As my coaching work develops so does my exposure to young people who are struggling with illegal substances.

The issues young people are having can be from the effects of personal use or indirectly by means of increased worry, stress or anxiety for a friend who is taking a substance.

In my experience I have found that most young people have not done their research around the substance they have decided to take and the effects it has on their body and cognitive function.

Having more information and coaching can help them to make a more informed decision as to whether this is something that is beneficial to them and their life.

There are a number of informative websites that young people can go to and find out more information:

https://www.healthline.com/health/addiction/marijuana/effects-on-body

https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/drugs/Pages/Dodrugsdamagebrain.aspx

Looking at some of my student feedback and what has been most effective has been:

• Having someone that listens
• Being able to talk without being judged
• Feeling supported
• Access to useful information
• Not being told what to do

My coaching sessions enable young people to evaluate their current situation and then explore what they might want to change. We then put plans and strategies into place for them to achieve their goals and move them forward. Quite often just shifting their focus and making a small change can make a huge difference.

If you know of a young person that is struggling in life and would benefit from life coaching then please contact me.

This weekend I have been spending time with the Action for Children charity.

The charity has three voluntary roles which are:

• Independent Visitors Service – To visit, advise, counsel and befriend a young person in a residential care or foster home
• Advocate Service – Advocates support young people to ensure their thoughts, wishes and feelings are heard when decisions are being made about their futures
• Mentor Service – To give young people in need an outlet for their feelings, a positive role model and an opportunity to strengthen coping mechanisms

Over the course of the weekend I was introduced to some young people and the volunteers who work with them. It was amazing to find out that they had been together for many years. Watching them together was fascinating and learning how they had built their relationship based on respect, trust and fun was both heart warming and inspirational.

If you know of a young person that is struggling and would benefit from life coaching or would like to know more about the voluntary work that I do then please contact me.

I had such an awesome day in London last Friday attending the Next Steps For Wellbeing in Education Conference with The International Positive Education Network (IPEN).

There was an array of influential guest speakers and Sir Anthony Seldon – University of Buckingham was our chair for the day.

The list of speakers included:

• Nicky Morgan MP
• Professor Katherine Weare, Southampton University
• Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, CEO of The Flourishing Centre
• Lord Gus O’Donnell, former cabinet secretary
• Ambassadors from #iwill and Place2Be charities
• Tariq Mana Saeed Al Otaiba, senior associate, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court
• Professor Russell Foster, Circadian Neuroscience
• Ruby Wax, author, performer and mental health campaigner
• The Amy Winehouse Foundation

The message that came across from all the parties was the need to promote the teaching of character, resilience and well-being throughout our education system.

The ambassadors from #iwill and The Amy Winehouse Foundation were amazing and their performances were stunning. It just goes to show how doing something different and helping others can significantly improve the mental health of young people.

Young people need to be equipped with knowledge and life skills so that they can flourish in life. The purpose of IPEN is to:

• Reform policy
• Change educational practices
• Support collaboration

There were also exhibitor stands with different offerings to assist education establishments to prepare the young people of today for tomorrow’s world. I purchased some strength cards from ‘At My Best’ and look forward to using these with my coaching students this week.

The head of year 8 from one of my coaching schools also came with me and it was interesting to see her reaction and opinions regarding the speakers. She had never been to anything like it before and took lots of useful information away with her to share with colleagues back at school.

The day was finished off with a very entertaining talk from Ruby Wax. Through the art of comedy she highlighted the importance of raising mental health awareness and how we can assist young people in getting the help and support they need. Amazing how we learn so much more when things are fun.

What I learnt from the conference is that schools need to be:

• Both proactive and reactive
• Connected with their students
• Working on prevention rather than cure
• Attentive to the well being of their staff not just the students
• Developing a whole school approach including teaching staff, students, parents and governors

I have taken so much valuable information away from last Friday and my aim is to share this with my students. There is nothing better than seeing them happy, resilient and flourishing in life.

If you know of a young person who is struggling in life and would benefit from life coaching then please contact me.

My life has changed significantly over this last week as my daughter left home and started university.

The house seems very empty and my husband and I have found ourselves back on our own after 18 years of noise, fun and laughter.

On reflection I am content in the way that I have dealt with this odd and challenging week and I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

I found myself having to focus on my self-awareness. Drawing from my coaching experience, positivity, growth mindset and Mindfulness skills, has enabled me to balance my emotions, work on my resilience and come through the week with a smile on my face.

I have also managed to get more work done and keep my concentration levels without the very loud music!

I have decided to embrace the change and look at this as an opportunity to spend more time with my husband and friends. Having fun and doing the things that make me happy will certainly keep me busy and help me bounce back and focus on what I have got rather than what I am missing.

One final thing that the change this week has highlighted for me is gratitude . Our home lives are so busy these days and quite often we can miss the simple things in life. I have been more aware of people holding doors open, smiling and communicating with me.

And, the final things are the ones at home from the little notes, the cups of tea, the laughter, the support, the patience and the quality time, so thank you to my amazing husband for just being you!

Bring on next week and I am excited to see what happens and what I can achieve.

If you know someone who needs assistance with managing change or achieving goals then please contact me.