Category: Mind Sciences

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Moving Blues: Helping Your Teen to Handle Emotional Challenges of Moving

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Why Especially Teenagers Feel Upset About Moving?

Last week, I moved out to a new apartment after spending almost 11 years in that apartment. While shifting my house-hold accessories, I was recalling many fond and cherished memories that I have made in all these years. Even the move was planned, I still felt on the last day that it was kind of a big step towards a whole new journey. This new experience reminds me of a student who, along with her parents, move to a new city. On her last day of school, she was devastated to meet her friends for the last time. Relocation is tough either from where you are living or studying. However, if you are a teenager, it is quite difficult to leave behind the school, friends, clubs and other commitments, as well as perhaps the only home you, have ever known. This transition from one place to another becomes more difficult for teenagers especially when so many emotional and physical changes already taking place in their lives.

Researchers believe that one of the major stresses in life is leaving behind friends, familiar places, and activities that eventually creates anxiety for everyone involved. One unexpected difference maybe school. It’s easy to assume that one school is pretty much like another, but for your kid, the new school may not use the same textbooks or procedures. Some of the classes may be different, or the teacher may have already covered topics your kid hasn’t learned about yet. It can be particularly hard for your kid if they are moving in the middle of a school year, but their teachers will understand and work with them to be sure they feel comfortable. Continue reading “Moving Blues: Helping Your Teen to Handle Emotional Challenges of Moving” →

How Teens Can Overcome the Imposter Syndrome That Haunts Their Success

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Why there are voices in my head that keeps telling me, ‘You’re not going to achieve it on your own’?

Earlier this year, I wrote about why students sometimes do not believe in their abilities and give all the credit to their LUCK? What makes them think as an ‘unworthy person’ and yet their ideas were just a result of copy and paste? This feeling where you consider yourself as an imposter or fraud. It means you somehow managed to bluff your way into the situation and in reality, you are not as talented as you showed. This feeling is called ‘Imposter Syndrome.’ Recently, I have encountered a similar kind of situation where one of my student’s parent asked me about the solution to this problem. She was so much concern about her kid that she believes that her kid’s progress and success is hindering due to this phenomenon.

Also Read | Why Do Students Feel Like an Imposter in Their Lives?

In this article, I will try to discuss some of the measures that help teenagers and parents to overcome that fear. However, it is essential to know why teens caught up with this syndrome in the first place and how you will know that you are struggling with Imposter Syndrome? Imposter Syndrome (IS) happens when we disregard our talents and abilities, especially when we are presented with a fantastic opportunity. For example, when Harry Potter was told that he is a wizard, his immediate reaction was to believe that there was some kind of a mistake, that he couldn’t possibly be magical or unique in any way. Continue reading “How Teens Can Overcome the Imposter Syndrome That Haunts Their Success” →

How Collective Narcissism is Shaping on Social Media

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Social media is now becoming an inevitable source of meeting and engagement than before. Teens and adults spend hours posting and scrolling on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and a host of other platforms. It is easy to figure out such people who absorbed in a social media frenzy, especially those who post everything about their lives online. One of the integral uses of social media is the ability to display one’s life to the whole world, that makes some people express and post the inordinate amount of information about themselves. Perhaps, for many, posting on social media involves some degree of seeking attention. The question is how this ‘attention-seeking’ behaviour converted into narcissism or, even worse, collective narcissism. Continue reading “How Collective Narcissism is Shaping on Social Media” →

Teens Biggest Dilemma – Why My Best Friend is Avoiding Me?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

How to Know If Your Friend Is Avoiding You or Just Busy?

One of the biggest pains in today’s teenager lives is the feeling of being ignored – not by their parents but especially by their friends. Over the years, I have seen several cases where students stop taking interest in any of the lessons or home tasks due to the disruption that happened between their friendship circles. Majority of the times, the teens started to believe that their friend has purposefully deserted them for some nasty reasons. But the question is, how do you know that your friend purposefully trying to get away from you? or they might be temporarily occupied with other responsibilities. In this article, I briefly discuss the reasons and some ways to recognise, without making any judgement, why we sometimes being ignored by our social circle – friends.

Before we are moving any further along, it is essential to know that there are certain situations where being ignored is nothing purposeful or malicious. People get busy and don’t always realise they’re blocking people out. Anna Johnson from Elite Daily believes that in a relationship nothing remains the same forever. There will be times when things will be great and other periods where issues will arise. If you feel like you’re being ignored, then chances are, you’re in one of these valleys. Continue reading “Teens Biggest Dilemma – Why My Best Friend is Avoiding Me?” →

Conversational Narcissism: The One Who Speaks, Controls the Conversation

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Why Some People Always Try to Dominate A Conversation?

Yesterday I engaged in a compelling argument with one of my friends. She argued that ‘people who speak, controls’. Its like in every group, a social circle, or a workplace have one or two influential people who tend to speak more in a conversation or a group discussion. She believes that whoever is smarter, more experienced, louder, more obsessive — all the different ways power manifests. Somehow, I agree with her, but then I questioned why some people tend to control the conversation and try to prove that they are aces where everyone else is rookie? Is Conversational Narcissism really a thing?

Conversational Narcissism vs Cooperative Conversation

Dr Charles Derber, from The Pursuit of Attention, believes that people who always seek to turn the attention of others to themselves can be coined as Conversational Narcissist. Perhaps you may say after reading this statement that ‘Oh, I am not a dominating person, but I know someone who often dominates.’ However, Dr Derber argues that not always people talk more so they can prove something. Sometimes, that urge of sharing first generates uncontrollable feelings. Ever wonder when we couldn’t wait for someone to stop talking so we could jump in; we pretended to be listening intently, but we were really focusing on what we were about to say once we found an opening. This type of behaviour is opposite to narcissism – it is called Cooperative Conversation. Continue reading “Conversational Narcissism: The One Who Speaks, Controls the Conversation” →