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.

Life as we know has been altered with the fast-paced environment around us. And as we learn to grow and adapt to the changing demands, there is a heavy focus on achieving excellence. However, the bid to excel often puts emotional well-being in the back seat. A person’s ability to understand, comprehend and deal with their emotions shapes their personality significantly.

Studies have shown that the lack of ability to understand a situation can directly affect or hamper one’s growth. Identifying and communicating is an integral part of development. The human mind and its reactions have always intrigued me, captured my curiosity and has been a starting point of many of my explorations. As a student of psychology, I plan to dig deeper into such pursuits in a more structured format.

Growing up, I realised that teenagers, including me, find it very difficult to identify and express what we feel in a healthy manner, which is why I understand the importance of being able to talk about your emotions openly from a young age as it translates into a future ability to do the same. Middle school is perhaps the most eventful time as a child as it sets the tone for adult relationships. A child during this phase of life goes through a lot of emotions, and I wish I had better tools to help and understand what I felt. This is the time when one is no longer a toddler and has to navigate relationships and feelings independently. Social dynamics get more complicated and you start having stronger feelings, reactions and opinions.

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

The post 3 Steps Towards More Meaningful Conversations To Encourage Emotional Intelligence appeared first on The Teenager Today.

As I open my eyes to the gentle rays streaming into my room, I am excited. The solitude and quiet of the early morning hours allows me to appreciate that I am alive, I have a new day with immense joy and opportunity ahead of me. A wave of peace rushes over me followed by a thought: How could I extrapolate that peaceful feeling to those around me — to my family, my neighbours, my community, my country and my planet? It’s not that difficult to do things a little differently.

Come to think of it, human beings have been able to avoid extinction because we can change. Change is the only constant. Adaptability is what we have in abundance. A sense of hope fills me as I envision a peaceful world, one that is accepting. A world where judgement is left in courtrooms where opinions are not impulsive and latitude for expression is gracefully given. A world which is inclusive, where differences are viewed with wonder and curiosity rather than suspicion and fear. The first step would be to cut out the noise, the verbosity, to communicate with empathy and not ego. To communicate simply without jargon and ambiguity. To communicate, to create, not to destroy.

The duality of our present is a bit perplexing. We have a million words for social media but very few for our friends. It is easier for us to make excuses rather than ask for help. We spend time on the construction of our sentences rather than thinking about the consequences they will have. In a world of emojis and short messages, we have clearly lost sight of the longer story.

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

The post Create A New Tomorrow appeared first on The Teenager Today.