by Brother Jittin Mathew and Meena Kini
MUMBAI, AUGUST 25, 2018: Eighty students from standard seven to ten from various city-based NGO's including Bosco Boys' Home (BBH) Borivli, attended a stress-management workshop organised by NGO Prerana on August 23, in Mumbai.
Twelve boys from BBH were present along with staff member, Meena Kini, counsellor for the boys and a clinical psychologist. The sessions was divided into three parts namely: gender roles, meditation and relaxation, and study techniques.
The first segment on gender roles was conducted by Jyoti. She discussed the roles that males and females occupied in society. The students participated actively with their ideas and opinions. She talked about the need to change misconceptions regarding women's roles, and that both genders needed to share and take joint responsibility for their families and children.
The next segment on meditation and relaxation was conducted by Rehan. He discussed the need for reducing tension; and included meditation and visual imagery to enable students to manage their stress.
Sandeep conducted the afternoon session. He discussed various aspects of studies and how they could lead to stress, anxiety and fear. He utilised many examples to highlight the difficulties faced while studying. He stressed on the need for time management and a daily timetable to avoid stress.
Stress produces numerous physical and mental symptoms which vary according to each individual's situational factors. These can include physical health decline as well as depression. The process of stress management is named as one of the keys to a happy and successful life in modern society.
Stress is particularly found in boys of class 10 during board exams, while making career choices, and dealing with responsibility. Out of the 12 boys who attended the sessions, ten were from standard 10 and two from standard 9.
Students found the sessions helpful in understanding how they could score marks and perform well in their exams. They also learned what mistakes to avoid while writing exam papers. They were taught how to cope with exam pressure, using various tactics and simple measures.
"When I am stressed, I will take some time out and try to relax myself by meditating," Raja, a youth attending the programme, said. "These sessions really helped the boys to know that to have stress is normal and there is a way to manage stress. I thank the staff of NGO Prerana who organised this programme so beautifully and meticulously with the help of well qualified professionals, " Meena Kini, the counsellor, said.