Mature communication is a fundamental building block of society, as it helps us to function effectively. In order to address conflict in society, the late Dr Marshal Rosenberg, an American psychologist, wrote a book called Nonviolent Communication – A Language of Life. Dr Rosenberg believed that human beings are, at their core, empathetic and compassionate. A mature, non-judgemental, non-violent reaction to hurtful situations is a choice we make and can be learnt at any time.

Conflict is a part of our daily lives. It could be because of irrational learnt beliefs and prejudices, negative emotions, misunderstandings, or lack of concern for others. Today, cutthroat competition is lauded by the media and influencers. This constant quest for being ‘first’ results in conflict when our needs are unmet. Living on the edge brings unhappiness, destroys human relationships and results in various psychosomatic sicknesses. For instance, a gossip is impinging on the rights of others by spreading canards. Some communicate through criticism, bullying, aggression and sarcasm.

Irrational Culturally Learnt Beliefs and Prejudices: “As the head of this family, my daughter must be married off early. A woman’s place is in the house. What does she need an education for?” Prejudice colours a person’s thinking, and he will defend a lie.

Negative Emotions: A person feels worthless, perhaps due to mental and physical abuse during his/her early days. Consequently, the person is aggressive in communicating with others.

Get the digital edition of the September 2024 issue to read the full article.

The post Non-Violent Communication: How to Cope with Conflict Situations appeared first on The Teenager Today.

In the world we live in, it’s easy to get caught up in the past, dwelling on missed opportunities, regrets and failures. However, living in the present is essential for personal growth, happiness and overall well-being. 

Here are 10 practical tips to help you live more fully in the present:

1. Acceptance
Begin by accepting that the past is gone and cannot be changed. Embrace the lessons it has taught you and use that knowledge to fuel your growth.

2. Practise Mindfulness
Cultivate mindfulness by bringing your awareness to the present moment. Practise meditation and pranayama to help you focus on your breath and the sensations in your body.

3. Be Grateful
Focus on the positives in your life by practising gratitude. Acknowledge the blessings you have received and the progress you’ve made.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today digital edition to read the full article.

The post Embrace the Present appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Deadlines looming, tasks piling up, and that sneaky little voice inside our heads telling us, “Maybe tomorrow?” It’s called procrastination, and guess what? It’s totally normal! Before you label yourself as lazy or unmotivated, let’s dive into what’s really going on behind the scenes.

First off, procrastination isn’t a synonym for laziness. In fact, it’s your brain’s way of dealing with tasks it finds uncomfortable or challenging. Yep, that’s right – your brain is trying to protect you from the perceived stress or discomfort associated with certain activities.

Modern psychology helps us understand that procrastination is often linked to our brain’s struggle with instant gratification. Our minds prefer short-term rewards, like scrolling through social media or watching funny cat videos, over the delayed satisfaction of completing a more challenging task.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today digital edition to read the full article.

The post Dodging Deadlines appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. While it may sound like an exaggerated quote and lacks scientific validity, it helps to convey a very powerful idea that the people we surround ourselves with greatly influence our thoughts, behaviours, and ultimately shape who we become. Look at your closest friends and family who have made substantial contributions in shaping you. In some cases, you accomplished much more than you thought you were capable of because of their timely intervention. With a genuine desire that you shouldn’t fail in life, your closest friends and family didn’t allow you to follow your dream and they coerced you to follow easier goals. They do it out of love and concern for you and your dreams, aspirations and ambitions would never be accomplished because you were not allowed to pursue it for fear of failure.

As you begin this wonderful academic year, you may want to do some introspection and identify those people who have influence on you. Do they uplift and inspire you or do they bring you down? Have they limited you in some way? Or have they kept you in your comfort zone? When you look back you will know how strong was their influence on you and how your life has been shaped by their influence. Maybe it is a good time to make a resolution to associate more with people who will uplift and help you reach your fullest potential and make you the best version of you. And when you give more time to such people in your life, you’ll find that the negative people will have no more influence on you. Your decisions to say ‘No’ to gossiping, bunking classes, getting into infatuations, fights, quarrels, drugs and overuse of social media will distance you from such negative people. If you associate yourself with such friends, it’s likely that you will inherit such habits.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Surround Yourself with Positive People appeared first on The Teenager Today.

People in Japan are fond of keeping plants in their houses. As houses in Japan are relatively smaller, they have developed bonsai plants — miniatures of large plants. In fact, bonsai plants look like dwarfed copies of real plants. Cutting and trimming the plant roots produces these plants.

The bonsai experiment has been carried out on crocodiles. Crocodiles hatched from two eggs from the same parents, possessing the same genes, were subjected to different environments in which to grow. One was kept confined to a small tank and the other was left free to grow in a large lake. Over time, the crocodile in the lake grew to be a healthy, giant crocodile and the one in the tank had a comparatively dwarfed growth.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Don’t be a a Bonsai Person appeared first on The Teenager Today.

“The best is yet to come” — a phrase that resonates with hope and the anticipation of a future filled with possibilities. It is not just an optimistic outlook; it is a challenge to elevate our past successes to new heights.

Celebrating Past Victories as Foundations for Future Triumphs

Our past achievements are significant milestones, marking the path we’ve travelled. They are not mere endpoints but the bedrock for our future aspirations. Each success, regardless of size, is a testament to our potential and a stepping stone towards grander victories. They beckon us to dream more ambitiously, aim higher, and achieve more.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post The Best Is Yet To Come: A Journey from Success to Greatness appeared first on The Teenager Today.

There’s a magical time in the morning, as the sun rises and the world wakes up, where simple acts of stopping and greeting people, exchanging pleasantries, cracking jokes, smiling, and clapping hands during a morning walk can make a world of difference. This may seem small, but it has the power to uplift spirits and create a sense of enthusiasm that can carry through the entire day.

When we take the time to stop and connect with those around us, it fosters a sense of community and belonging. It’s a reminder that we’re not alone and that the world is filled with a multitude of diverse and interesting individuals. Each interaction adds a spark of positivity to our day, and these little moments of connection can have a tremendous impact on our overall well-being.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Morning Walks appeared first on The Teenager Today.

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.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Change the Narratives in Your Mind appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Let’s assume you are the kind of person who is unable to find someone of your age who matches your interests and tastes. You feel lonely and want some company. So, you decide to follow people of your age in every way. You sing, dance, draw or attend parties with people, thinking they will like you in turn and befriend you. Whether it’s really the thing YOU want to do doesn’t bother you because you want to combat the insecurity of loneliness. And in that pursuit, you lose your sense of who you are and what matters to you. You are blindly aping your peers to gain their friendship.

Sometimes, you dismiss your preference and adopt a new one. Take, for example, dressing; you shun your style and begin to dress like your peers for want of socialising. At first, you might feel happy being accepted or befriended, but it becomes an obsession over time. Before you go out every time, you will begin to feel the need to choose the outfit that’s acceptable to your peers or makes you look like ‘one with them’. Without realising it, you will slowly be eroding your identity.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Don’t be a Blind Ape for Friendship’s Sake! appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Wikipedia defines gaslighting as “a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or group covertly sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their memory, perception or judgment.” Narcissists resort to gaslighting as they crave to be the centre of attention. Also, those with low self-esteem resort to this manipulation so that they may appear superior in comparison to their victim.

What are the different forms of gaslighting you should guard yourself against?

Minimizing Your Feelings: The manipulator makes remarks like, “Don’t be a drama queen!”, “You are being hypersensitive and making a mountain out of a molehill.”, “Big boys don’t cry.” This results in you being ashamed of your feelings and bottling them up. What may seem a trivial occurrence to one person is not so for another.

Minimizing Your Achievements: When an individual feels intimidated by the achievements of someone else, he or she may resort to this method of bringing down the ego of the victim.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Are You A Victim of Gaslighting? appeared first on The Teenager Today.