ANGER IN PARENT

When parents are angry, it is crucial to understand the underlying cause. Parents may feel overwhelmed and lack the resources or support to manage their emotions. Showing empathy and understanding can help de-escalate the situation. It is also essential to give them space and time to cool off and return to the conversation in a calmer state. 

If the anger becomes too intense or threatening, it is vital to seek professional help.

ANGRY CHILD 

If you suspect a child is out of control, the first step is to remain calm and provide a safe, secure environment for them to feel safe. Listening to the child and understanding what may be causing the anger is mandatory. If the child is feeling frustrated, talk to them calmly and in learning to help them identify and express their feelings. 
If the child is in danger of becoming violent, it is paramount to remove them from the situation and reach out to a mental health professional for further guidance.

Recommendations for comforting a child with anger issues 

1. Talk to your child:
Talk to your child calmly and openly about their feelings and help them identify the source of their anger. 

2. Create an outlet:
Encourage your child to express their anger healthily, such as through exercise, drawing, or writing. 

3. Model positive behaviour:
Show your child how to cope with their anger positively. 

4. Develop problem-solving skills:
Help your child learn how to solve problems without getting angry. 

5. Stay calm:
Try to stay calm and patient when your child is angry. 

6. Practice relaxation techniques:
Teach your child relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualisation, and mindfulness. 

7. Seek professional help:
If your child’s anger is out of control, consider seeking professional help.

Suggestions to calm an enraged parent 

1. Listen to their concerns:
Listen to the parent’s concerns without interruption and let them know you are taking them seriously. Show them respect and understanding. 

2. Remain calm:
Stay calm, and don’t take the parent’s anger personally. If you remain composed, it will be easier to address their concerns without getting emotional. 

3. Acknowledge their feelings:
Acknowledge the parent’s feelings by letting them know you understand their anger and frustration. 

4. Offer solutions to the problem that addresses the parent’s concerns.
Again, it can diffuse the situation and make the parent feel like their concerns are being taken seriously. 

5. Apologies for any mistakes that may have caused the parent’s anger and frustration. 

6. Stay positive:
Stay positive, and don’t be confrontational. Instead, try to find a solution with which both parties can be happy.

Tips to help heal the relationship between parents and children while keeping out anger 

1. Communicate openly and honestly.
Be sure to express your feelings and thoughts openly and respectfully. 

2. Take responsibility for your actions.
Do not blame your partner for any issues that arise in the relationship. 

3. Take time to cool off.
If you feel anger rising, take a few moments to step away and take some deep breaths. 

4. Avoid saying hurtful things.
Avoid saying things you can’t take back, even if you are angry. 

5. Find positive ways to express your feelings.
If you need to vent, find a healthy outlet like talking to a friend or writing in a journal. 

6. Practice forgiveness.
Making mistakes is okay, so practice forgiving your partner and yourself. 

7. Spend quality time together.
Make sure to spend time together doing things that you both enjoy. 

8. Seek professional help.
If you and your partner are having difficulty resolving issues, consider seeking professional help.

Please note in every section of tips shared, seeking professional help is suggested. This is not coincidental. This is intentional. The reason is that many of us fail to recognise anger in any form as we have either been raised with it or in it. A trained and qualified professional can help identify this and suggest remedial action to rectify it. 

Relationships between children and parents must be based on love and understanding, nurtured in acknowledgment and concern for each other’s well-being. Adding anger to the mix is like adding a sensor-triggered bomb and hoping everything will be fine. Good relationships do not need this! Instead, they function well on mutual respect and love. Parents set an example for their children. Children learn from their parents. Simple really!

Augustus Manohar Stanley is now serving his life’s calling as a full-time Educator and works in Karnataka. He loves creating short academic videos and is also a music enthusiast.

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Your skin can take a beating over the winter, and it may seem as though there is no way to protect it: Outside, where it is windy and cold, your skin becomes irked and raw, while indoors, where it is warm, moisture is drawn out of the air and from your skin.

Even the things that make winter so enjoyable, like spending time in front of a roaring fire, can cause your skin to become dry. According to research conducted at the University of Tennessee Medical Centre, a hot shower may help you feel warmer, but it also causes your skin to lose its natural oils.

The good news is that there are many strategies to battle the causes of dry skin and keep yourself wet and supple throughout the season, including some simple adjustments to your routine that you may do.

1. Use a Humidifier

When you are inside, a humidifier can help protect your skin from dry air by adding moisture back into the air and maintaining an appropriate humidity level. Your goal should be to keep an indoor humidity level of between 30 and 50 percent by using a humidifier throughout your entire home or in the rooms where you spend the most time. One of the possibilities is to activate it while you are sleeping overnight.

2. Avoid Taking Hot Showers

It can be tempting to turn up the heat, especially in the winter, but hot Water can strip your skin of its natural oils and make it more prone to drying out, cracking, and peeling. So instead, try to chill it at the water temperature to retain as much moisture as possible.

3. Moisturize When Your Skin Is Still Damp

After getting out of a shower that was not too hot or washing your face, applies your body oil or lotion before your skin has completely dried out. This contributes to the retention of more moisture.

4. Make sure you’re drinking enough Water

If you want your skin to appear its best this winter, you should drink enough Water because healthy skin comes from within. It will be easier to maintain soft and plump skin all over your body if you consume a lot of Water and reduce the amount of caffeine you consume.

You may also prevent your skin from feeling chronically dry by putting a portable humidifier on your nightstand table or at your desk at work. This will assist in putting crucial moisture back into the air and prevent your skin from drying.

5. Moisturize Your Lips

Because the skin on the lips is so much thinner and is continually exposed to the outdoors, winter can cause it to become exceedingly dry. Moreover, compared to the rest of our skin, which has approximately 16 cellular layers, the skin on our lips only has between three and five layers of cells, and unlike the rest of our skin, lips do not have oil glands that help keep them moist. As a result, it is of the utmost significance to look after them properly.

6. Apply Sunscreen — Even on Grey Winter Days

On sunny winter days, snow reflects the sun’s rays, increasing your exposure to UV radiation. Sunburns, skin cancer, and early signs of aging like wrinkles, leathery skin, and liver spots have all been related to UV radiation exposure.

Applying sunscreen in the sweltering winter months is just as crucial as in the summer, whether you’re out skiing, playing in the snow, or doing errands across a parking lot.

Also, don’t be misled by winter’s shorter, gloomier days. Clouds can block up to 80% of the sun’s damaging UV rays, although damage can still occur.
Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen to all exposed regions of your body with an SPF of 30 or higher, water resistance, and moisturizing elements like lanolin or glycerin before going outside.

7. Wear Appropriate, Comfortable, No irritating Clothing

Textiles designed for cold conditions might make dry winter skin much worse. In addition, wool and other rough fabrics should not come into direct contact with your skin, as this can aggravate dry skin, causing it to become irritated and irritating.

Instead, wear thin layers produced from comfortable and breathable fabrics, such as cotton or silk, directly against your skin. After that, you should put on sweaters that are heavier and warmer.

Put on some gloves or mittens so that your hands will be protected from the chilly winter air. Try some leather gloves if the wool ones cause you too much discomfort.

8. Remember to Eat Right and Stay Hydrated

Expect only modest improvements, but it’s possible that hydrating your body from the inside out will positively affect your skin. If you want to avoid dryness, one of the best things you can do for your diet is to make sure you drink lots of fluids, especially Water, and keep yourself well-hydrated.

Your diet may also have a role; if you stay away from processed foods and sugars and instead focus on eating complete foods that are high in the vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that your body needs, you’ll maintain a healthy body and skin.

Take care of yourself and your skin. Don’t forget to hydrate.

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So we all know or have heard about communication. We even have books and training programs that teach us how to communicate. Some go the extra mile and give us tests and analyses. However, only a few speak of the art, which is communication. 

Fun Fact: Much like any other activity we humans do, communication will always be flawed. Why? Because the interpretation of this message or bit of information can be perceived in hundreds of ways by the receiver unless clear and precise when sent by the origin or, in this case, the sender.

Take that deadly combination of human beings and flawed communication activity, mix it all up, and voila, cocktail for disaster! Ok, it is not that horrible. But, let us pay attention to the importance of being able to pass your idea as intended to your intended recipient exactly or at least approximately as you mean it to be.

Clarity in communication is the ability to effectively and accurately express thoughts, feelings, and ideas in a way that the listener quickly understands. It involves clear language, active listening, and a logical flow of ideas. It also involves being mindful of the needs and perspectives of the person you are communicating with. Clarity in communication can help improve relationships, foster understanding, and increase productivity.

Take out your notepads, and make notes! It is about to get as serious as you want it to be. Joke! However, take note as you read on a few essential pointers or tips that can help make communication more accessible and more transparent. It will give you and your audience clarity and understanding.

10 Key points for clarity in communication

1. Listen actively and be patient. Like in any scenario of 2 or more people conversing, you need to be mentally present. Physical presence alone has no value in this case. 

2. Ask questions to ensure understanding. Nothing clears confusion better than asking questions. It helps get or give clarity. 

3. Speak clearly and avoid using jargon. Nothing confuses people more than us using terminology that makes unsound and bright but defeats the purpose of communication. Simplify and speak. It's easier this way. And speaking with clarity allows the listener to understand the message. 

4. Use simple language and avoid slang. This point reinforces the previous point. Keep it simple and short is one of the acronyms we all know of. But with different words. Imagine me saying that with no clarification. Confusion will surely follow.

5. Remove distractions and stay focused. Put cut down on the noise that hinders your communication. Allow yourself to pass on the message to the listener as though you were tossing them a hollow glass ball. The toss was a waste of time and effort if they couldn't catch it. If they see it. Mission accomplished, and that's the play. 

6. Use body language to emphasise points. A proven study supports that what we see while communicating has a higher impact than the words we speak or how we articulate them. The visual impact or nonverbal element is pegged at 55%, the articulation impact at 38%, and the words we use stand at 7%, and shocked to see this. So was I when I learned this over a decade ago! Imagine I had to know the nonverbal elements and how to use them effectively! No wonder no one could understand me! Jokes aside, I learned this made a massive difference to the listener.

7. Repeat important information. This one is also known simply as paraphrasing. It helps you summarise what you heard. Now, this is not just parroting back words. It allows the sender to understand what you, the listener, have understood if you understand what I mean! 

8. Avoid making assumptions. This is an add-on point from the previous one. Without clarification, any information sent is or can be deemed as an assumption. It shows that you have yet to use some last points to clarify what you heard. 

9. Provide examples to illustrate points. A point that goes back hundreds of years. Storytelling is similar to this point. Illustration of information by drawings or models makes this a powerful tool in one's communication quiver! You can take your listener on an unforgettable journey as you speak. Just don't overdo it and leave them on Pluto!

10. Summarize the discussion. Here is a quick recap of what was said, heard, and understood!

In relationships, we need to be clear, concise, and understandable in an age where we get tons of information from all sorts of sources. Let’s keep the one from word of mouth as delightful to hear as a melody from a song. Giving and receiving information, especially between partners, becomes the relationship’s bedrock. That and a few others form pillars of that relationship, but that is a discussion for other articles. Keep communication lines open with your partner, spouse, siblings, parents, and friends. Talk it out and see the difference.

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Nurturing kids with nature is a great way to get them outdoors, help them learn about the environment, and become more connected with their surroundings. Gurukul and nature is a traditional form of education in India where the students live with their teacher and learn from him. It’s believed that being close to nature helps students learn better and appreciate the value of life. Nature provides a sense of peace and enhances concentration which in turn helps the students to focus better on their studies. Nature also helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and fatigue, which is essential for learning. Gurukul also teaches students values like love, respect, and compassion. 

In addition, the students learn to appreciate the beauty of nature and develop a sense of responsibility towards it. Nature also helps to teach the students a sense of gratitude towards their teachers and the environment. There are various ways to nurture kids with nature, such as going on nature walks, planting a garden, growing plants in containers, and visiting parks or other outdoor locations. Exploring nature can be educational, fun, and beneficial to kids’ physical and mental health. Kids can also be encouraged to observe wildlife, read books about nature, or paint or draw natural scenes. Additionally, various organizations and programs are dedicated to helping kids connect with nature.

How does nature affect kids’ psychological and psychological well-being?

Nature has a positive effect on children’s psychological and physical well-being. Exposure to nature can reduce stress and anxiety, help improve concentration and focus and boost self-esteem. Spending time outdoors can also reduce the risk of developing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorder. Additionally, nature can help improve physical health by providing opportunities for exercise and increased physical activity. Overall, spending time in nature can help children develop positive mental health and well-being.

Ten ways you connect kids to nature

1. Take them on outdoor adventures. Take them camping, hiking, or beachcombing. Explore a local park or nature preserve. Look for wildlife and collect leaves, rocks, and flowers. Involving them in a hands-on nature exploration allows kids to form a deeper bond and better understand nature. 

2. Plant a garden together. Plant flowers, vegetables, and herbs, and then watch them grow. This helps children become. Green thumbs. In today's world, with shrinking spaces and overbearing concrete jungles. A little green thumbing is a boon and not a challenging hobby. 

3. Go on a nature scavenger hunt. Look for bugs, leaves, rocks, and other items in your local environment. As shown in point one, this is an excellent hands-on experience. A good idea will be to make a scrapbook of sorts and help the children label and document what they collected. 

4. Take a nature walk. Teach your kids to observe and identify different plants and animals. This will give them a break from gadgets, redemption from idle sitting, exercise from walking, and a general love for the outdoors.

5. Have a picnic in the park. Enjoy a meal outdoors together and observe the wildlife. Again a great bonding exercise for the family. 

6. Visit a local farm. Spend time with animals, explore the gardens, and learn about farming. Children will be well informed on where food is grown or farmed.

7. Make time for stargazing. Go outside and lie on the ground to look at the night sky. 

8. Go fishing or boating. Spend time on a lake or river and explore the natural environment. 

9. Read books about nature. Read stories about plants, animals, and the environment to your kids. 

10. Have a backyard campout. Set up a tent in your backyard and explore. Watch the stars together. Map the north star. Enjoy the cool breeze and make memories.

Everything you support your child to learn changes significantly how they see the world. Make their learning powerful through experience and involvement. Allow them a chance to become people outdoors. Allow them to return to the root of what nature is all about. Which are we living in it? Taking in the essence of all it means and then teaching them to teach others about nature.

Pause…Breathe…Reflect! Nature has its way of applying brakes in our life. It does send us feelers and reminders on how we lead our lives, but we tend to block the reminders or skip them. Instead, we use excuses to stave off cravings, our fast-paced life, busy careers, family time, and most importantly, ME time to get on a fitness routine. So, when all alarm clocks go off at the same time, nearly screeching in our ears, we wake up one day and realize: Uh, oh…let me pause and reflect. At least once in all our lives, we have had such screeching alarm clocks blown in our ears. 

Two years ago, Corona was one of the screeching alarm clocks sent to us to pause and reflect. It doesn’t matter who sent it. Either way, the two-year break in all our lives (for some, it is still ongoing) made us think about the value of things in our life – us, our families, our special moments, career milestones, and even educational milestones. It made me wear my thinking cap too. I had completely ignored my fitness and stamina until two years ago. I would not remotely look at the weighing scale, grandly declaring that I am sure I am fit. Yes, I do annual health check-ups and have been given clean chits. But it made me realize that these reports aren’t precisely measuring my stamina. Having all vital stats in place is excellent, but I still needed to recover my lost stamina and endurance. Running around my 8-year-old son made me realize the importance of fitness even more and a stark reminder of aging. 

I had ignored myself for far too long, thanks to years of body shaming and other reasons. Body shaming is one of the key reasons many people stop looking at themselves in the mirror, considering the calories they consume and their sedentary lives. The pandemic made me re-look at myself in a new way. I started facing the mirror daily, looking at my body each day I had a bath. I started acknowledging my body, accepting its flaws, and speaking to myself, saying – “It’s my body, and I am proud of it!” 

The next I asked myself: “Am I fit enough? Can I do something to respect my body better?” Again, I got my answers from within. Another response I got from my gut was that being fit isn’t only about physical fitness. It is supposed to be holistic – an amalgamation of physical and mental wellness.

10 Reasons Why
We must set self-fitness goals 

Trust me, your gut/inner voice will also give you answers. Once you get the answers, you will take action instantly. So, I chose Zumba since I love music and dance (my inner calling). This helped increase my cardio fitness, but then I realized I needed to work on all body parts to increase flexibility. Also, since I am people-oriented, I wanted to join group fitness classes, and another pre-condition was timing. Luckily, things worked out, and I began an active workout regime with my gang and our trainer. So, I suggest you choose your mode of workout – something you would love to do consistently, and kickstart your new routine. It will be exciting for you to fall in love with yourself.

1. Having a checklist of health goals

It is an excellent time to make your soft board attractive with colourful sticky notes. Write all your health goals. For instance, stamina, flexibility, weight loss, etc. It could be different for everyone. 

2. Keeping tabs on physical parameters

Consult a physical trainer/coach to see if your physical and vital stats are in place. It includes the following:

1. Cardiovascular fitness
2. Muscle strength & endurance
3. Body flexibility & composition
4. Makes measurable fitness plans

For instance, if your goals are like joining yoga, meditation classes, or starting jogging and running, they must be measurable too. In other words, mention the number of days you will achieve these goals. It makes you acc

3. Prevents over or under workouts

Once you set these goals, you will stick to exactly how much you need to work out to lose or gain a certain number of kilograms or pounds. It makes sure you will work out right.

4. Ensures consistency in workouts

If you work out at the correct time intervals, achieving these goals will be your next top priority. Regularity makes a difference when you have to achieve goals.

5. Having workout buddies

Sometimes you aren’t motivated to do workouts on your own or achieve your workout targets. A like-minded gang helps boost and push each other to reach their respective goals.

6. Enjoying your wellness journey

It is vital to enjoying every step that you take towards improving your fitness levels. Therefore, you should choose and chalk out achievable health goals of your choice (without looking at Instagram/Facebook profiles). Then, keep them pinned on a soft board.

7. One step at a time

The aim must be to go slow so you can enjoy a longer and healthier lifespan on Earth. Setting fitness goals will ensure that you plan baby steps.

8. Tuning to your body signals

The essence of your fitness journey must be to listen to your body closely. Go inwards, listen to your inner voice, and feel what each part of your body says. It is essential to do it daily. 

9. Make your body your best friend

Self-love is the key. Start speaking to your body, repeat affirmations – positive statements about how you enjoy your fitness journey for your beautiful body. The first statement must be: I love you for what you are and accept you for all the curves and valleys. Hug yourself tight after that!

10. And Don’t Forget to Live

Always remember to be kind to self. If we are not kind to ourselves, we cannot be kind to others. Remember to smile to yourself and self-care is not selfish.

Signing off with this food for thought for all of you: “Don’t wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Instead, be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal.”

Self-love is as essential as breathing and prevailing. It keeps you going, your mind stable, and gives you purpose to keep the rhythm melodious. Self-love gives you an openness to newness. It empowers wisdom, creativity, productivity, and an aura none can second. With self-love, you create your spirit – you pull all the elements of the universe to align to the absolute closeness of yourself and nature. You create your character, the mark and scent you will leave behind. 

Self-love allows you to breathe pure freshness and see visions crystal clear. Self-love promotes positivity not just within you but outside of you, touching lives as you sail through all the different things you do. Self-love gives you an idea of who you are and how important little things are to you. Self-love consumes insecurities and indifferences and connects you to nature and the ultimate truth of finding inner peace. 

Self-love honours boundaries and establishes a foundation of grit, strength, and power. It reflects a persona so enigmatic and enhances emotional and mental health. It motivates you to do better for yourself and focus on YOU rather than getting caught up in the web of such a rash and fast-paced world. 

Self-love keeps you grounded and lets you recognise and be root to where you are from. It gives you uniqueness and ensures you are simply the best version of yourself. 

Self-love is worth it. Self-love makes you worth it all. So it’s time to slowly let loose, learn to recover from everything that hurt, and give yourself space and time to heal and self-love. 

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Breakfast is the meal that breaks our night-time fast of eight hours since supper. The first meal of the day is unlike any other meal. Yes, every other meal is considered significant, but breakfast is the most robust due to its numerous health benefits. It is why it is known as the “key day meal.”

Everyone is buzzing like a busy bee to compete with others in today’s environment. Many people skip breakfast for stupid reasons, such as wanting to sleep a bit longer. Once you realize its significance, you will never disregard it for any reason.

Why is breakfast so important?

Even when you sleep, your body continues to function. The only difference will be the absence of physical acts. However, as the body is always working, it may run out of energy. This continual process decreases glucose levels; breakfast is required to stimulate metabolism. In addition, breakfast will offer your body the critical nutrients and minerals it needs to begin the day’s job.

The following is a list that highlights the
top ten reasons why eating breakfast is essential:

1. It will speed up the metabolism and set the tone for the rest of the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Remember that your body continues to function without any fuel or nutrients while you sleep, so think twice before missing breakfast. Therefore, the mechanisms of the metabolism will turn your breakfast into usable energy. In conclusion, breakfast serves as an energy booster by supplying the body with the necessary power to perform for the day's duration. If you eat a breakfast that is both satisfying and nutritious, you will be more active throughout the rest of the day.

2. It supplies necessary vitamins, minerals, and nutrients: For your body to work correctly, you need to nourish your body with the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that it requires. This substance offers this. Having breakfast satisfies the requirement to provide your body with the critical vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to carry out its functions for the remainder of the day. Therefore, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Additionally, it lowers the likelihood of developing a vitamin or nutrient shortage.

3. It helps maintain a healthy weight. Skipping breakfast will make your techniques to lower your body weight less effective. People who eat breakfast regularly have a lower risk of being overweight. Skipping breakfast can cause an increase in insulin response in the body, which can lead to an increase in body weight. Consuming a nutritious meal in the morning will help curb your appetite for the rest of the day's meals.

4. It maintains a steady level of sugar in the blood: Maintaining a constant sugar level in the blood is essential to prevent long-term health problems, and breakfast does this quite effectively. Maintaining a healthy level of blood sugar protects the health of both the body and the brain. In addition, having breakfast regularly helps to keep the body's metabolism in check.

5. A healthy breakfast is a great way to kick off the day because it helps enhance focus. Your mood in the morning is greatly influenced by what you eat for breakfast. Because eating breakfast fills your stomach for the rest of the day, it not only helps you concentrate better and improves your focus, making your work easier.

6. Eating breakfast every morning has a lower chance of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. This is one of the diseases that can be prevented by eating breakfast. The risk of developing cardiovascular disease can also be reduced by eating breakfast. If you don't eat anything in the morning, you could miss out on essential nutrients, which could put your health at risk. In addition, your immune system may be impacted as a result.

7. Breakfast is an important meal of the day and can help you control your cravings for unhealthy food. Think about it: if you don't have breakfast, you'll find another way to satisfy your hunger, and when that happens, you'll probably reach for some junk food. The morning meal known as breakfast helps to keep one healthy and reduces the need for unhealthy snack foods.

8. Breakfast is a crucial component in growing muscle, which is why it's so necessary to eat it. Eating breakfast foods high in protein is a good place to start if you want to increase muscle strength.

9. Please pay attention to what you consume for breakfast because it might tell a lot about your overall health. Ingesting food that will improve your metabolism, such as eggs, which are a fantastic source of protein, is regarded as beneficial.

10. It paves the way for a healthy existence, and food is the best and most delicious medication. Breakfast doesn't have to be complicated; all you need is a bowl full of fruit to get you through the morning. The food you eat for breakfast has the potential to keep you alert and active throughout the day. You will feel more focused, and you will notice an improvement in your memory ability. Although you might not see a difference right away, it is suitable for your health in the long run.

The benefits of breakfast are lifelong, so the list of its superpowers continues. Spending money on meals is preferable to spending money on medical expenses. Stop skipping breakfast if you are doing it, and forget anything else instead

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It’s a cold winter evening, and I am working on my laptop, constantly worried about something (that’s just me). My little one is watching her favorite animation series, The Lion Guard. I am half-focused on my writing and half on the surrounding sounds, including the cacophony of the various characters and their emotional exclamations of the serial. Suddenly the zebras on the screen scream – Panic and Run! Panic and Run! Panic and Run!

All my alarm bells go ringing! WHY?… because this sounds familiar – in fact – THIS IS ME… the ever-present and constant feeling I experience every second of my waking life – ‘PANIC AND RUN!’

This is the most dreaded yet familiar bane of urban modern-day city life – ANXIETY.

Anxiety: What does it feel like on a regular day?

It feels like the fear of the unknown. The feeling of being confused and not knowing what to do next, yet feeling like you forget to do something urgently. The feeling of being unable to figure out what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what will happen next?

Sometimes you may wake up middle of the night with a deep feeling of sadness, loss, or uncertainty. You feel like a lump in your throat and a pit in your stomach. You experience irrational fear of losing control, irritability, restlessness, fatigue, unexplained and shifting aches and pains, and overbearing thoughts and beliefs that are difficult to control.

Feeling worried constantly but don’t know why? When you sometimes panic and feel anxious but do not know the reason? That is ANXIETY.

Common Triggers

Anxiety is triggered by stress, confusion, trauma, and many more… You feel anxious: – 

When things go Wrong:

When things don’t work out as planned, that triggers Anxiety. You start to think about what went wrong or what you could have done differently to make things right. 

When things go Right

Sometimes you feel anxious even when things go exactly as planned! Surprised, huh! 

Yes, you heard that right. When you do something which happens precisely as you planned, that also causes Anxiety because you didn’t expect it would work so smoothly, and when it did, you start doubting whether you followed the right path.

When you feel performance pressure

When you are under performance pressure or taking a test, you start to get nervous and feel anxious about meeting people’s expectations or whether you will pass the test with flying colors. 

Even when you have achieved your target:

In many instances, you have finished doing something you planned or achieved a target and are hopeful this will end well. But that’s when Anxiety kicks in!!!

Why? Because now you don’t know what to do next!! You haven’t planned what is to be done next, and that’s what creates panic. 

It is normal to feel anxious in stressful situations. Still, sometimes when it reaches a level beyond your control, it is an indicator of something serious that’s difficult to deal with. This is when feelings become excessive and interfere with daily living. It disturbs your ability to function normally – This is when it could be a more severe issue, i.e., an ANXIETY DISORDER.

What do Anxiety Disorders look like in everyday life?

Contrary to popular belief, it could look like a standard but nagging issue. Sometimes it is accorded to a general ‘temperamental’ problem. It seems like and relates to something very mundane – like insisting on keeping the TV remote in a particular place; or urging to do a specific task only in a certain fashion. Like feeling nervous before an Interview, like feeling sad about something happening/not happening.

These things are daily and do not warrant that you suffer from Disorders. It is only when they go to an excessive level of becoming unhealthy Obsessions and Phobias that it starts getting murkier. Anxiety Disorders can take various forms. Let’s take a look: – 

Social Anxiety Disorder

Stage Fear, Introversion, Being Shy, or Being Asocial are all common forms of hesitation. But they don’t necessarily qualify as a Disorder. This is considered a disorder when you get excessively concerned about facing people. When the fear of meeting people gets serious to the extent of ‘Situational Paralysis,.’ You freeze on stage and in social situations and hope you disappear from the face of the earth! This is when you should consider it serious.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The most common form and yet the most difficult to recognize. This is because it is generally branded as a personal trait. Statements like ‘Oh, He is a cleanliness freak,’ ‘She is a slave of the Clock,’ or ‘He is very particular about certain things’ – all could be red flags of the person suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Preferring things in a certain way is normal, but insisting on it and going bonkers if they don’t go as per charter, is a qualifier for OCD.

Panic Disorder

Panic at its worst. You don’t just panic and experience symptoms similar to a Heart Attack! 

Yes, you read it right. Your presumed midnight heart attack could well be a Panic attack instead. Shortness of breath, Heart Palpitations, chest pain, abdominal pain, sweaty palms, and hot flushes are the physical manifestations of a Panic attack. In addition, you suddenly feel numb, lost, and disoriented. This is panic in its worst form.

GAD or General Anxiety Disorder

Your Anxiety with excessive and unhealthy intensity is GAD. It is unrealistic and exaggerates worry and tension for very little or no reason.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE
If you or anyone you know needs help and support please reach out to a crisis resources center near your area.
Seeking help is human and it is the first step to recovery.

Phobias 

Most phobias are nothing but your excessive fear of a particular thing. Fear, in general, is experienced by everyone, but when it’s crippling enough to stop you from general functioning, it’s worth a review.

Okay then, we now know it is terrible. And what makes it worse is our Minds and thoughts. So, what do you do to get your life back?

What can be done to control Anxiety?

It is hard to unlearn what we have trained our minds to believe and behave. So, it is going to be hard work to rewire your brain. But let me also tell you, the rewards are worth the labor. Although Anxiety cannot be eliminated, and sometimes it is good for you, you can take steps to control it to a large extent.

Practice Grounding

Grounding or earthing is typically used in the context of electrical circuits, but it is just as relevant in the human-nature relationship too. Connecting to the electrical charges of the earth has a calming effect on your body.

Walking barefoot, lying on the ground or grass, and wading in shallow waters are simple yet effective ways of grounding.

Life Style Changes

All our emotions are by-products of chemical reactions in our brains. And the good news is you can control it mainly by keeping a balanced diet and life. Make time for walks, recreation, friends, exercise, healthy eating, and sleeping. Avoid too many stimulants such as tea, coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, etc.

Stress Management

Managing stress helps you get in charge of your emotions. Mindfulness & Meditation can help to calm your mind and control anxiety levels. Yoga is terrific for a restless mind. 

When to reach out for help?

ANYTIME. 

Reach out for help anytime you feel your symptoms are bogging you down or are getting intense, so much so that it’s crippling your sanity. Shying away from social stigma or overthinking the consequences is only going to make it worse. 

So, reach out even if it may feel like a false alarm. It’s okay to be wrong in your diagnosis. It’s better to be safe than sorry. The point is DO REACH OUT BEFORE IT GETS TOO LATE.

Try reaching out for help while you still can!

IMPORTANT MESSAGE
If you or anyone you know needs help and support please reach out to a crisis resources center near your area.
Seeking help is human and it is the first step to recovery.

Follow Veena Gupta

Creativity in education uses innovative and imaginative approaches to learning, problem-solving, and teaching. It involves using creative processes, such as brainstorming, experimentation, collaboration, and critical thinking, to solve problems and create new ideas. 

Ten simple tips to add creativity 

1. Use interactive activities in the lesson. Like us, kids these days get bored just as quickly as we did. It's a good idea to make classes as interactive as possible for two reasons. Better engagement is one. The second is brighter students. 

2. Add in the elements of art or music as part of the lesson. I learned this while watching my cousin, who happens to be a clinical music therapist. He works with specially-abled children but incorporating music and dance into his classes has positively impacted more than 75 specially-abled children! And trust me, it works with all learners. 

3. Use props or physical objects to illustrate concepts. This aspect helps to add to the learning experience. This is termed experiential learning. And is used in workshop sessions as well. 

4. Ask students to brainstorm solutions or ideas. Great tool or activity to get children on the teamwork and interdependence bandwagon. This also serves as a part of the problem-solving skills-building platform.

5. Have students explain concepts to each other. Also known as teaching to learn. The idea here is to share your learning of an image, which acts as a double learning opportunity. 

6. Allow students to take ownership of their learning. Increases their responsibility and accountability. In addition, it gives them a sense of achievement as they know exactly what their learning goals are. 

7. Make use of multimedia or digital tools in the lesson. Well, it is the 21st century. We have gone from writing in the mud to illustrating on a white screen. Using multimedia and digital tools helps build a deeper understanding of a subject in a learner's mind. It helps give clarity with visual and audio aid. 

8. Encourage students to ask questions and work in groups. Asking questions gives clarity. Working in groups, as mentioned earlier, helps with teamwork and interdependence. It also gives kids a chance to bond with others. 

9. Use literature or stories to help students understand concepts. This is an age-old concept and is an art form called storytelling. This was an effective way to transfer or hand down information for ages.

10. Try something new or different each day. Keep your audience or learners pleasantly surprised. Keen to experience a unique, fun, and exciting. 

These tips are just a few. But there are many ways to engage learners that surpass the list above. For example, a creative educator is an actual key to learners having an innovative education no matter what the subject to learn may be.