It was heartening to see that this issue finally found first page mention; what was also commendable is the effort to collate statistics on the youngsters’ state of mind pre-exam and the acknowledgment that ‘exam-fever’ is indeed a reality.

While the effort must be lauded, it needs tackling at the very root.  » Continue reading “2 Feb 12, Thursday: the Times of India, pages 1 & 7, “before exams, city kids most stressed in India””

Background

Because of the quick development and widespread use of mobile phones, and their vast effect on communication and interactions, it is important to study possible negative health effects of mobile phone exposure. The overall aim of this study was to investigate whether there are associations between psychosocial aspects of mobile phone use and mental health symptoms in a prospective cohort of young adults. » Continue reading “Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults – a prospective cohort study”

At first read, this piece was hilarious but if you stop by and think at what’s really happening, it’s melancholic!  My husband thinks I am too much of an idealist and there is no such thing as ‘balance’ in life. (I wasn’t even getting into the gender-angle of this article, which would require a thesisJ)

China’s tremendous financial growth and prosperity would obviously come at a price. But this – ‘hiring’ partners (‘especially’) during holiday season to please your parents is in my opinion, is plain alarming. » Continue reading “29 Jan 12, Sunday: Mumbai Mirror, page 18, “In China: Rent a girlfriend to please family””

April 29, 2011: New findings, by the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, were issued to kick off a month of national activity aimed at raising awareness of childrens’ mental health. With about 15% of high school students in the United States reporting they have seriously contemplated suicide in the past year, many of those efforts are geared toward identifying those at risk and intervening early to prevent self-harm. » Continue reading “Depressed teens mostly struggle alone”

In an article a developmental psychologist cited a mountain of evidence showing that IQ was one of the most significant predictors of emotional resiliency in children. The same pattern has also long been seen in the military, where it has been conclusively shown that higher-IQ soldiers show fewer signs of long-term post-traumatic stress.

Why would cognitive ability predict emotional hardiness? In truth, it doesn’t. But the tests that measure cognitive ability do. When you tell people they have 12 minutes to show whether they are smart or dumb, the ability to stay calm and focused under duress has a huge impact on the scores. » Continue reading “How Stress Can Improve Your Performance”

According to an Endocrine Society press release, there New Research indicates shift work, defined as work performed primarily outside standard working hours, at a young age is associated with elevated long-term cortisol levels and increased body mass index.

Previous studies have shown that long-term elevated cortisol levels lead to increased abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular risk. » Continue reading “Stress Hormones May Increase Cardiovascular Risks for Shift Workers”

One of the most stressful experiences an individual can undergo is being informed that he/she is no longer employed.

For those who’ve been through this, now is not the time to take a vacation. However, it’s good to take a ‘cooling off’ period to regroup and chart your plans for the ensuing job search. The immediate priority is to deal with the aftershock. Be careful about what you say or do or you may seriously damage your prospects for reemployment later on.

Things To Do Are: » Continue reading “Job Hunt: How to cope with the stress of unemployment”

There are many stressful undergraduate experiences; if a tour is taken in any campus library during exams it is enough to set nerves on edge. Under-eye bags are very common on campus. Many students constantly complain about the work overload – as reported to be seen in Columbia University. » Continue reading “How to Be Stress Free and Successful in College”

Times of India 11^th Nov 2010 carried a news item “All four accused held guilty of ragging Aman Kachroo to death” and went on “A sessions court today convicted four medical students accused of ragging their junior Aman Kachroo to death in Himachal Pradesh last year”.

Ragging – is just a word to those who have not experienced it and hence all of us will not fathom the grief of Mr Rajendra Kachroo, father of Aman, when he expresses his disappointment on the quantum of punishment.

Let us try and understand what Ragging is like?

» Continue reading “Times of India 11th Nov 2010 carried a news item “All four accused held guilty of ragging Aman Kachroo to death.””

We human beings have this innate tendency to categorise; we swear by our generalisations – this is perhaps where our deep-rooted and often unfounded views on communities, people and places originated.

Sadly so, because if there is one truth, it is that people cannot be categorised; agreed that our culture and experiences mould who we are as people but generalisations take away from us a vast, second-to-none chance of discovering people and cultures. » Continue reading “16 Feb 10, Tuesday: The UTV Bindaas full-page print ad. Bombay Times, Tuesday, 15 Feb 10, last page.”