Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ Student Padlet by Catherine O'Donnell

Prayer for the Start of the new school year

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Prayer for the weekend

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A Prayer for Courage & Confidence

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A Prayer for Hope

Trusted adults you may wish to talk to

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Teenline

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If you are feeling overwhelmed there is always someone to talk to

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Free online counselling service

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Jigsaw

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Jigsaw Support Line for 12-25 year olds

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1800-544-729

Community outlets of support

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Tips to help you talk about how you are feeling

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Trusted adults you may wish to talk to

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Sleep

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Mindful Eating

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This exercise will teach you how to enjoy the food that you eat much more than you have. It may also help to improve your digestion.

PE with Joe 😊

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Couch to 5K

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A great way to get fit for 2021. All laid out in the steps below that you can take.

Some Key Skills

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MapMyRun

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A useful app to help you keep track of physical exercise. Seeing the progress that you are making can increase motivation and deliver results.

PE with Joe

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I wonder ?

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Physical Literacy

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Dance to the beat

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Shake it out ladies 😊

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Yoga for Teens

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MapMyRun

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A useful app to help you keep track of physical exercise. Seeing the progress that you are making can increase motivation and deliver results.

Mindfulness Colouring

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Practise some mindfulness

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5 mindfulness exercises to help you feel more calm and relaxed.

Mindfulness Relaxation Exercise

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6 mindfulness exercises you can do at home

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Guided Meditation

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Guided Meditation

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A simple guided meditation - time with God

Breathing Exercises to relieve exam stress

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Self-esteem guided meditation

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Reset your day in a positive way guided medtiation

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Self-esteem guided meditation

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Take time out to relax

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A lovely visualisation exercise to help you unwind. All you need is to follow the script below and use your imagination.

When life feels like an uphill struggle

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How to lift our mood 😶

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We're all feeling a mix of emotions these days. Try these very practical tips and tricks to help you focus more on the positive in your life.

Mental Distractions

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Suggestions to help distract your mind from the worries that you are having.

Tips for Wellbeing

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Positive Thinking

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Things to do to relieve stress 😊

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Grounding Exercise

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Use your 5 senses to explore your surroundings in order to feel calm.

Tips for Managing Difficult Feelings

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Take a look at these brilliant suggestions to help you cope better with the challenging situations that you will face in life.

Exam Stress Management

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Spending time with our pets benefits both them and us 🐶

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Practice mindfulness acceptance

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Learn to mindfully accept the tough times you are going through. Do not fight them. Know that they will pass.

Focus on what you can control

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There will be people in life who do and say things to upset you. That is common and part of life. While it can really hurt you, it is important to remember that you cannot change what other people think of you; you cannot control what they do around you. However, you do have the power over how you respond to the words and actions of other people. You have a choice. Are you going to allow yourself to be made upset by what they do or say? Or are you going to respond in a way that empowers you and helps you to move beyond the difficult situation that you face? The choice is yours.

3 ways to respond when you see red

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Do some free writing

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Writing has a calming effect. Set a timer and by writing down anything on your mind, remove emotional clutter that may prevent you from being productive.

Grounding Exercise

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Use your 5 senses to explore your surroundings in order to feel calm.

Mental Distractions

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Suggestions to help distract your mind from the worries that you are having.

Gratitude is the key to more positive thinking 😊

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A Beautiful Day

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There's winning and learning 😊

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'Wake me up' as Gaeilge

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Mo Ghille Mear

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Relaxation sleep music

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Maroon 5 - Memories

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Amhrán na gCupán

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Óró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile

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Dolores O'Riordan's 'Dreams'-Irish Women in harmony

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Emma Langford's 'Birdsong'

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A cute video to lift your spirits

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Me? Afraid of spiders? 😋

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Cat and Seek 😺

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Owl Cat

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We don't all jump out of bed every morning 😉

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Awh Shucks!

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JK Rowling's inspiring speech on the benefits of failure and the power of creativity

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Be confident, be smart and work hard...

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Owning It: The Anxiety Podcast

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Real Health with Karl Henry

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Dr Niamh Fitzpatrick speaking at the Kate O'Brien Literary Festival on dealing with the pandemic

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Shake it out ladies 😊

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Shake it out ladies 😊

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Where is my mind? Niall Breslin

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Shane Carthy on crumbling inside...

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Dingbats

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Sudoku

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Riddles

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Sudoku

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Dingbats

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Dingbats

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Dingbats

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Walk in my Shoes Live 2021

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Making mental health a priority

Across four themed weeks, we'll be sharing a mix of events, activities and content full of inspiration, entertainment, and everything in between.

Join us for live events, discussions, podcasts and wellbeing sessions, which will look at the mental health topics important to us today and explore how we can mind ourselves.

Walk in my Shoes Live Sept 27th-Oct 24th

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Making mental health a priority

Across four themed weeks, we'll be sharing a mix of events, activities and content full of inspiration, entertainment, and everything in between.

Join us for live events, discussions, podcasts and wellbeing sessions, which will look at the mental health topics important to us today and explore how we can mind ourselves.

RCSI The Science of Health and Happiness for Young People

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The Science of Health and Happiness for Young People will commence on Monday the 4^th of October. This 10- week online course is free and aims to give young people the skills to optimise their health and wellbeing. Full details of the course and the link to register can be found on the RCSI homepage above.

Breathe & Stretch in the Park

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Nurturing Self-Care

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Living with Dyslexia

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Grief and Growth

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Healthy Minds and Body Podcast

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Slow Yoga Class

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Taking Time Out

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16 Second Breathing Technique

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The ACE technique to ground your body and engage with your surroundings

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Seinnliosta atá cruthaithe ag Ceol 1 don Lá Folláine (29.11.21)

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Christmas Dingats 😊

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Prayer for Families this Christmas

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22 Tiny Mental Health Habits that can improve your life in 2022

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Seinnliosta atá cruthaithe ag Bl. 2 Ceol don Maidin Folláine (20/1/22)

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Two to One Breathing Technique

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Scroll down for breathing technique

If you are an exam student this year, it is vitally important to remember a few things to help in your preparation:

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You are not alone Exams can be a stressful time for students of every ability
Life is full of ups and downs. We all have good days and bad days
Remember to stay calm. Practise the 2:1 Breathing Technique in the next post for a few minutes each day. It will make a difference
Perhaps most importantly Believe in yourself and your ability to get through your upcoming exams successfully
You can do it!

Positive Affirmations for Exams

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Our subconscious mind works by carrying out the instructions we give it. If these instructions are to achieve exam success, our subconscious mind takes this information and responds accordingly. Affirmations can differ from one person to the next depending on circumstances.

Examples of Positive Affirmations

I believe in myself
I study regularly
I know what I need to know for exams
An opportunity to learn is a chance to grow
I am always open to learning in a better way
The more I learn, the more I achieve
Today I set aside my fears to achieve all my exam goals
Good preparation for exams will make the experience of taking the exam more enjoyable

It is very important to repeat your personal affirmations often enough so they are absorbed and that you accept them to be true. Find the ones that are right for you and repeat them as often as you want until you feel the change you’re looking for. This could be first thing in the morning, last thing at night, or both. Maybe print out your chosen positive affirmations so they are clearly visible to you.

7 Tips to Combat Exam Stress

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Remember to breathe using the 2:1 Breathing Technique
Eat, sleep and exercise well
Set realistic goals – achieving a big goal involves many smaller goals along the way
Don’t go it alone. Ask for help from a parent, guardian, sibling or friend. Maybe consider a study group?
Pace yourself through potentially stressful periods
Believe in yourself. You have the ability within you to get through these exams.
If you feel like you’re struggling, talk to a responsible adult or friend. A different perspective can kick start our in-built problem-solving mechanism

Reframing

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Reframing is a method where we alter the way we look at something so that we can change our experience of it. Psychologists use it as a way of relieving stress to create a more positive experience for an individual. When we feel stress, our emotions are in an altered state so we may find it difficult to think logically and clearly, which is when reframing can really help.

The first step is to separate stress from distress and anxiety by understanding that stress is simply the body’s response to any demand, whether good or bad. In fact, even though excitement might be classified as a positive thing it’s actually a stress state, just like anxiety. By reframing our thoughts about stress to focus on the positive we can use it as a motivator for exam success.

It is important to note that in order for the reframing technique to be most successful it needs constant and ongoing attention so is not a technique to be practiced once then forgotten about.

A 2021 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that students taught to view stress as a coping tool performed better in their maths exams than students who were simply told to ‘put stress out of their minds’. The study’s researchers concluded that it’s further evidence that stress can be the key rather than the barrier to success if reframed positively.

The following can help you reframe stress as something useful that you can be used to your advantage:

Stress isn’t ‘bad’

As mentioned above, we now know that stress can be used as a positive motivator. Try to adopt this mindset to get away from the notion that stress is a ‘bad’ thing.

Pay attention when stress appears

The way we respond to stress can be either physical or emotional. A quickened heartbeat, sweating palms and shortness of breath are some examples of physical responses. If we are aware of what causes us stress we can respond positively to it.

Change the Message

Once you’ve recognised that stress is a perfectly normal response, reframe it positively. Think to yourself ‘Maybe this is my body’s way of giving me extra energy?’.

Plan Ahead

Most if not all of us recognise the situations that cause us the most stress. Think about what you’ve said or done in the past that hasn’t worked out favourably and make a plan to handle it differently in the future for a more positive outcome.

There is more than one way to reach your goal 🙂

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Transition Year Work Experience 2022

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A Safe Place to Chat Anonymously

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Study Tips

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Free Mindfulness Stress Reduction Course for Exam Students

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As exam season is approaching rapidly and stress levels can be high amongst students, a free online mindfulness based stress reduction class for students ages 14-18 will run on Tuesday the 25th of May at 7.30-8.30pm. Included in this course will be tools and techniques to reduce stress, anxiety and low mood around exam times. There will be meditation, breathing practices & fun exercises that encourage wellbeing not only around exam times but that students can use in everyday life.

The facilitator is a a qualified mindfulness and positive psychology expert who has trained with the Irish mindfulness academy and has been practicing mindfulness for 4 years.

Parents of students interested can sign up via email or directly through the website www.mintinnmindfulness.com or if there are any questions please email: info@mintinnmindfulness.com.

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Navigating the last few days leading up to exams

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Do something to feel calmer

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Coping with fear of life after the Leaving Certificate

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Solve for Tomorrow Competition 2023

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Career News and Events not to miss

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The Science of Health and Happiness for your people

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Breathing Technique

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Managing Exam Stress & Test Anxiety

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Exams
As students begin the lead-up to the State exams, we are resharing the following resources to support them and parents during this time:

Dr. Michael Sweeney (For schools, parents and students): https://cas-elearning.com/courses/cycle-against-suicide-help-programme-managing-exam-stress-test-anxiety/
Cycle Against Suicide Resource (Students) : https://www.cycleagainstsuicide.com/2022/03/23/dealing-with-exam-stress/
Cycle Against Suicide Breathing exercise (to help calm anxiety): https://www.cycleagainstsuicide.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2-1-Breathing-Technique_v3.mp4

'Coping with Exam Anxiety' Support & Advice for Young People during exam time

catherineodonnell — 2026-04-15 08:47:14 UTC

Wednesday April 29th @ 7-7.30pm

'Coping with Exam Anxiety' Support & Advice for Young People during exam time

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3d9b9af6-23a4-49fe-96fc-2804365c1926@bb926d5e-af5f-4830-b812-e4d184987285