We hope that by working together we can let all of the players across Dublin City and County know that the support of Childline is always there for you, if you ever need it.
The last year has been very difficult for many children and young people in Ireland. We know that you are missing your soccer training, matches and of course seeing your friends and coaches. We hope that the following tips might give you some ideas about how to take care of your emotional wellbeing through this time.
Talking Makes Us Stronger
Sometimes, we may feel that our thoughts and feelings are becoming hard to cope with. Talking makes us stronger and can help us cope with strong emotions.
Is there an adult you trust that you can talk with about how you are feeling? This might be someone in your family, or even when you get back to school soon a teacher or S.N.A.
Please also remember that Childline is always here for you too. Childline is always there to listen to you in confidence and believe you, support you and empower you.
The service doesn’t judge you, or tell you what to do – but it helps you find the solution that works best for you.
Childline helps to strengthen your coping skills, so you can face any challenge that comes your way.
Minding Your Physical Wellbeing
We know many of you have been trying really hard to stay fit for when you can return to your local club. For some people it can be very hard to exercise alone without your friends and team, but we encourage you to keep trying to have some daily exercise and fresh air.
We are all spending a bit more time on our screens and devices at the moment so it is important to take regular breaks and keep ourselves as active as possible.
Remember You Are Not Alone
Sometimes, when we are feeling angry or sad because we are missing our friends and normal activities we may feel that we are the only one whoever feels like this. Remember, everyone has feelings and everyone has had good days and bad days.
Everyone has times when they feel very strong emotions. These feelings are understandable and normal. You are not alone.
Positivity
When we have unhappy thoughts about ourselves, our unhappy feelings can grow. One way to help us feel good is to have a simple positive sentence in our minds–called a ‘Mantra’ – which we can repeat to ourselves.
Some examples of mantras are: ‘I will see my friends soon’, ‘I can get through this’, ‘I have people in my life who love me’.
Every person is unique, so you can create a mantra using the words that you think will help you best. You could even write down your mantra somewhere you will see it everyday – such as in your diary, on a poster, or by your bed.
Remember: Positive thoughts are the most powerful kind!
Express Yourself
Getting your feelings out can really help. If you don’t feel like talking, you could keep a diary or a journal and write your feelings down.
Or, if you are a creative person, you could draw, doodle or paint to let out your feelings.
Doing Things We Enjoy
Doing things we enjoy can help us to feel good.
Taking a break and taking our minds off of things we find difficult can help us to cope. Every child and young person deserves to have fun!
We know at the moment there are certain things that we can’t do because of Covid - 19 and social distancing, but have a chat to your parent or carer about what you could do – for example,
could you chat to a friend on the phone, video call your grandparents or watch your favourite movie?
