsel...

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The No.1 Thing That Makes Anxiety Worse!

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Subscribe to me @Dr Julie for more videos on mental health and psychology. #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #shorts👇Links below for my new No.1 bestsel...

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You Have To See This If You Have Anxiety

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Subscribe to me @Dr Julie for more videos on mental health and psychology. #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #shorts👇Links below for my new No.1 bestsel...

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A post shared by Dr Julie Smith | Psychologist (@drjulie)

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Do you understand what mental health is?

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Do you understand what mental health is?

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How Ancient Greek Philosophy can help your mental health. 

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How Ancient Greek Philosophy can help your mental health. 

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When Jules Evans was in his late teens, he started to be plagued by panic attacks, mood swings and other emotional problems. He eventually found help in the form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). He went to interview the inventors of CBT, and discovered they were directly inspired by ancient Greek philosophy. This started him on a five-year journey of discovery, in which he found out how life-transforming the ideas of ancient Greek philosophy can be.

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How philosophy can save your life | Jules Evans | TEDxBreda

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Here are 5 apps to try - let me know if you have tried any or could recommend others

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Feelings of anxiety often come with sensations in your body. They can be:

Feeling hot

Heart beating faster

Becoming aware of the heart beating or feeling it ringing in your ears

Breathing changing – becoming more shallow and faster

Tight feeling in the chest, or discomfort in the chest area

Feeling sweaty or flushed

Sick feeling in your stomach, such as butterflies

Churning or nausea or feeling an urgency to use the toilet

Headaches and tension.

People often describe sensing something is ‘off’ or feeling uneasy, or are worried that something bad might happen. These are just some examples. Everyone is different and can experience anxiety in different ways.

While these body sensations are uncomfortable they are not dangerous and can be managed.

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https://twitter.com/Dr_Julie_Smith/status/1517413296302870538?s=20&t=XPnWS6blNo1n7z4axBTfzQ
Many of you mentioned making friends and social anxiety as a cause for worry at school and I agree this is not always easy to see where you belong. Maybe use this week to try and ask more open questions and get to know people you wouldn’t normally think you have things in common with.“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you” Do you agree?

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► VIDEO: Worried sick: The science behind the teen mental health crisis

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Feeling overwhelmed and want to understand why?

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Feeling overwhelmed and want to understand why?

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If you want to feel less overwhelmed, there are some simple things you can do that help to release stress, leaving you feeling stronger to face the challenges in front of you.

#stressbucket #stresstherapy #psychologist #clinicalpsychologist #drjulie #stressrelief #stressed

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If you want to feel less overwhelmed, there are some simple things you can do that help to release stress, leaving you feeling stronger to face the challenges in front of you.

#stressbucket #stresstherapy #psychologist #clinicalpsychologist #drjulie #stressrelief #stressed https://t.co/klyIiKxK0U

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If you want to feel less overwhelmed, there are some simple things you can do that help to release stress, leaving you feeling stronger to face the challenges in front of you.#stressbucket #stresstherapy #psychologist #clinicalpsychologist #drjulie #stressrelief #stressed pic.twitter.com/klyIiKxK0U
— Dr Julie Smith (@Dr_Julie_Smith) May 18, 2021

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If you want to feel less overwhelmed, there are some simple things you can do that help to release stress, leaving you feeling stronger to face the challenges in front of you.

#stressbucket #stresstherapy #psychologist #clinicalpsychologist #drjulie #stressrelief #stressed https://t.co/klyIiKxK0U

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
If you want to feel less overwhelmed, there are some simple things you can do that help to release stress, leaving you feeling stronger to face the challenges in front of you.

#stressbucket #stresstherapy #psychologist #clinicalpsychologist #drjulie #stressrelief #stressed https://t.co/klyIiKxK0U

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
If you want to feel less overwhelmed, there are some simple things you can do that help to release stress, leaving you feeling stronger to face the challenges in front of you.

#stressbucket #stresstherapy #psychologist #clinicalpsychologist #drjulie #stressrelief #stressed

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https://www.pieta.ie/how-we-can-help/feeling-suicidal/

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If you need to talk to someone, Jigsaw’s live chat can support you

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If you need to talk to someone, Jigsaw’s live chat can support you

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Not feeling ready to talk to friends or family?

Sometimes friends and family are not able to be there for us the way we hope. Or maybe confiding in family or friends feels like too big a step to take right now?

Jigsaw provide mental health support through video, phone, live chat along with our face-to-face services. Learn more about our 1:1 live chat service here.

Alternatively, online support groups, and listening services like Samaritans phone: 116 123 or Pieta House phone: 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444 are good ways of learning to speak about your experience.

Reaching out for support, however you decide to do it, is the first step towards things starting to get better

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Jigsaw Live Chat | Support for Young People | Jigsaw

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Jigsaw Live Chat is a way to get support if you're aged between 12 - 25 years-old. Our trained staff host 1:1 webchats, Monday-Friday.