March is in the air and it is just another month!
Students by now can feel the month of March approaching. March is generally associated with the exams, not only by the students but also by their family.
Future, Result, Career, Scoring. These are a few words which spring from the brain repository to the surface of consciousness and influence it by shaping the thoughts especially these days. Some familiar emotional patterns of unease, guilt, anxiety and burn out the return and haunt our days and nights. Before we formulate a strategy to deal with these unpleasant emotions and examination stress, it is necessary to revisit the philosophy of our lives!
Budding teenagers and in fact every young adult should ask themselves two fundamental questions;
What do I want?
Do I want what others want me to want?
Then as one will advance in one’s career path and life path, one must realize that Everyone’s path is Unique. Nature is not interested in any duplicity. Thus, all the forms of life are unique and unparalleled, but sadly the culture or society wants every individual to fit into the same ideal framework laid by it. It is like a sunflower being reminded of the fragrance of a rose and fishes being encouraged to fly like birds. It would be a beginning of endless conflict for the fish if it is trained to fly just like birds!
It is so easy to be yourself! But the social conditioning which is a part of every individual is to be ‘Someone Else’.
Many things directly affect our concept of self. Education has its prime goal of enabling one to live a comfortable life. It works by uplifting the ‘self-image’ in one’s social and cultural milieu and there is nothing less or more to it! But there are many alternate enablers as well which can also deliver the goods! Examination stress also wreaks havoc. Unfortunately, we are a product of conditioning. It tells us that an unfavourable outcome can be avoided all the time and we should be working towards it. But life is a play of polarities because there is an up there is a down. An up is not a permanent up and a down is not a permanent down. Fear of getting a negative outcome sucks all the energy and creates unrest, lowering the productivity triggering an onset of disturbing thought pattern which tries to deal with this fictional outcome. Walking is now not just walking but prevented falling. But Competence and Passion are two ingredients necessary for a successful and fulfilling vocation. The role of parents and teachers is paramount in providing it for their children. Support by the caregivers is crucial so that children’s potential does not remain untapped.
Guilt is another emotion which is the biggest roadblock on the way to success, feeling guilty of not doing enough, feeling guilty of getting distracted actually is worse than getting distracted! Brooding over what should have been, ties one back and prevents moving on with the job ahead. All that is needed is to trust the flow of life, which is without your knowledge, taking you along with it to the examination hall. Trusting your intelligence and your preparation also unburdens you of a load of if’s and buts’.
The examination should be just another event. Overvaluation of any event including examination results in the build-up of thoughts which revolve around the outcome causing anxiety. Keeping some pointers and reminders in mind helps make things better.
SOME POINTERS & REMINDERS FOR TEENAGERS
1. Exams come and go!
2. One, who is not avoiding a fall, will not only walk but run!
3. It is better to be original than a cheap imitation, it is so easy to be yourself!
4. If success is all that matters, believe that you would be successful!
5. Masturbation takes some minutes, brooding over it takes hours!
6. Be true to yourself even if you are not true to the entire world!
7. Trust the flow, it is moving you ahead every moment!
8. Burnout is more due to thinking about studying than studying itself
9. If you are tossing a coin, you cannot always get heads, expect tails also to come!
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