The title might seem a bit strange, and I also felt the same way when I was made to believe that I could improve my interactions with others and create more healthy relationships by just clicking on a button on my mobile phone.
I had always been a young woman who struggled to create healthy and long-term relationships with co-workers and friends. Sometimes, I used to react hastily and display some behaviors that I regretted or refused to listen to colleagues when they started justifying their mistakes. I had also acted nervously toward some of them and ignored them.
With time, I felt that there was a problem... not only with those around me but also in the way I interacted with others. Upon this realization, it was very difficult to admit that I was in the wrong. But at that time, I felt that blaming others was the best solution.
I tried to read several articles, but the information I found was provided in a long-written form that did not inspire me, so I was bored and stopped reading them. However, I started to feel motivated when I found a post on the U-Report Iraq Facebook page, that stated that we could send the word “TIPS” to the U-Report platform to gain valuable pieces of advice on mental health, relationships, and other interesting topics.
I immediately sent the trigger word “TIPS” and received the response in seconds with diverse options on the topic I would like to learn more about. Some of them were:
1. How can I be kind to myself?
2. How do I deal with challenges in relations?
3. How can I be a good friend?
I selected the second option, and then the platform started sequentially sending me tips in the form of brief points, focusing on the things that I should do and the things that I should not.
What surprised me was that most of the information and advice matched my mental state and my behavior toward my colleagues. So, as a next action, I wrote the tips in my notebook, and I read them daily. Besides, I try to apply each point more carefully in my life, and I have become more flexible in my relations with people on how to:
• Hold responsibility for my mistakes and avoid blaming others.
• Be more patient and a good listener.
• Moving from focusing on the mistakes themselves to giving more space to the positive people in my life.
• Understand more and be more empathetic with the feelings of others.
In the end, what I focused on most in these tips is that we can't always control the behavior of others, but we can develop skills to help us better manage our relations.
I invite young people who are reading this article to give it a try and explore the U-Report Mental Health Chatbot. Like me, you can also improve relationships with the click of a button. You just need to choose the platform that you used the most and send “TIPS”.
Facebook: bit.ly/BotMHFB
WhatsApp: bit.ly/BotMHWA
Viber: bit.ly/BotMHVR
Written by: Zeinab Muhammad Hussein (24), U-Reporter from Iraq
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About the U-Report Mental Health Chatbot
Deployed in 2021 by UNICEF and U-Report, the Mental Health chatbot has been regularly updated to continue to break the stigma around mental health among young people. Its latest version, launched in May 2022, has been explored by nearly 24,000* youth worldwide.
Its new update aims to build skills and confidence in young people to manage relationships to support their mental health and reach out for support and help others. Through the chatbot, youth will develop skills, including Emotional Regulation, Self-Esteem, Interpersonal Skills, and Problem-solving, that will help them build and manage relationships to care for their own mental health.
*Data updated on June 14th, 2022.
