Spiralling Emotions Lack of direction Isolation Overwhelming lifestyle Compulsive Social Media
“Young age“, “youth” or “adolscence” is the golden period of one’s life. This is the formative time when they are exposed to myriad of changes from physical, emotional, social, lifestyle to newer ways of social and personal interactions. Adversities at every stage and the advancement of technology have amplified the struggles of youth. They are required to be proactive, adept and still maintain their self confidence as they drive to life which is a daunting task. The youth of today have a strong sense of entitlement. How they learn, communicate, sleep, socialize, their ideologies and their needs are largely influenced by friends, peers and of course social media. They seek validation and appreciation for every small work they do and this need is easily gratified through likes, emojis and casual appreciation by a random person over social media. As the number of followers increase on their social media handles, they are trapped in false popularity and pride, feeling at the top of the world. This has led to lack of self confindence and focus in youth affecting their performance in academics along with developing a rebellious attitude. In such a scenario, when a disaster strikes, they feel crippled and are unable to cope with the situation.
Let’s discuss the pandemic spread of last two years. The present pandemic created havoc spreading rapidly causing panic and deaths globally. It required everyone to maintain social distancing requiring shutdown of schools and colleges. This restriction on mobility required people to work from home and students to attend classes online. Adapting to sudden disruption in routine & lifestyle as well as new ways of learning, interacting, immobility, lack of physical activity, increased time with family, and lack of entertainment built loads of frustration in the youngsters. Academic performers lost passion to perform with no competition and everyone graded on same par robbed them the experience of thrill and excitement when they excelled. With job loss and economic slowdown their future seemed bleak. All these uncertainties have been also causing health issues. Younsters are reporting heavy-headedness, restlessness, unexplained emotional outburst, lack of motivation, insomnia, dizzzyness, etc. Parents are worried and confused about how to handle, understand and help their child. They are queuing up at clinics of psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors in the hope of finding help and guidance. As the symptoms they face fall into a wide spectrum of depression, a majority of youth are being labelled “depressed“ or as “being in borderline depression”.
Protecting adolscencents, promoting socio-emotional learning, psychological & physical well being and ensuring access to mental health are critical for adolescence.
As said by FD Roosevelt, “WE CANNOT BUILD THE FUTURE OF OUR YOUTH, BUT WE CAN BUILD OUR YOUTH FOR FUTURE“.
It’s time they are taught how to regulate emotions and be resilient when faced with adversities. This can be achieved by teaching them certain practices and importance of adopting them in their routine to enhance their mental, physical and emotional strength. When they learn the importance of enjoying the process, need for instant gratification is gone, making them receptive to changes and better prepared to face dire situations. If they happen to fail, they will accept failure and move ahead gracefully.
Lately, many parents have expressed despair about their child’s attitude. They are seeking honest guidance on how to talk to their child, how to support them and ease their burden. Being a parent myself, I can empathize with parents and also understand perspectives of both the parents and the youth. Keeping in my mind the needs of both parents and youngsters, I have designed “YOUTH WELLNESS PROGRAM“ that commences on the 7th of January 2022. The 8 days program will focus on bridging the gap between them. Program will aim at providing insights to parents about understanding their child better and help youngsters empower themselves to have clarity, commitment and courage in making better life choices.
For further information, reach us at 8123836323
or Email us at: info@drpriyapillai.com