I find coaching young people on a daily basis so interesting, exciting and rewarding. It inspires me.
It can also be challenging, frustrating and sad.
I have just had a week where the low points have outnumbered the highs. Rather than struggle or give in when this happens, I use Mindfulness to enable me to deal with my own feelings – and it keeps me going.
Mindfulness helps me move my attention away from what has happened and brings me into the present moment. I am then able to use reflection to focus on the skills I have and the positive way that I use them every day. This helps me to understand what I have control over and what I can do nothing about so that I am able to move forward.
My experience in coaching has helped me to understand that it is not always possible to prevent young people hurting or damaging themselves. Different circumstances can play a big factor on the action that they take. With some teenagers it is just part of the journey that they feel they need to travel in order to turn a corner and move forward. For some it can be a cry for help when they do not know how to express what they are feeling or cannot get someone to listen to them.
I have learnt to understand these situations. They still make me feel very sad and it breaks my heart to see young people struggle. I do not dwell on what has happened as the past cannot be changed.
Moving forward, my aim is to help them shift their focus to the progress they have made, to acknowledge the skills they have, and then identify what needs to happen next. When the strategy to move on comes from them and it is based around their own feelings then they are more likely to succeed.
If you know of a young person that would benefit from working with me then please contact me.