Navigating Adolescence Turmoil: Mental Health Session held at JKPS Kunjwani

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: JKPS Kunjwani recognizes the critical importance of understanding and addressing adolescent mental health and aims to equip the students with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate their formative years with resilience and confidence. In an attempt to curb stress and anxiety among students, JK Public School conducted a session on the topic “Adolescent mental health challenges and their management.
Dr. Piyali Arora, Associate Professor in Psychology with extensive experience in adolescent psychology and mental health was the resource person for the session. She apprised the students that Adolescence is a period of significant physical, emotional, and cognitive development.
Mental health challenges during this time can impact overall growth and long-term well-being. It has a great impact on academic performance as mental health issues can affect concentration, motivation, and performance in school, potentially leading to academic struggles and future challenges.
Her session primarily focused on understanding the common mental health challenges faced by adolescents, exploring the underlying factors contributing to these challenges and discussing practical strategies for managing mental health and promoting well-being.
She stressed upon the fact that mental health issues can impact their ability to interact with peers, leading to social isolation or conflict. Untreated mental health issues in adolescence can lead to chronic conditions in adulthood, including depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse.
The resource person enlightened the students about anger management, Addiction of Drugs or games. She discussed how the action games being played by the teens activates the dopamine, the brain reward system making the person more addicted to such games.
Adolescent mental health affects not only the individual but also their families and communities, influencing dynamics, support systems, and overall community health.
Furthermore, she said that by prioritizing adolescent mental health, we can support young people in navigating this critical phase of their lives, setting the stage for healthier futures.
During her talk, she stated that managing stress and anxiety is very much essential to elevate the learning experience of every student in the nation. Post the coronavirus outbreak, students in India have been exposed to a different learning experience.
During the session, Dr. Piyali stated that stress is a part of everyone’s life. However, she made it clear that combating this inevitable stress effectively is very much necessary to lead a successful life. Students should try to reduce dysfunctional stress effectively and should try to use stress in a productive way. Students should find ways to deal effectively with stress.
During the talk, the resource person also talked about the vitality of scheduling activities based on priorities to stay away from stress. According to her, self-discipline is very much important for a student and completing tasks one by one based on priority could help to reduce the stress level in a very effective manner.
She also suggested some of the activities which can be followed by students to combat stress effectively. It is very much necessary to engage in non-competitive physical exercises that include aerobics and walking. Students can also adopt techniques like meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and deep breathing.
It is not great to spend hours in front of your book or computer learning things. Instead, students should find time to take breaks, so that their anxious brain will get sufficient relaxation. It is also necessary to eat healthy,” added Dr. Piyali.
The session was attended by more than 200 participants from Grade IX to XII. During the session, large numbers of queries from the students were addressed by the resource person.
In the end Shashi Choudhary, Director JK Educational Society felicitated the resource person with a memento as a token of appreciation.