Alan White “We see the world not as it is, but as we are” – Stephen Covey. Young people often challenge parents and teachers. Sometimes it feels as though young people are purposely trying to drive us over the edge, constantly doing and saying things that go against our values. At times, this can be […]
Tag Archives: teachers
Taking back control – why young people need to fail
BlogAlan White This might sound like a strange title, but the more I work with young people the more I can see that many young people who fail to build the resilience required to become successful in their lives, are the ones who have not been allowed to experience failure for themselves, and been given […]
The age of anxiety
BlogAlan White “For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – William Shakespeare (Hamlet) More and more I seem to be meeting young people struggling with anxiety. I am encountering debilitating levels of stress and worry in many people. So much so that the suffering is having an effect on […]
A secure base for well-being
BlogAlan White I recently began a new job in my school as Home School Community Liaison. This is a role that most schools don’t have and is one that I am finding challenging to get to grips with. What am I supposed to be doing, is a question I often ask myself? Having come from […]
Small Acts of persistence
BlogAlan White We are well into a new school year and normally for me this represents a time of new hope, fresh ideas and renewed energy and enthusiasm. It can also be a very difficult time however, for many students as well as teachers. For some students it can be a time when anxieties about […]
Our culture is damaging our well-being
BlogAlan White We are living in a time where we have a lot to be grateful for. Modern consumer culture has greatly improved our way of life. Many of us now have access to products and services that only a short few years ago would not have been possible. Over the last few decades the […]
The language of Well-Being
BlogAlan White I have always been fascinated by language. It’s a very powerful thing. Depending on how we choose to use language, it can insult, hurt, criticise, and devastate someone. Or if used in a compassionate way, it can create meaningful relationships, positive interaction and even change someone’s life. Most of the time we never […]
A Criticism of Criticism
BlogAlan White Life gives us many reasons to be critical. We regularly criticise others quite easily if we perceive that they are not conforming to our expectations. We seem to be always ready to criticise. There is a good reason why criticism come so naturally to us. When we criticise someone or something outside of […]
The Backfire effect
BlogAlan White I recently learned about an interesting psychological phenomena known as the backfire effect. What happens is, that when people are presented with clear evidence on something, such as the importance of talking about mental well-being and well-being education, if it contradicts their long held core beliefs, the truth or evidence will be immediately […]
Meeting our needs helps improve our well-being
BlogAlan White This week I have been asked to give a class on Developing Mental Well-being in young people, as part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival. Preparing for this, I had to look at the question of how to do this in a different way, as I will be talking to adults about how […]