Your health, safety and wellbeing

Everyone eats differently, but if the way you eat is taking over your life, then you could have an eating problem.

All kinds of things can cause eating problems or disorders. You might develop an eating problem when things don’t feel right in other parts of your life, especially if you’re feeling worried, stressed or feeling out of control. Images we see online and in the media can add to the feeling that we have to look a certain way, or be a certain weight which not healthy for our body.  

If you're worried about your eating:

• Talk to someone you trust. 
• Speak to your GP for advice.

You're not alone.

A healthy relationship
In a healthy relationship you should:

• Listen to each other
• Make decisions together
• Be good friends
• Have fun together
• Talk it through when you have an argument
• Have freedom to do your own thing and spend time with your own friends

An unhealthy relationship
You are in an unhealthy relationship if the following occurs within that relationship:

• One person controls the other
• One person getting angry and jealous all the time
• Threats made to harm you, your family, your friends, pets or property
• Calling you names and putting you down all the time to make you feel bad
• Not letting you spend any time with your friends
• Telling you what to wear and do
• Posting private, untrue, or unpleasant things about you on the internet / sending them on mobiles

Consent
Consent means agreeing to so something. When it comes to sex, this means someone agreeing to take part in a sexual activity.

It is very important that teenagers understand that both people in a sexual relationship must agree to it and can change their mind and withdraw at any time if they want to stop. 

You need to understand that consent is not just about saying 'yes' or ‘no’; many of the signs that a person is uncomfortable with something are non-verbal and it is important that teenagers look out for these signs:

• someone turning away from you,
• looking frightened or nervous, 
• tensing up and pushing you away etc.

If someone is drunk, drugged, un-conscious, or has been threatened or bullied then they cannot consent to sexual contact or activity, and sex without consent is rape. A Consent video can be seen on Youtube.

If someone forces you to do something you do not want to do of a sexual nature, it is never your fault and it is not OK. You should speak to someone you trust if this has happened to you, so you can get help and support. 

The age of sexual consent in the UK is 16, so sex with any boy or girl under 16 is unlawful whether or not both people have given their consent. A child under the age of 13 cannot consent to sex.

Self-harm can be really hard to understand but it is a lot more common than some people think. Between one in 12 and 1 in 15 people self-harm.

Self-harm is when you hurt yourself on purpose. You usually do it because something else feels wrong. It seems like the only way to let those feelings out. Many young people who self-harm do so privately away from other people and do not want to talk to other people about it, sometimes for fear of how people will react, thinking that they might not understand. 

If you can talk to someone, this may help how you are feeling.

Self harming is a sign that you are trying to cope with very difficult feelings, and probably need some help. Self-injury can also lead to infection, permanent damage and even accidental death. Talk to someone, your parents, grandparents, auntie/uncle or other relative, a friend, a parents' friend, a brother or sister, a mentor or the school nurse, a teacher or youth worker.

If you don’t feel like you can confide in anyone, then go and talk to your GP and seek medical help.

Your GP may refer you to Healthy Young Minds, visit their website for help and support.

Nearly everyone has times when they feel very down and can’t see a way out, but for a few these feelings are so deep and intense they may lead to attempts to end their life. What’s important for you to know is that there are lots of ways of dealing with this feeling and overcoming it. It’s possible to come out the other side and feel okay again.

Here are some warning signs of suicidal feelings:

• Always talking or thinking about death
• Deep depression and sadness
• Losing interest in daily life
• Having increasing trouble sleeping and eating
• Feeling helpless or worthless
• Self-harming
• Feeling angry and that things can't change

Getting help
Tell someone! Talk to someone! 

If you're in distress and need support, you can ring Samaritans for free at any time of the day or night.

• Freephone (UK and Republic of Ireland): 116 123 (24 hours)
• Email: jo@samaritans.org
• Samaritans

The death of someone you care about can be very difficult. You can also be upset about the death of an animal or pet. This can hurt as much as a relative or friend dying. 

When you lose someone close to you, it’s natural to feel sad, depressed, worried or angry. Everyone reacts in their own way. If you’re finding it hard to cope, you can find support.

Here's some ideas that might help you with your grief:

• Write a poem or letter to your loved one who has died. 
• Make a memory box. Gather together letters, badges, photographs, and keepsakes you have from your loved one and put them in to a special memory box that you can reopen and reminisce over when you need to.
• Try to focus on some of the good times you and your loved one shared together.
• Remember that people react to loss in different ways.
• Talk to people; don’t let your hurt grow until you break down.
• Just take one day at a time.
• Visit the grave if you are ready to. It might make you feel closer to your loved one.
• Hug those loved ones who are still here.

Remember:

• It is OK to feel sad, angry and scared and to cry. It is also OK to feel happy and enjoy things.
• It is OK if the loved one you have lost is not in your thoughts all the time.
• You are not alone and that help is out there if you need it.
• Bereavement can seem to last forever, but it does get easier with time.

Personal safety
To help keep you and your property safe and secure, try to follow these basic guidelines:

• Be sure your parents or an adult always know where you are and how to contact you. Let them know any change of plans
• Always try to go out accompanied by friends and return home with them and make sure you have a charged mobile with you.
• If you do go out alone, arrange transport to and from where you are going and confirm arrangements for your return journey before you set off.
• If your arranged transport from a concert or other event fails to arrive and you can see that you will be left on your own, speak to the organisers and ask to use their telephone to make other arrangements. Ask to stay until transport arrives.
• Don't accept a lift from someone you've only just met.
• Try to find casual jobs, such as babysitting, through family or friends, and be careful about answering advertisements. Try to go with a parent or friend on the first day.
• If you ever get lost, try using the GPS function on your phone to show you where you are and, more importantly, how to get to where you are going
• If you are worried about someone or a group are making you feel uncomfortable, try to get to a place you feel safe – your house, a friend or family members house, a shop. if you become scared ring 999.
• When working a paper round, if strangers invite you into their homes or offer you a lift, politely refuse and move on quickly.
• Wherever you are, be aware of how to make an emergency telephone call and the quickest way out.

Road safety

Stop

• Find the safest place to cross then stop.
• Stand on the pavement near the kerb or the edge if there is no kerb.

Look

• Give yourself lots of time to have a good look all around.
• Make sure you can see if anything is coming and drivers can see you.

Listen

• Listen carefully because you can sometimes hear traffic before you can see it.
• Never cross the road whilst chatting to people, listening to your iPod or talking on your mobile phone. 

When it is safe to cross, walk straight across the road. Do not walk diagonally. Keep looking and listening for traffic while you cross.

Fire safety
Here are some handy hints on how you and your family can stay safe from fire:

• Test your smoke alarm regularly to make sure it works – it’s your early warning system against fire. Why not set a day every month? It’s also a great idea to change the batteries in your alarm every year
• Try to charge your devices during the day when you can keep an eye on them. If your phone is charging overnight, what happens if something goes pop? Also, make sure that if you are not using a device, turn it off at the plug!
• Have an escape plan. Why not help your family come up with a plan on how to get out of the house safely if there is a fire. Where are your exits and could you get out of them?