Responsibilities d an s t h ig R , s e ic o Your Ch Choices Growing up is about making choices and taking responsibility for the consequences.Your choices, whether they are good or bad, may affect the rest of your life.Young people that choose to study, normally excel in exams. Students that participate in sports, generally have better social skills, they are also healthier. Young people who smoke and drink tend to have health issues early in life. Regardless of your choices you must be prepared to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions.
Get Involved Responsibility If you choose to smoke, s are you prepared for e? If disease later in life? tain you choose a certain type of friend, aree yyou prepared for whatt they will expect of you as a friend?
As you grow older you also have the right to make choices outside of your own immediate life. There are many options for teenagers w wishing to make a difference in their com community, such as volunteering with organis organisations such as Amnesty International, taking par part in the President’s Award, or becoming involved in local community youth groups. Also from the age o of 18, you can register to vote in local and nation national elections, thus having your say in the issu issues affecting young people.
SHIPS DEVELOPING FRIEND N AND COMMUNICATIO Developing positive friendships are good for your health and wel lbeing as we all need a strive for a sense of connec tion with others. In good friends hips you will feel, positive & comfortable abo ut yourself, confident & loved, wanted, needed and useful. When a friendship is bad you are goin g to feel confused and very often angry with both yourself and other person. Commun ication is poor and you do not understand one another. These kinds of feelings can bring you down and affect you mental health, that’s why it’s so important to choose your friends wise ly and develop communication skills which support positive relationships.
Communication Most people like talking. We like to talk about what we like and don’t like, what we want and don’t want. Given an opportunity to talk about ourselves, most of us step up to the mark and get stuck in. But have you ever stopped to think about how talking about yourself makes you feel? When someone takes time to listen to you, it feels good, doesn’t it? Being listened to makes us feel valued and appreciated. We know that what we are saying is being taken seriously, and a good conversation can often help us grow in confidence. An easy way to establish good rapport with another person is to make the effort to listen to what they’re saying.
Teenage Lifestyle Gu d i e Smile when you first meet the person
Do more listening than talking
Establish eye contact, and maintain eye contact throughout the conversation
Find out about the person before you meet, to see if you share some common ground that will make the conversation flow more easily
Use the person's name when you are talking to them
Be the first person to say hello and extend your hand
Tips to Create a Good Impression and Establish Rapport
e Roads Staying Safe on th As a young adult, you have to be careful about many aspects of your well-being outside of diet and exercise.These include road safety, internet safety, and other aspects of your physical well-being such as avoiding the dangers associated with smoking, drugtaking and being mindful of your sexual health.
Driving The main causes of death are or injury in car crashes not and g vin dri nk dri ng, edi spe ve, or if you are dri you wearing a seatbelt. If ays make sure that in a car with friends, alw seatbelts. Never get all passengers wear their has been drinking, into a car when the driver fast tell the driver and if the car is going too er, the faster the car is to slow down. Rememb ver has to react in a going, the less time the dri dangerous situation. ant for young male This is particularly import to peer pressure, drivers who may give in they are invincible. nk thi machoism or who Safety Council According to the National the number one (NSC), “Car crashes are – 25) in Ireland and killers of young men (16 is the primary cause of driving at excess speed these crashes.”
Walking One in five people killed on our roads is a pedestrian. The NSC say s that young people and the elderly are most at risk .
Stay Safe:
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Always use a path and if there is no path walk on the right hand side facing oncoming traffic Cross at a safe place Wear reflective gear Avoid getting drunk as you too could cause an accide nt Know your safest route to school or college and avo id any shortcuts which me an dangerous crossings or unsafe routes, i.e. through parks, lanes or back street s away from passers by.
Teenage Lifestyle Gu d i e Guidelines for Safe Cy cling:
Cycling stay Cycling is a great way to time. on l oo sch to fit and to get t tha ure ens uld sho s All cyclist y and they their bike is road worth d. know the rules of the roa
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Wear a cycle helmet at all times Signal in good time before turning Obey all traffic signs Don’t weave in and out of cars Keep well away from tru cks and buses Don’t wear headphones You must use a front ligh t, a back light and a rear reflector at nig ht Wear a reflective belt.
Staying Safe on the Internet The internet opens up a whole world of information to users and is a great tool for students at all levels. It does not come without its risks and all young people should know how to protect themselves on the internet. • •
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Never give out personal information about yourself, i.e. name , address, age , phone number, school or where you like to hang out. Don’t believe everything you read. Chat rooms can be a lot of fun, but remember that you do not know for sure if the person you are talking to is 16 or 46. Be safe, be vigilant and always be on your guard. If you get a message which is upsetting, i.e. bad language or inappropriate pictures, do not respond to it. Show it to an adult immediately. Never open a suspicious e-mail. Always make sure that the computer you work on has up to date anti-virus protection software_
BULLYING YOU ARE NOT ALONE Bullying is quite common and can happen to anyone. It can happen en in schools, in workplaces and in homes. Being bullied can make you ou feel alone, sad, angry, scared or even ill. Bullies do lots of differentt things to make you feel alone and hurt. They spread rumours, threaten you, call you names, leave you out of things. If you, or someone you know, is being bullied, you should look for help. Read ad the school bullying policy for advice. Everyone deserves to be e treated with dignity and respect, make sure you are. You’re not alone. If you are being bullied, or know someone who is, talk to a teacher or adult that you trust – or even get a friend to do it for you. Tell them what has been happening and how it has made you feel. They can give you advice or talk to the people involved on your behalf. Remember – bullying can happen to anyone, so don’t suffer it.
3 Steps to
Deal with Bully l in i g 1 2
3
Talk to a friend or adult whom you trust. Get a mediator (someone you can both talk to) to find common ground and fix the problem.
If you see someone being bullied, intervene to stop it. Bullying stops in 90% of cases when a pee r intervenes.
Teenage Lifestyle Gu d i e
CYBERBULLYING _ While social networking sites such as BEBO and Facebook allow young people connect with each other and engage with society in ways that were previously unimaginable, it has lead to a new form of bullying Cybebullying.
What is Cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is bullying carried out using the internet, mobile phone or other Technological devices. It can take the form of sending nasty, mean or threatening messages, emails, photos or video clips; silent phone calls; putting up nasty posts or pictures on a message board, website or chat room; saying hurtful things in a chat room; pretending to be someone else in a chat room or message board or text message and saying hurtful things; or accessing someone’s account s to make trouble for them.
What to Do If It Happens to You
1 Don’t Reply to messages that harass or annoy you. 2 Keep the Message. You don’t have to read it, but keep it. Keep a record that outlines, where possible, the details, dates and times of any form of bullying that you experience. 3 Tell Someone you trust. Talking to your parents, friends, a teacher, youth leader or someone you trust is usually the first step in dealing with any issue. 4 Block the Sender. You don’t need to put up with someone harassing you. If you are getting messages that upset you on your Bebo profile or on MSN you can block the person simply by clicking the block button. On some mobile phones you can restrict communications to an approved list of contacts. 5 Report Problems to the people who can do something about it. Step 1 Report to the website or mobile phone operator
Step 2 Report Serious Issues that could be illegal should be reported to the Gardaí. Illegal issues include someone making inappropriate sexual suggestions, racist remarks.
Embracing Diversity Respecting and Understanding Differences Embracing diversity is about respecting and understanding people who are different from yourself. There are many ways that someone can be different to you, they can have different hair colour, eye colour, be boys or girls, tall or short – these are the differences that you come across everyday.You should also be aware there are other differences like: sexuality, age, social background, race, religious beliefs and disability. When you meet someone who is different to yourself, you should always keep an open-mind and make your own decision about them, rather than automatically accepting what other people think. In Ireland, we recognise that diversity is a good thing that should be encouraged. That’s why we have laws protecting people from discrimination due to their gender, race, sexual orientation, age, disability, religious beliefs or membership of the travelling community.
3 Steps to
... Embracing Diversity 1
– don’t Understand difference prejudices. s’ ple just repeat other peo son. Make per t gen elli You’re a bright int up your own mind.
2
everyone has Respect difference – nt. the right to be differe
3
– take part in Celebrate difference se New Year. events such as the Chine
Teenage Lifestyle Gu d i e Being different
“Hello! Konnichiwa!” yells a boy. Every time I see the children in my neighbourhood, they stop and look and it was not until recently that they actually made verbal contact. I recall the last was, “Do you live in that house?” However, I shouldn’t be too bothered, they are just children and children ARE curious by nature. They have not yet learned the adult skill to mask it. Having said that, I still meet adults that could do with more lessons. There was even a male truck driver that honked on the horn and pointed at me! Since coming to live in Denmark from Thailand when I was six, being different has never been unfamiliar to me. On the contrary it is much the norm in my life. It is like an invisible blanket around me, but instead of keeping me warm it puts me out in the cold. Making friends has proven to be a challenge as well, as if people seem unsure of how to act around me. Some even keep their heads down when walking towards me. As if a normal “Hi” and a sincere look in the eye y could make me grow an extra head that spits out prawn crackers and miniature lady boys. pprra ra Due D to this, I am extra-sensitive to any different treatment, when I go into d ‘paranoia mode’. Whenever I get strange ‘pp looks or behaviour from other people I lo lo think to myself, “That’s because I am th th Asian”. Of course there are also people who A As are ar very welcoming and positively curious ar about abo my foreign background.. ab Eventually people get used to me and have Eve Ev ve realised that I am more Western than my r al re jet-black hair and brown eyes reveal. jeettt-b je -b Adopted from a personal story on www.spunout.ie
Positive Self-image
The You ‘You see ’ Is The You ‘You ’ll Be’ Self-image is the mental picture you have of yourself and most of us don’t know we have these pictures. It is a number of self-impressions that have built up over time. It is formed by what you have done throughout your life and how you perceive yourself to be. These self-image pictures can be very positive, giving a person confidence in their thoughts and actions, or they can be negative, making a person doubtful of their capabilities and ideas. Studies show 98% of all 14 year old have a negative self-image, but the great news is we can change this ourselves! You choose the picture you have of yourself. These pictures form a map from which your thoughts and actions never deviate. So, make them the best, most positive pictures they can be. Improving your self-image takes time and practice. Developing a good self-image involves encouraging a positive attitude toward yourself and the world around you. Replace negative ‘self-talk’, the thoughts you sometimes have about yourself, like “I’m so stupid for making that mistake” and change them to more positive thoughts like “I made a mistake, but I’ll learn from it.”
3 Steps to
a positive self-i 1
mage...
Replace negative th oughts about yourself with posit ive ones. 2 Accept your mistakes and learn from them.
3
Take responsibility for how you feel.
Teenage Lifestyle Gu d i e Faith in Me
I sat on the train with my best friend. He looked over at me with his huge reassuring smile, told me that everything would be okay. I managed a feeble smile back. Despite my smile, inside I felt like I was about to break, and that my heart was going to land in a million pieces on the floor of the train carriage. Peop Pe eop say all these fantastic People thi th hi things about me, but sometimes I can ca n see that any of them could can’t pos po s possibly be true. They tell me I llook lo o happy and that I’m confident. Th They tell me everything will b fine, that I’ll get that job I’ve be aalways wanted, I’ll find someone tto share my life with, travel the w world and that I’ll be happy. T They tell me they have faith in me. How can they... when I don’t eev ven e h aavve ffaith in myself. even have Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am okay. This feeling of insecurity won’t last forever. I am all those things people say about me. I am intelligent. I am beautiful. I am passionate about what I do. Those inspiring people I’m surrounded by... they are just like me. They go to the same schools, do the same subjects and chances are, found them just as hard as I sometimes find them. Deep down I know that when my best friend tells me everything will be great, he might actually be right. One day I’ll fly too. Adopted from: www.ie.reachout.com/find/articles/one-day-ill-fly-too
MANAGING STRESS
r be tural and you will neve Stress is perfectly na deal u yo w Ho . life m your able to eliminate it fro u how successfully yo with stress depends on tips. ing implement the follow Eat healthily plenty of water Avoid caffeine and drink or tobacco Don’t use drugs, alcohol Get a good night’s sleep s. When you can Go to assertiveness classe concerns confidently, express your feelings and h them increase. wit your chances of dealing used to how much Learn how to cope. Get you get stressed, and ore work you can do bef constant, steady and try to keep your workload not leave work until never overwhelming. Do the last minute. sic, talk to a friend, or Take a break. Listen to mu rself from whatever is you go for a walk. Remove it in perspective. causing you stress and put
Teenagers have to cope with a lot of stress; school workloads, exams, part-time jobs, demanding families, friends and relationships. It can be hard to find the time to deal with all of these things and it is easy to get stressed.
Having supportive relationships are the best defence against stress. Being able to talk to your parents is particularly important. Together you and your parents can come up with a plan to deal with the issues which are causing your anxiety. If you believe you are unable to cope with your stress and cannot talk to your family or friends, talk to a doctor or counsellor. Do not go through it alone.
Teenage Lifestyle Gu d i e Relax atio n
–h eal thy Follow a relaxation routine min everyday to help you eliminate d unnecessary worry and live a healthier life.
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y
Lie back and relax – lie on your back and take a few deep breaths and focus on different parts of your body, from your toes to your nose, releasing any muscular tension. When you are finished, stay still for a little while and just focus on your breathing.
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Breathing – one of the easiest ways to relax when it is all getting on top of you is to take a minute, calm down and breathe. Try to breathe deeply to take in more oxygen. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do nothing other than concentrate on your breathing for a few minutes and feel your worries disappear.
Exercise – an effective way of reducing stress and is a great way to relax.Yoga is another relaxation technique which combines a mind and body workout to destress your life.
Meditation
Visualisation Take advantage of your imagination and concentrate on images which make you calm. Remember a scene in which you were extremely happy or content. Relax, and imagine you have returned to this location.
This is a way of concentrating which allows you achieve greater relaxation by focusing on an image, a breath, or a phrase. Learn to channel all of your energy and attention from the countless number of thoughts going on in your head all day onto that one object. When you notice your attention is straying onto other thoughts, simply bring it back to the object of meditation.Visualation and meditation require practice but are both very effective in reducing stress.
WORLD
Teenage Lifestyle Gu d i e
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