Kota Factory 3 continues to delve into student life in Kota with a compelling five-episode run. Directed by Raghav Subbu, the series retains its distinctive monochrome colour scheme, which accentuates the emotional and thematic depth of the story.

Season 3 picks up where the previous season left off, exploring the challenges of Vaibhav Pandey (Mayur More) and his friends as they navigate the pressures of coaching classes, personal relationships, and their own ambitions.

This season addresses important issues like mental health, peer pressure, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of dreams. All the actors deliver outstanding performances, exemplifying their skills and bringing their characters to life. While the season may feel slow-paced at times, its relatability allows for a deeper connection with the characters and their journeys.

Make sure to watch the first two seasons to get to know the characters and the story. The Kota Factory series is a must-watch for its honest look at the dreams and struggles of students.

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Five minutes of reading a day is as valuable to mental well-being as walking 10,000 steps and eating five portions of fruit and vegetables is to our physical health, according to research commissioned by the Queen’s Reading Room, a literary project led by the U.K.’s Queen Camilla, to promote the power and benefits of reading.

The study found that just five minutes of reading a work of fiction immediately reduced stress in participants by nearly 20%. “A short period of reading can actually help us better manage our stress, significantly increasing our concentration and improving our ability to focus on the next task. Those five minutes really can make the rest of our day better,” says Vicki Perrin, chief executive of the Queen’s Reading Room. “We found that high frequency readers are significantly less likely to experience feelings of loneliness — important not just for the health of society, but because leading research tells us that loneliness can increase the likelihood of different dementias.”

Queen Camilla, an avid reader, highlighted the research: “Just as we always suspected, books are good for us — and now science is proving us right!”

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I recently watched an interesting video about the narratives we constantly make up in our minds about individuals and occurrences. These narratives or stories are coloured by our experiences and how we perceive these experiences. Our prejudices also have a part to play.

Imagine a scenario where you have been hospitalised and missed out on school work. When your best friend does not share her notes with you, you give her a lot of leeway. You mentally excuse her: “She is acting out of character. Must be her bad day, after all.” But when another classmate refuses to share her notes, you think: “Selfish girl! What more can you expect from her type?” You have attributed two different reasons for the same behaviour.

We tend to use a single narrative thought process. We use it even for ourselves. I am absent-minded and often misplace things. My daughter, Minal, asked me to buy her a kurta and suggested I keep the bill in case she wanted to exchange it. After my purchase, I focused and kept the bill in the carry bag. Minal wanted to exchange it, and said it was not in the carry bag with the garment. Being aware of my absent-mindedness, I emptied my purse, but there was no bill. I once again looked into the carry bag and found it.

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“Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” That’s the simple question the Elmo account, representing the popular furry red Muppet from Sesame Street, posed on X. Many users expressed feelings of dismay and sadness while others shared feelings of joy and happiness. But another feeling emerged in the replies: gratitude. “Thanks for asking,” replied one X user. “I am grateful for you, Elmo,” posted another. “Thanks for stopping by, bud,” shared another. At the time of writing this, the post has received over 20,000 replies, over 158,000 likes, and has been retweeted over 60,000 times. “Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned it is important to ask a friend how they are doing”, responded the Elmo account.

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Mental health problems exist in our lives, families, workplaces and communities, impacting everyone. We need to do as much as possible to prevent mental ill-health as individuals and as a society. We need to talk about mental health, in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if one is struggling.

Another important aspect of concern in our country is the rising rate of suicides. About 800,000 people die by suicide worldwide every year. Suicides in India rose 10 per cent from 2019 to an all-time high of 1,53,052 in the pandemic year of 2020, with student suicides seeing the highest percentage increase at 21.20 per cent, according to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In 2019, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of deaths by suicide followed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. These five states together accounted for almost half the total suicides recorded in India in that year. The male-to-female suicide ratio is around 70.2:29.8, which means that the number of men committing suicide is three times higher than that of women.

Factors contributing to suicide in India in 2020

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Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)

The Fear of Missing Out or FOMO refers to the feeling or perception that others are having more fun, living better lives or experiencing better things than you are. It involves a deep sense of envy and affects self-esteem. It’s not just the sense that there might be better things that you could be doing at this moment, but it is the feeling that you are missing out on something fundamentally important that others are experiencing right now. It is becoming increasingly common, in part thanks to social media, and can cause significant stress in your life. It can affect just about anyone, but some people are at greater risk of FOMO.

Social media creates a platform for bragging; it is where things, events, and even happiness itself seem to be in competition at times. People are comparing their best, picture-perfect experiences, which may lead you to wonder what you are lacking.

These are a few terms related to FOMO:
FOBO (Fear Of Better Options): This refers to the fear that you are missing out on potentially better alternatives.
MOMO (Mystery Of Missing Out): This refers to the fear that you are missing out but not having any clue about what you’re missing out on.
ROMO (Reality Of Missing Out): This refers to knowing that you aren’t missing out on anything.
FOJI (Fear Of Joining In): The fear of sharing things on social media but not garnering any response.

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Mental health is a neglected issue with most people. Physical health has always been the focus as people walk, jog, go to the gym and exercise, but often neglect the mind and emotions. People rarely visit a mental health professional when they are stressed and often wait for the situation to worsen before they decide to meet someone for help.

Let’s look at some ways to keep ourselves mentally healthy in 2023.

Track gratitude and achievement with a journal.

Write down three things you were grateful for and three things you were able to accomplish each day along with people that made you happy and smile. Keep reviewing this journal monthly so that you have an idea of all the good things that happened.

Start your day with a cup of coffee.

But don’t overdo it. Coffee consumption is linked to lower rates of depression. If caffeine does not suit you, green tea also works.

Set up a getaway or small holiday trip or road trip from time to time.

The act of planning a vacation and having something to look forward to can boost your overall happiness for up to eight weeks as per studies.

Work on your strengths.

Do something you’re good at to build self-confidence; then tackle a tougher task. Make a list of all the work to be done and keep ticking it off so you know how much you have finished.

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Have you ever considered the fact that the most powerful tool you possess is your mind which determines your success or failure? Only you can access your mind, and use it whatever way you want. You are the master of your mind. It can assist you to reach incredible heights. The situation you’re facing today can be made different and better tomorrow if you but make up your mind.

The way your mind works matters more than anything else in your life. Your mind causes good or bad things in your life depending on the kind of mind you have. From a positive mind will issue good things such as good relationships, opportunities and accomplishments in your life. On the other hand, a negative mind produces negative things such as bad company, frustrations and obstacles. But if you believe and keep saying that you can’t achieve something then you’re most unlikely to achieve it.

When Arunima Sinha was on her way to Delhi from Lucknow she met with a tragedy. She was pushed out of the running train when she resisted some robbers who tried to snatch her gold chain. She lost her left leg as the train ran over it. During her hospitalization she made up her mind that, with her amputated leg, she would one day climb Mount Everest. The rest is history. On 21 May 2013, at the age of 23, Arunima became the first amputee ever to conquer the summit of Mount Everest! Before she could physically scale the Everest peak, she had already scaled the Everest of her mind while lying in her hospital bed.

Your future is replete with innumerable possibilities. First set your goal in your mind and then work towards turning it into reality. Believe in your power to sculpt your future. Take some time to think about how you can channel your mind, where you focus it. If you concentrate on your problems, those problems will grow. If you focus your mind on possibilities, if you put it on your potential, you can get your mind to work it all out in your favour. If you can visualise your dream in your mind, and if you can believe in it with your heart and have the courage to articulate it, then you can translate it into reality.

This issue of The Teenager Today features articles that will help you take charge of your mind and work towards achieving your goals in life.

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The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year. The theme of 2022’s World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health is “Make Mental Health and Well-Being for All a Global Priority”.

World Mental Health Day was celebrated for the first time on 10 October 1992 at the initiative of Deputy Secretary General Richard Hunter. Up until 1994, this day had no specific theme other than generally promoting mental health advocacy and educating the public.

Mental health is defined as a state of emotional, psychological and social well-being. To be in prime mental health means being able to work productively, maintain healthy relationships, navigate stress, bounce back from adversity, contribute to society and realize your own potential.

1. Take care of your body

Physical well-being contributes to mental well-being. Eat balanced, nutritious meals, stay hydrated, and avoid vices such as smoking and alcohol. Physical exercise can be especially helpful for boosting mental health as it’s been proven to lift moods and decrease depression and anxiety.

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The sense of smell is a remarkable gift to human beings. Various aromas affect our emotions, evoke memories, unleash desires, and can help us feel calm, comfortable and safe. Aromatherapy is a natural way to excite our sense of smell and to improve our psychological well-being. For example, the smell of lavender can be calming to the nerves, and peppermint can stimulate the mind and boost energy levels.

The practice of aromatherapy dates back as far as 4000 BC, when the ancient Egyptians produced medicine, embalming agents, perfumes and cosmetics with the use of scented oils. Chinese, Indian, Greek and Roman civilizations also made use of scented oils in therapeutic, spiritual, hygienic and ritualistic activities. In the 5th century BC, the Greek physician Hippocrates taught and promoted the health benefits of aromatic oils.

For thousands of years, we have utilized herbs for their medicinal and aromatic properties; perfumes being important in ritual life, incense being burned in temples and used for purification, for example, the symbolism of fragrance being a powerful religious tool.

Essential oils extracted from aromatic plants can be used in our everyday lives so that we may benefit from the properties of certain plants. Aromatherapy can be used to treat mental health-related symptoms such as anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia as well as migraine and anger.

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