Tag: Student Stress

Why Students Sometimes Feel Empty and Lost?

Why Students Sometimes Feel Empty and Lost?
By Ahmad Amirali

Yesterday, while reviewing my camp’s students remarks for me, I found a note of one of my camp students who once shared her depressive thoughts, which she usually encounters, especially in school. She describes that due to these depressive and empty thoughts, she even hardly concentrates on her studies. Moreover, It also affects her social life as she afraid of losing her friends will not understand her situation. She is not the only example; each year, many students share such experiences and stories with me.  The depression and anxiety are the two most uprising problems which teenagers are facing nowadays. (Previous article: Teen Anxiety | Reasons and Remedies). The reasons varied according to the age and the context in which teen is living. However, apart of contextual challenges, why students sometimes feel empty and lost even when they surrounded with so many resources, family and friends? Continue reading “Why Students Sometimes Feel Empty and Lost?”

Why Do We Need A Friend to Survive in This World of Chaos?

Why Do We Need A Friend to Survive in This World of Chaos?

Almost every year, during one-on-one sessions with my students, they share their deepest fears, confusions, and stress motivators. The majority of their concerns that puzzled their world are related to their social life – friendships. The question that every student, who suffered from traumatic social experience, ask ‘Sir, why someone hurt us who know us better than anyone?’ I simply listen to their concerns and let them answer their own questions – it’s one of my strategies where students find solutions to their problems by themselves. However, the question puzzled me after hearing their concerns, ‘Why do we need a friend to survive in this world of chaos?

When I was in school, I was fascinated by one of the subjects so much – Social Studies, where we study human evolution and development. There I learn the definition of society that mentioned an essential aspect of humans. Human beings are social animals who need other humans to survive and live happily in their world. I develop a sense that friends are necessary, and without a friend, I don’t even survive in this world. Similarly, we all have a different meaning of friends and friendships in our lives, and none of these definitions is wrong. However, if I ask, what common feature you will find from each of these different definitions of friendship? What would be your answer? I believe the only thing that is common among different types of friendships is – An ear that listens to us. Humans need other humans o make sure that they are not alone, yet the sense of surety will only be possible when we hear what others want to say or express to us. Continue reading “Why Do We Need A Friend to Survive in This World of Chaos?”

Why Meditation Should Be Included in School Curricula

Why Meditation Should Be Included in School Curricula
By Ahmad Amirali

Last week, one of my friends ask me to accompany him to visit his therapist. He has a chronic stress problem and needs to visit the clinic every month. I went with him and waited for him outside the consulting clinic, where I observed many people doing meditation in a separate room. They were all looking 30 to 40 years of adults. There was an instructor who is also sitting with them. On my way back home, I thought in a world of chaos where students, nowadays, becoming the victim of competition and grades, why don’t there should a platform where they can get relief from their study stress?

I recently read an article by True Activist that stresses the need to have meditation classes that should be part of the school curriculum. According to the article, when children act out by kicking and screaming, it is often because they don’t understand what they are going through and can’t find a better way to express their feelings. When they have a tantrum, it is most likely because they struggle to deal with new and complex emotions that they are feeling for the first time in their lives. Continue reading “Why Meditation Should Be Included in School Curricula”

Why do we Fear Rejection?

Why do we Fear Rejection? – Reasons and Remedies

Last week, I was out to travel to the northern areas of Pakistan for official reasons. Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral regions are known for their cultural and historical significance. I met many people; most of them were teachers. On my third day of the session, one candidate asked me a question that triggered a series of questions in my mind. He asked, ‘Sir, If I do not fulfil this requirement in my application form, would I be rejected?’ I said, ‘Yes. He replied, ‘Oh! Then I might not apply for that program because I don’t want to be rejected’.  Later that day, I thought about that guy and questioned myself, why do we fear rejection? Rejection, either in relationships or in a career, is equally brutal for almost every person. Students fear failure in exams, teachers fear the failure of their lesson plans, and parents fear their children’s future decisions. We are all scared of being rejected, but what makes us fear such rejections? Continue reading “Why do we Fear Rejection?”

Why Structure and Routine is Important for Children’s Mental and Social Development

Why Structure and Routine is Important for Children’s Mental and Social Development

Last week, I happened to engage in a conversation with one of my older students, who are now in high school, about why she still needs to maintain and follow the rules set by their parents at this age.  My student does not like following the rules, ‘simple, she wants to live her life free from such boundaries’. However, the conversation ended on a peaceful note about the importance of time table and schedule. However, the question just popped in my mind that ‘what makes my student think that routine and structure are hindrances to her freedom? Continue reading “Why Structure and Routine is Important for Children’s Mental and Social Development”