A LETTER TO PARENTS BEFORE EXAMS

 

Dear Parents,

The exams of your children are to start soon. I know you are all really anxious for your child to do well.

But, please do remember, among est the students who will be sitting for the exams there is an artist, who doesn’t need to understand Mathematics. There is an entrepreneur, who doesn’t care about History or English Literature. There is Musician, whose Chemistry marks won’t matter, there’s an Athlete whose physical fitness is more important than Physics. If your child does get top marks, that’s great! But if he or she doesn’t, Please don’t take away their self confidence and dignity from them. Tell then its OK, it’s just an exam! They are cut out for much bigger things in life. Tell them, no matter what they score, you love them and will not judge them.

Please do this, and when you do, watch your children conquer the world. One exam or a low mark won’t take away their dreams and talent. And please, do not think that doctors and engineers are the only happy people in the world.

 With Warm Regards

Maninder Pal Singh

WHY MEAL TIMINGS are as important as the food you eat

 

If you have believed that the only two parameters to good health is a balanced diet and workout routine, think again. There is another important factor that often goes unnoticed. Yes, we are talking about meal timings. Our body requires discipline to be healthy, and the time interval at which you have your meal, are as important as the food you eat. Here are three reasons why meal timings are important:

·       IT REGULATES OUR BODY CYCLE- Right nutrients, good sleep cycle, and disciplined meal timings are all the forces that are in our control and we must make sure to maintain them. It’s through these habits that the body gets used to a cyclic rhythm. Thus, its very important to be disciplined with all your meals timings, in order to maintain that rhythm of the body.

·   BOOST METABOLISM- The time at which you eat your food also determines your metabolism. When we get up in the morning, our metabolism is at its highest. If you do not fuel your body at this time, your body at this time, your body will not be able to sustain the metabolic rate. As the day passes, your metabolism slows down. Thus, it is important to have your dinner latest by 8 pm for easy digestion.

·       HELPS IN DETOXIFICATION OF THE BODY- Your body receives a lot of things when you eat food. Detoxification is done by the liver and is important activity. Your meal timings can impact this activity. When you eat a meal at 10 pm, or later than that or close to your bedtime, it puts pressure on your body, as the liver does the detoxification process, when you sleep. Thus, in order to not disturb the detoxification process, you should eat your dinner on time.

IDEAL GAP BETWEEN THREE MEELS- Your body takes 3-4 hours to digest a meal properly. Thus, the gap between two meals should not be more than four hours. A gap longer than this can lead to acidity. You must eat snacks and fruits in between the meal. You should have at least two snacks between your breakfast, lunch and dinner.

THREE WAYS TO GET A NEW HOBBY

 

Hobbies are simply anything you do that’s for fun. You aren’t getting paid to do it. It’s something you like to do with your free time that helps you decompress and connect with other people.

·   ENJOY SOMETHING? TRANSFORM THAT INTO A HOBBY: even if you don’t have something that you can call a hobby, there’s definitely some activity that you enjoy. There are chances that this can be converted into a hobby! According to an expert even things like ‘eating’ and ‘watching sports’ could easily be turned into hobbies such as ‘taking classes’ or ‘joining softball team.’

·    GO BACK TO YOUR CHILDHOOD INTERESTS: Think about the hobbies you used to enjoy before. Did you spend hours finger-painting master-pieces to hang on the fridge? If so, you might want to explore taking an art class. Were you constantly getting dressed in costume and putting on shows for your friends? Then maybe you can check out a local acting troupe.

· TAKE AN ASSESSMENT: People tend to enjoy hobbies that appeal to their own unique strengths, interests, and personality characteristics. Start thinking on these lines.

WHY HOBBIES ARE IMPORTANT

Hobbies often provide a creative outlet that you might not get in your everyday life. They allow you to do something that’s just for you, that can help you forget your daily problems, unwind after a hard day and give you lot of pleasure. If you can find like-minded connect with them digitally. It is great way to meet new people and experience new adventures, whether that’s taking on a new hobby online or attending an e-knitting convention.

DEPRESSION

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

You must have heard the word ‘depression’ zillion times. But how much do you know about this issue? To understand depression, its symptoms and other aspects, here is a lowdown on the mental health problem that affects million across the world, including young children and teenagers. We all have experienced low phases when we have felt sad. But sadness goes away in couple of days. Depression is a form of an illness in which a person feels sad, disinterested and de-motivated longer than two weeks or more.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), depression is a kind of mood disorder which is characterized by ‘persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that you normally enjoy, accompanied by inability to carry out daily tasks and activities, for at least two weeks.

HOW CAN I KNOW IF ANY OF MY FRIENDS ARE DEPRESSED?

You will see that your friend:           

·       Looks very sad

·       He/she is not interested in watching TV or doing things which he enjoyed before

·       He/she will be at times found crying

·       The person might withdraw and may not be interested in socializing

·       At times, he/she may express death wishes

·       He/she may feel tired all the time despite little or no physical activity

IS DEPRESSION TREATABLE?

Yes, depression is treatable. If the affected person is brought to a mental health professional at the earliest, he/she will be treated with counseling or medication, if needed. Not all cases require medication- some can be managed with healthy changes in life style and regular counseling.

HOW CAN I HELP MY DEPRESSED FRIEND?

·       Be kind and supportive to your classmate/friend

·       Encourage him/her gently to take part in various extra-curricular activities in school

·       Help him/her to follow up with a doctor or counselor

·       Help him/her find solutions to his/her problems

·       Try to be non-judgmental and listen to the person to make him feel supported and cared for

·       Don’t alienate the person in parties, events, get-together

·       Get support from an elder who can be around your friend