TEENAGERS WITH EXPERIENCE

The coronavirus pandemic threw us all for a loop. There was no way that we could have prepared for the 18 months of isolation, anxiety and panic that was caused. We were just doing our best and trying to do as we were told by the government.

For me, a 21 year old employee in a college in the UK, everything changed. Little did I know in March 2020 quite how much was going to change for me due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So I want to talk you through some of the biggest changes in my life thanks to lockdown and coronavirus. These changes made me realise how important it is not to take things for granted and how even in the darkest times, there is always a positive.

• Working from home

Before the pandemic, I had never worked from home before. Since I started working in 2018, I was used to being in the office, 8.30am-5pm, Monday to Friday. When my college shut down their sites and Boris Johnson told everyone to work from home where possible, I had no idea what I was going to do. I didn't have a work laptop, I only had my personal laptop which had none of the software I needed. I didn't have a home office; there was only one desk available to work on in my house and my dad ended up using that. I wasn't used to delivering training sessions virtually: how was I supposed to train staff on using technology whilst using technology that they didn't know how to use? It wasn't an easy transition for me. 
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In the end, it wasn't as bad as I expected. I got a work laptop, my office just so happened to be a soft office (also known as a bed) and staff slowly but surely became comfortable enough with technology for me to train them on it. I actually really enjoyed working from home - no travelling, I could sleep in for an extra 30/45 minutes, I got to eat lunch with my family and it felt like a win all round. Of course then the pandemic eased and college decided we had to be back in the office 8.30am-5pm, 5 days a week, across all college sites - not what I wanted, but hey. Working from home was fun whilst it lasted.

• New hobbies

One of the major issues with the pandemic was that everything shut down. By everything, I mean EVERYTHING. This included the places I used to go to for my hobbies, including acting classes and pub quizzes. What was I supposed to do now? Being stuck in the house 24/7 was hard. I am not the most sociable person and am not a big fan of crowds or people in general, but at least prior to the pandemic I had the option to put myself in those situations, should the reason arise. When that decision is taken away from you and you're forced to stay inside, it's not as fun as you might think for a pretty introverted person. There is introvertedness and then there is isolation, and they are two very different things. Just to maintain some level of sanity and joy, I had to find new hobbies that I could do without leaving the house and didn't require a crowd of other people.

Luckily enough for me, I could carry on quizzing, all due to Jay's Virtual Pub Quiz. You could tune in live on YouTube or Facebook at 8pm on a Thursday and/or a Saturday and take part in a pub quiz with five fun interesting rounds which varied each week. We had music rounds, we had entertainment rounds, we had sport rounds, we had history or geography and we, of course, had general knowledge (or geberal knowledge as it became known to the community.) I also started doing singing lessons over Zoom. My singing teacher had also found the pandemic difficult, thanks to the shut down of the world. She used to perform on cruise ships and be hired for concerts and events all over the country. The pandemic put a sudden stop to all of this. So she started to teach singing, and I started to learn singing. Pub quizzes unfortunately haven't started back up again yet, and we don't know when or if they will, but Jay is still running his virtual pub quiz and I'm now attending my singing lessons in person. I may have never started singing lessons if I hadn't been bored in lockdown.

• More involved socially

I'm well aware how crazy this sounds. How can I be more social in a lockdown where I can't leave my house or see anybody else? Despite having no in person socialisation, I had a lot of virtual socialisation that I've not had before lockdown. Before the pandemic, I didn't really take the time to chat with everyone I probably should have chatted with. There were members of my family who I would only talk to at Christmas or on a birthday, or I'd see the odd comment pop up on Facebook and that would be the only interaction we'd have. Whilst I didn't mind this at the time and would think up reasons as to why I didn't speak to them much or see them more often, lockdown made me realise that there was really no valid excuse as to why not. 

During lockdown, something that we started was a family game night. Around once a month, we would jump on Zoom with members of my family from all around the world. We had people in Australia, in Brecon, in Carmarthen, in Rotherham, in Dubai… we were spread to the four corners of the earth and yet we were all together. We were talking, laughing, crying, updating each other on our lives and we were even playing a board game. A board game - over Zoom! Before lockdown, we never would have even considered it, but being so isolated made us realise how important family was.It's important to keep up with family and friends now whilst you can, because you never know what's going to happen just around the corner.

• Job hunting

Whilst in lockdown, I started looking for a new job. I already have a job, and it's a good job. I enjoy what I do, training staff and designing content for them. I enjoy the people I work with: my immediate team are some of the most incredible people I have ever met in my entire life and I adore each and every single one of them and the staff I train are wonderful on the whole. But being in lockdown made me realise that I wasn't truly happy anymore. I didn't feel truly fulfilled. I wanted something new. I needed a new challenge. I needed to spread my wings… and that meant leaving my current job.

So I started looking on all the usual sites, LinkedIn, Indeed, Facebook Jobs, and applying for anything that sounded new and interesting. Customer service roles, training roles, artsy roles, social media roles - all things that I'd had little bits and pieces of experience with but hadn't done professionally. I had interviews here and there, did the odd logic test or personality quiz, and eventually found a job that I think I'm really going to love. I have been offered a job as an Internet Specialist at a car sales company. It means I'll be taking photos, writing descriptions, uploading to the website, working with the sales team and communicating indirectly with clients via the company social media channels. It's something different to what I'm doing now, in a totally different industry, with totally different people. Truth be told, I'm excited. Terrified but excited. I can't wait to get started.

• Body confidence issues

One of the final huge changes I want to highlight from during lockdown is my perception of my body. This is the only really negative thing that has come from lockdown, bar the obvious illness and isolation and, in very unfortunate cases, death. Before the pandemic happened, I was fairly happy with where I was at in terms of my mental health, my self esteem and my body image. Last time I checked before going into lockdown, I was the happiest I'd ever been with my weight and my overall size. My favourite clothes fitted great, my stomach didn't seem to stick out as much and I felt slim and like I could wear tighter clothes without having bulges and 'back rolls' as Alyssa Edwards would say. Lockdown changed all that though. As of today, I have gained a size, verging on two on my bottom half and I weigh around a stone and a half more than I did in March 2020. I know weight isn't everything but I hate my body at this moment in time. My thighs are thick and have stretch marks, my stomach sticks out and makes me look podgy and I can't fit into my favourite clothes anymore. That's because of the lockdown.

I started eating more and moving less. Those 20 minutes walks I'd do walking from my car to work, and vice versa - gone. Those evening snacks that I'd sometimes have - more frequent and fatty. When you combine more food and lack of exercise, you put on weight. That made me lose motivation. The lack of motivation made me desperately try and keep up some level of exercise. That exercise wouldn't result in weight loss, or at least not as much weight loss as I wanted. I sometimes even gained weight which, though it may have been muscle, really disheartened me and being so disheartened made me lose motivation. So the vicious cycle continues. I want to be lighter and fit back into my old clothes and see myself in a more positive light but I'm finding it really difficult to do so, and even out of lockdown, I'm finding it hard because the weight won't come off. Weight is always so much easier to put on than it is to lose and as much as I want to be a size 10, or even a comfortable 12, and as much as I want those scales to be below 10st, it just feels like it's never going to happen. It's really hard. The point I'm trying to make is that lockdown has made a real difference to how I felt about myself, both mentally, and physically and I imagine that it will have made a lot of people feel this way. I want you to know that you aren't alone.

Now, almost 2 years later, in December 2022 we are living in a new normal. Coronavirus is still around, new variants are causing mass panic and we feel like another lockdown is imminent with every Boris Johnson press conference. 

But I do want to give a few basic tips on keeping yourself safe in this new normal. They are tips you will have heard before and probably be sick of hearing by now, but they're there for a reason. They may not always be possible but I'm trying to be safe where I can, and you can too.

1. Sanitise/wash your hands regularly. Germs will find it much harder to survive on clean hands and surfaces.
2. Wear a mask in communal spaces or when in a crowd. The mask protects you as well as them.
3. Get vaccinated if you are eligible, and get your booster if you've had your first two jabs. No matter what the conspiracy theorists say, they are not 5G chips and they do help to keep you safe and protected.
4. If you have symptoms, don't leave the house except for a PCR test. You wouldn't want to infect anybody else.
5. Regularly test yourself before events or when you're spending time with other people. Even if you don't have symptoms, you could still carry it.
6. If you come into contact with someone who has coronavirus, isolate where appropriate and get a test if needed. Better to be safe than sorry.
7. If you can stay home, do. Home is probably the safest place for you.
8. If other people don't feel comfortable with close contact, be respectful and give them their space. Just because you're happy to hug everyone you meet doesn't mean that everybody else is.
9. Meet outside if you can. I know it's December and it's freezing but it's safer to meet outdoors than indoors. Wrap up in your biggest coat with some gloves, a hat and a scarf and you'll be okay.
10. Most importantly… OBEY THE RULES AND ADVICE GIVEN BY THE GOVERNMENT! Whether you agree with them or not, whether you voted for them or not, whether you like Boris or not, they have more inside knowledge about the virus than we do. They're giving us this guidance for a reason. People not obeying the guidance was part of the reason why we ended up having 3 lockdowns in 2020/2021, rather than just 1.

Please do your best to stay safe, folks, and keep everyone that you love safe too. I know it isn't easy but we will get through it together.

Here are some links to things mentioned in this article or resources you may find useful:

Jay's Virtual Pub Quiz: https://youtube.com/c/thevirtualpubquiz
https://www.facebook.com/jaysvirtualpubquiz/

Outsmarted (the board game we played over Zoom):
https://www.outsmarted.co.uk/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qplay.outsmarted
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/outsmarted-companion-app/id1541321303

Websites for Information and Guidance on Coronavirus:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html
https://www.modernatx.com/covid19vaccine-eua/recipients/​

Now that the U.K. is going into its second lockdown, and the chances of us being out on December 3rd are bleak, It is time to get drawing rainbows again. Or is it?

The rainbow has been a sign of hope in our time of need. As the saying goes ‘after every storm comes a rainbow’. This is why many of us have come together (metaphorically) by making, colouring or painting rainbows to add colour and a sense of unity to our neighbourhoods. As we are all going through this pandemic together.

But back before lockdown, the rainbow was instantly synonymous with the LGBTQ+ community. It represented the diversity of the community and throughout the years many queer people have fought hard for that flag. So, it is understandable as to why they're upset that it has been taken away from them. But, now people see rainbows as a symbol of hope and as a way to celebrate the NHS.

My suggestion is to bring back Wenlock and Mandeville, from the 2012 London Olympics mascots. Personally as an 11 year old (back then) I loved them because they looked like weird little alien people and because they brought the whole country together in excitement. This is why I think we should bring them back because we all need to be united. There are many qualities about their design which make them perfect for this role. But most notably the fact that they were "born from a rainbow". 

I mean how symbolic could we get?

In the mini trailer, called “Out of the Rainbow” we see an elderly gentleman finishing up work building the Olympic stadium. He then takes home two bits of the stadium's scrap metal making them into “dolls” (the Olympic mascots) for his grandchildren. The rainbow then floods into the room bringing Wenlock and Maneville to life. Although it doesn’t make complete sense, it's a heartwarming tale and during these lockdown restrictions, the grandparents are in the at-risk category. Maybe that could be why Wenlock and Mandeville return.

Many other qualities about Wenlock and Mandeville make them a good mascot of hope during these trying times. Such as Wenlock wearing the 5 Olympic rings as friendship bracelets. Which could act as a reminder to be kind to everyone as we are all going through the hardships of this pandemic together.

- Josh
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During the coronavirus global pandemic, a lot of families were affected physically, emotionally and financially. It was a lonely period for many and some were separated from family. So many plans were affected, leaving people to pick up what seemed like what is left of their life. All these factors, along with the need to self-isolate led to loneliness being a global issue also. 

Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, spread rapidly in 2020, causing schools, businesses, cinemas, beaches and public events to be shut down. It was a lonely time for many with everyone dealing with their own problems. On top of these issues, it was even harder to talk about and share problems in such an unprecedented time as that, knowing that everyone was going through their own problems. Even in our everyday life, talking about your problems can make you feel guilty or even selfish.

I’ve even had my feelings of loneliness, where I felt useless. Having friends with online businesses or as influencers, going on social media to see the positive parts of their lives, because, face it… whoever shows the negatives? Constantly seeing quotes such as ‘’if you don’t make money or acquire a new skill during this lockdown, then you have failed.’’ During the lockdown, many people including me have often felt alone, especially with the constant negativity and bad news on social media. 

Advice: However, through it all, I have learnt that while everyone is going through their own problems, it is not selfish to talk about yours or even to share them and you should not feel guilty for doing that. Life is a rollercoaster and people will generally only share their ups but not their downs, so while it can feel like you are going through this alone, don’t hesitate to seek help about it. It can often feel like life is passing by, while you are stagnant but the fact that we get up every day and smile as if nothing is happening is enough. If you don’t make money in lockdown, that’s okay. If you don’t acquire a new skill, that’s also okay, because for some, every single day that they wake up is a battle and they want it to end. The fact that despite everything you are going through, you wake up, you get up, you carry on with your day, and the next, and the next… That’s everything! Don’t let people set certain standards as to what determines success because at the end of the day, it’s all ‘fake it ‘til you make it’!

In conclusion, loneliness is an ongoing universal issue that is prevalent in our everyday world and not just linked to global pandemics so in order to cope with it, as well as the lockdown, just remind yourself that you are doing just fine by the fact that you are alive. Count your blessings! Think of all the good things in your life. Write down your problems and talk to somebody you trust. If you can’t talk to someone you trust, talk to an anonymous person as they don’t know your identity. Surround yourself with positivity and loved ones. Remember: it is okay to take breaks from social media and read a book or do something you love. 

If you need to discuss your problems with someone, please consult: 
Mental Health Ireland - https://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/
Jigsaw - https://www.jigsaw.ie/
SpunOut.ie - https://spunout.ie/ 
Samaritans – call 116 123; www.samaritans.org 

COVID-19 - the virus that has changed life for every single person - is slowly coming to an end. It has been around since late 2019. Schools were forced to shut down, many people had to work from home, no social gatherings were permitted, and the whole world was shutting down. Many places were going into endless cycles of lockdown. As fast as they lifted, they closed again even quicker. Since 2019, four COVID vaccines have been approved: Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca, with Pfizer being the only vaccine approved for those who are 12-17 years old. As a 15 year old, I have been waiting to be vaccinated so that I could return to my “normal” life. Fortunately, in May 2021, the Pfizer vaccine was approved for 12-15 year olds in California. I was so excited to finally be vaccinated. I got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on May 14th and my second dose on June 7th. It is a huge relief knowing that I am finally safe and immune against most strains of COVID. 

Due to the mass number of people being vaccinated, restrictions that were set in place to reduce the spread of COVID have slowly been lifted due to the increasing probability of achieving herd immunity in many areas. In California, the mask mandate was lifted on June 15th. Moreover, most shops are now open for in-store shopping and social distancing is not mandatory. Personally, although I am vaccinated, I still feel the need to wear a mask and be cautious of my surroundings. Some people may not be vaccinated, some might have a strain of the virus I am not immune to, and I am so used to wearing a mask that it feels weird not to do so. It also honestly feels like I’m breaking the rules when I’m not wearing one, even though they are not required in my state anymore. Essentially, masks give me a sense of protection and safety, so not wearing one, will take time for me. 

Furthermore, I did online school for the entirety of my sophomore year of high school, and even a quarter of my freshman year of high school. Although my district did give us the option to take part in the hybrid model - two days in school and two days online - back in late September of 2020, I stuck solely with online school because I felt safer and was already used to it. However, schools will open back up in the fall and I will be going to school everyday, just like the olden days. I am quite nervous about this, because I haven’t been surrounded by and/or in places with so many people at once since March of 2020. Moreover, getting used to in-person schooling will also take time to adjust to due to  the amount of online learning I have been doing.

As the world starts to open back up, you have every right to take your time and ease back into “normal” life. Try starting with smaller social gatherings, and then gradually move your way up to larger gatherings. Furthermore, never feel like you need to take your mask off or you need to do something that you are uncomfortable doing. 

Although life going back to normal can be scary, it can also be extremely exciting! And I honestly can’t wait until COVID is just an event of the past.

Stay safe,​

For those who don't know, Freshers is a manic, crash-start week for students who are beginning university. The main goal is to make new friends, experience more independence and to have fun before uni deadlines and lectures officially begin. However, in 2020 Freshers will look a little different to previous years: many changes will have to be made to accommodate social distancing and reducing the spread of Coronavirus.

Generally, Freshers consists of partying with new friends, going clubbing, staying up into the early hours of the morning and, of course, getting very drunk. Obviously due to the Coronavirus pandemic, not all of these things are still possible and you may worry that your Freshers will not live up to expectations. There are still many different ways to meet new people, experience things you haven't before and to enjoy yourself.

As your flatmates are now your 'bubble', most of these activities can be done from the comfort of your own flat / house, but you can still find ways to meet other people too, whether that be online or in person socially distancing.

Here are some ideas that you could try out during your Fresher's :
- Having a movie night with your flatmates
- Going to a local coffee shop / restaurant
- Having a flat 'party', making sure to stick to your bubble
- Joining societies (this year many universities have moved this online to reduce the risk of spreading the virus)
- Exploring your new city
- Having a picnic outside with course mates
- Going to socially distanced events / nights out (many clubs now have themed nights with seated tables)
- Having a 'cook off' or 'Come Dine With Me' inspired night with your flat

These are just a handful of the many activities that you can still do and won't be impacted by Covid-19, so there is no need to worry that you will be missing out and have nothing to do!

Keep in mind that moving away from home, meeting new people and becoming independent is exhausting, so don't feel like you have to be doing something every second of the day. It's okay to take some time to yourself, whether that be chilling in your room, watching your favourite TV show, or even just heading to bed early to relax.

I hope everyone enjoys their Freshers as much as I have been and makes the most out of their uni experience. Remember, have fun and be safe!

In the last few weeks, the UK lockdown measures have eased in ways that a lot of us did not think were ever going to happen. Pubs have opened back up, we can eat inside restaurants, and the queues to get inside a clothes shop are the longest that I have seen for a long time. Living in a small town means that it is nice to see local, small businesses opening up again and serving members of the public. However, the anxiety that some of us are feeling makes the idea of going out to casually eat a meal again difficult to deal with. As someone who has definitely felt this stress and anxiety, I thought I’d collate a short list of things that have helped me in return to normality and might help some of you.

A couple of ways to help ease the anxiety you might be feeling:

1. Remember you don’t have to say yes - It can feel like at the minute everyone on social media is going out without a care in the world and making it a point to remind others that saying no to going out is simply not allowed. This is not the case. If you don’t feel comfortable with the location you’re being asked to go to - whether this be a bar, a restaurant, or even the supermarket - then you are fully entitled to say no. Also, it’s okay to feel comfortable in certain locations but not others. You are also fully entitled to change your mind; the day before you might feel ready to go out but the day of you might realise that it could be too much at once. Just remember no one should make you feel bad for not being as ready as them.
2. Start off in a small group - Although the rule of six or two households joining together to go out at one time is now legal, after spending the year indoors with seeing maybe only a handful of individuals, this idea can seem daunting. My first outing was with my mum and older sister to a small restaurant that had limited tables. This put my mind at ease massively because it was with people I was extremely close with and knew exactly where they had been. Starting off small with the people you love and trust the most, especially people you haven’t seen because of coronavirus, could allow you to focus more on catching up on big news and events that have happened to your loved ones rather than everyone else around you.
3. Go somewhere familiar - Personally, a big stresser of mine is when I’m in an uncertain or new location. Therefore living in a relatively small town, both when I’m at university and when I’m at home, limits the choices of where to eat. In relation to the pandemic this has helped a lot because I’ve managed to collate a small list of my favourite locations and therefore have been able to return to restaurants and bars which I know as much information about as possible. Therefore, going back to your favourite restaurant or bar when you feel most comfortable to do so could be a good idea because you don’t need to worry about the menu or where it is situated or the layout of the location. Your mind is not focused on one hundred different things.

​For more information about how to combat feelings of stress and anxiety about the easing of lockdown I thought I would provide some links to further reading that some of you might find helpful. These are websites that I’ve personally visited time and time again whilst looking for advice, therefore having no association or sponsorship with Teenagers with Experience. I think the Mind charity does a really good job of explaining a plethora of feelings that individuals may be experiencing, not only stress and anxiety. In addition to Mind, is Rethink Mental Illness. Their website takes you through a series of scenario-based questions about returning to work, the ever-changing rules and the fear of catching or transmitting to vulnerable friends or family members. 

It’s easy to think that you are the only person struggling with lockdown easing, especially when scrolling through social media and every other photo is of a person in a bar or with their friends they haven’t seen for months. Remember that social media is not an accurate representation of people’s lives, it’s a highlight reel of their personal best bits. The person who went out the night before may have extreme anxiety about going out in three days time.

Here’s hoping that some of this advice helped, don’t forget to share your opinions or advice. Helping each other is how we’ve made it this far over the pandemic.

During the coronavirus global pandemic, a lot of families were affected physically, emotionally and financially. It was a lonely period for many and some were separated from family. So many plans were affected, leaving people to pick up what seemed like what is left of their life. All these factors, along with the need to self-isolate led to loneliness being a global issue also. 

Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, spread rapidly in 2020, causing schools, businesses, cinemas, beaches and public events to be shut down. It was a lonely time for many with everyone dealing with their own problems. On top of these issues, it was even harder to talk about and share problems in such an unprecedented time as that, knowing that everyone was going through their own problems. Even in our everyday life, talking about your problems can make you feel guilty or even selfish.

I’ve even had my feelings of loneliness, where I felt useless. Having friends with online businesses or as influencers, going on social media to see the positive parts of their lives, because, face it… whoever shows the negatives? Constantly seeing quotes such as ‘’if you don’t make money or acquire a new skill during this lockdown, then you have failed.’’ During the lockdown, many people including me have often felt alone, especially with the constant negativity and bad news on social media. 

Advice: However, through it all, I have learnt that while everyone is going through their own problems, it is not selfish to talk about yours or even to share them and you should not feel guilty for doing that. Life is a rollercoaster and people will generally only share their ups but not their downs, so while it can feel like you are going through this alone, don’t hesitate to seek help about it. It can often feel like life is passing by, while you are stagnant but the fact that we get up every day and smile as if nothing is happening is enough. If you don’t make money in lockdown, that’s okay. If you don’t acquire a new skill, that’s also okay, because for some, every single day that they wake up is a battle and they want it to end. The fact that despite everything you are going through, you wake up, you get up, you carry on with your day, and the next, and the next… That’s everything! Don’t let people set certain standards as to what determines success because at the end of the day, it’s all ‘fake it ‘til you make it’!

In conclusion, loneliness is an ongoing universal issue that is prevalent in our everyday world and not just linked to global pandemics so in order to cope with it, as well as the lockdown, just remind yourself that you are doing just fine by the fact that you are alive. Count your blessings! Think of all the good things in your life. Write down your problems and talk to somebody you trust. If you can’t talk to someone you trust, talk to an anonymous person as they don’t know your identity. Surround yourself with positivity and loved ones. Remember: it is okay to take breaks from social media and read a book or do something you love. 

If you need to discuss your problems with someone, please consult: 
Mental Health Ireland - https://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/
Jigsaw - https://www.jigsaw.ie/
SpunOut.ie - https://spunout.ie/ 
Samaritans – call 116 123; www.samaritans.org ​

​COVID-19 has affected everyone in many different ways and has essentially changed all of our lives. Throughout this time, I learned a lot about my friends and our relationships. I became extremely close with some friends, lost and drifted from some friends, and also learned how toxic some people were.

In school, I had a close group of friends, which included me and three other girls, but I also had an extended group of friends which probably ranged between 15 and 20 people, as well as others. During school, I was with these people every day and it was really easy to communicate and stay in touch. However, this changed when we went into lockdown in March of 2020. I felt extremely isolated and was not able to see anyone for two months. I kept in touch with my close group of friends and a couple of other friends during COVID, however, I also drifted with many of my friends. I realized who my true friends were. Furthermore, I became aware of the effort I was putting into many relationships that weren't being reciprocated. Through this time I was able to realize how much effort friendships really took, and I also realized how valuable my closest friends are. 

Unfortunately, I did have some toxic friends through this time that were not treating me or some of my other friends right. Toxic people, in general, are tricky to deal with, but my advice for them is to talk to them, tell them how you feel, and what you feel they could do to make you feel better and more comfortable. Then, give them a chance to change, but if you realize they continue to be toxic, cut your losses. There is no need for anyone to be involved with people who bring you down or treat you badly. You deserve the best!