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How to choose right preschool for your child? #AllAboutPreschools #MyFriendAlexa

Hi Everyone,

This is my third post for #MyFriendAlexa. You can read my previous posts here

What is Early Childhood Education?

Importance of Early Childhood Education

THE BEST PRESCHOOL IS THE PRESCHOOL THAT IS BEST FOR YOUR CHILD

How do you know? Start with what you know about your child. Does he thrive on playing with other children? Is she more likely to need the attention of an adult? How do you want your culture and traditions supported? Does your child have special needs? You know better than anyone where your child is most likely to thrive.

With over thousands of preschool partners across country, the Preschool Program offers lots of choices. These choices range from family childcare homes and centre-based programs to classes in public schools. But regardless of the exact setting or type of program, all preschool partners should be licensed and undergone a rigorous quality rating process.

5 STEPS TO CHOOSE THE BEST PRESCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILD

Schedule a visit with your child so you can see how your child feels in the preschool and how staff relates to your child. Remember first impression matters when you walk in the preschool with your child.

  1. Is your first impression positive?
  2. Watch your child’s response. Did adults acknowledge your child or just focus on other adults?
  3. Observe how teachers interact with children. Are they at children’s eye level when they talk to them? Do they appear responsive to individual children by listening closely, asking questions and using positive language?
  4. It is important that your child’s classroom has a variety of learning materials, toys and equipments. Are there places for quite time and an area for dramatic play?
  5. Does the classroom seem clean and safe with enough adults to supervise children? As child’s safely is of utmost importance.

ASK QUESTIONS

  • What is the school’s philosophy about how children learn?
  • What is the school’s approach to children’s behaviour and discipline?
  • How do activities promote social, emotional and intellectual growth and stimulate creativity?
  • Is there space and materials to promote a wide range of development activities from holding a pencil or cup to running and jumping?
  • Walk around the room and ask the teacher what the child is learning from the different activity centers.
  • Since no two children are at the same stage of development, how does the teacher support individual children in their learning?
  • Do children have their own place to keep their special things?
  • What is the daily schedule? Do the preschool offer activities your child would like to participate in and is there time for your child to explore?
  • How does the school communicate with families and how often?
  • Can you visit the classroom at any time?
  • Ask to talk to parents who have a child in the school.

It is important that when considering an early education facility, caregivers and teachers in the facility have knowledge of the cultural support for the language and literacy learning of the children and families they are serving. They need to have sufficient skills in guiding small groups of children to give full attention to individual young children’s language and literacy efforts. They need to be able to draw out shy children while they help very talkative ones begin to listen to others as well as to speak. Caregivers or teachers need to arrange environment that are symbol rich and interesting without being overwhelming to infants and toddlers. Even the simplest exchange becomes a literacy lesson when it includes the warmth of a relationship coupled with words, their concept, and perhaps a graphic symbol.

To be effective, an early year’s curriculum needs to be carefully structured. In that structure, there should be three strands

Provision for the different starting points from which children develop learning, building on what they can already do

Relevant and appropriate content which matches the different levels of young children’s needs

Planned and purposeful activity which provides opportunities for teaching and learning both indoors and outdoors.

If your child is between the ages of three and six and attends a preschool or kindergarten program, the National Association for the Education of Young Children suggests you look for these 10 signs to make sure your child is in a good classroom.

Children spend most of their time playing and working with materials or other children. They do not wander aimlessly and they are not expected to sit quietly for long period of time.

Children have access to various activities throughout the day. Look for assorted building blocks and other construction materials, props for pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials and table toys such as matching games, pegboards, and puzzles. All the children should not necessarily be doing the same activity at the same time.

Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the say. They do not spend all their time with the whole group.

The classroom is decorated with children’s original artwork, their own writing with invented spelling, and stories dictated by children to teachers.

Children learn numbers and alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. The natural world of plants and animals and meaningful activities like cooking, taking attendance or serving snack provide the basic for learning activities.

Children work on projects and have long periods of time to play and explore. Worksheets are used little, it at all.

Children have an opportunity to play outside every day. Outdoor play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.

Teachers read books to children individually or in small groups throughout the day, not just at group story time.

Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Teachers recognize that children’s different background and experiences mean that they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way.

Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel secure about sending their children to the program. Children are happy to attend, they do not cry regularly or complain of feeling sick.

I hope all these pointers can help you select right school for your child.

I am taking my blog to another level with  Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa.

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Importance of Early Childhood Education #AllAboutPreschoolers #MyFriendAlexa

HI Everyone,

This is my second post for #MyFriendAlexa. Now you know what is Early Childhood Education. So lets move on and understand It’s Importance.

Did you know that the capacity of the brain to absorb new learning peaks at age 3? Scientists have learned that a toddler’s brain develops over one hundred trillion brain synapses. A brain synapse is the wiring between two brain cells that grasps new learning. The more the synapses, the more your brain will learn. It is during this time that the human brain has the highest potential for new learning in its lifetime. Recognizing shapes, drawing, singing and playing with toys are all examples of behaviors your child learns in the first few years of life.

By their third birthday, your child should be able to do many things, including throw a ball overhand, feed themselves, ride a tricycle, balance on one foot or copy a circle, just to name a few. And by age 4, your child will begin knowing their first and last name, following family rules, recognizing colours, eating by themselves, dressing themselves, etc.

High-quality preschools and pre-kindergartens are geared to give your child a jumpstart to learning. Most have standards in place to prepare your child for kindergarten, so that on the first day of school, your child is ready to learn.

Appropriately early childhood programs not only help your child’s brain develop in a timely fashion, but they also contribute to physical, emotional and social development. Along with school readiness, it is also important to look for key development milestones in your children.

Some Development Milestones

Age 2Age 3Age 4
Walk, jump, runTell stories with two
or three sentences		Know first and last name
Kick a ballCan name a friendCopy images
Scribble with crayonsThrow a ball overhandEat by themselves
Imitate othersCopy a circleSing a song from memory

Benefits of quality early childhood education and care:

You can place your child in childcare or kindergarten and know they are safe and well cared for, by people who have a qualification and share an understanding about what is important for your child.

Your child will have the opportunity to develop skills by playing with others and taking part in activities that build on their abilities and interests.

You will be supported in caring for your child.

You will have increased opportunities to work, attend appointments or recreational activities or have time to yourself.

The importance of the early years is now well known throughout the world. These years are a time when brain develops and much of its wiring is laid down. The experiences and relationships a child has, plus nutrition and health, can actually affects this enormously. Positive experience help the brain to develop in healthy ways. Seriously negative experiences such as neglect and abuse, on the other hand, affect brain development in more harmful ways, and contribute to emotional and behavioural problems later in life. So the experience a child has in the early years can either support learning or interfere with it.

“The brain is the only organ that is not fully formed at birth. During the first three years, trillions of connections between brain cells are being made. A child’s relationships and experiences during the early years greatly influence how their brain grows”.

Children’s development and learning can be affected by

Influence within themselves, their genetic inheritance, temperament, gender and health.

Influence within the family, family relationships, parenting styles and values, the family’s financial situation, parents’ level of education, parent’s occupation and parent’s physical and mental health.

Influence within the community, children’s services, support for parenting, housing, safety and crime in the neighborhood, unemployment levels and general feeling of trust among the residents.

Influence within their culture, with different cultures marked by differences in parenting styles, beliefs and values, and different views on how children should be educated.

Early childhood is a crucial time for children to learn because this is when they develop the foundation of their brain for learning during the rest of their lives. The things children learn during these years play a very important role in the proper development of children. Children learn by exploring their environment and watching people everyday life.

I am taking my blog to another level with Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa.

Pics courtesy : Pexel / Canva

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What is Early Childhood Education? #AllAboutPreschoolers #MyFriendAlexa

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post for #MyFrinendAlexa, and I am really excited to share my theme for the campaign, “All About Preschoolers”. Here I will be sharing all the important topics related to preschoolers from, It’s importance to how to choose the best preschool, health and hygiene and many more.

In terms of a child’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social development early childhood is considered as one of the most crucial stage of life. It is the time when children need high quality personal care and learning experience as the growth of mental and physical abilities advance at an astonishing rate and a very high proportion of learning takes place from birth to age six.

Whether anyone believes it or not, education begins from the moment the child is brought home from the hospital and continues when the child starts to attend playgroups and kindergarten. The learning capabilities of humans continue for rest of their lives but not at the intensity that is demonstrated in the preschool years. Now keeping this in mind, babies and toddlers need positive early learning experiences to help their intellectual, social and emotional development and lays the foundation for later school success.

Aids In Early Childhood Education

Parent

During the first three years parents will be the main influence in the child’s learning experience and education. Therefore, what parents do and expose their children to, have a vast impact on the development of the child.

Environment

Environment plays a very important role in child’s growth. It is essential that the environment that the child is placed in during these years be as positive and intellectually stimulating as possible.

Speech Development

Speech development is one of the first tools that a child will demonstrate. And a parent or care giver can have a vast impact on child’s speech development by the amount of time that is spent talking with and reading to a child.

Play

Most of the child development experts will agree with me that play is very important in the learning and emotional development of all children. Play is multi-faceted as while having fun, often many skills can be learned. Play helps children learn relationship and social skills and develop values and ethics. Functional play helps children to develop motor and practice skills. Water and sand play is a favourite amongst pre-schooler children and a valuable teaching tool. Constructive play is characterized by building or creating something like puzzles, building blocks, puppets and easy craft activities. Pretend play allows children to express themselves and events in their lives which in turns helps them process emotions, practice social skills, develop a rich imagination, learn values and also develop language skills.

There is a range of early childhood education and care services for young children, include license and unlicensed, center based and home-based services. Talk to individual providers to find out about how they may cater for your child. It is important to consider the full range of early education and care options available to your child.

Education and care services aim to meet the education, care and development needs of children. There are range of different models of early education and care services. Most of these services are approved to operate by the Department of Education and Communities.

Important areas of learning

Health and physical well being are the basis for all learning and development. Such areas as eating, habits, attitudes towards exercise and self care routines build from the child’s earliest experiences. One of the most important things children learn in the early years is about themselves, that is, they develop a picture of themselves that affects the way they approach any situation, task or relationship with another person. In other words, they develop a self concept. An important part of that self concept is the picture they have of themselves as learners. Is it okay to be curious, to explore, to ask questions, to tackle problems, to try to figure things out, to experiment? Is it okay to try something and fail sometimes? Being a good learner means having a go, seeing yourself as capable, and taking reasonable risk. There are many different ways to categorize learning in the early years, but whatever the categories, it is important for parents, and others who work and live with children, to keep in mind the broad range of kinds learning that are important in the early years.

  • Use of body, including hands
  • Respect for others
  • How to relate to others, both adults and other children
  • How to resolve conflict
  • Problem solving skills
  • Communication getting used to things that make people different from each other
  • Self knowledge, understanding of feelings, a sense of your own strength, talents and uniqueness
  • Confidence, a sense of belonging to family, community, culture
  • How to look after and take care of yourself
  • Last but not the least, behaving in acceptable ways and controlling your own behaviour

Early childhood education typically focuses on five domains

  • Cognitive
  • Language
  • Social-Emotional
  • Fine motor skills
  • Gross motor skills

Early childhood educators are professionally trained to observe and enhance children’s development skills and refer children appropriately for additional services when a delay is expected. However, all children do not develop at the same rate and may not complete a development task when it is scheduled to be completed. If a child is having trouble with a development task, the child’s teacher can do extra activities with that child to help the child master the development task they are struggling with. Early childhood educators are trained to know what the time frame is in which to wait before they refer a child for additional services.

Children can never be too young to educate and the younger a child begins education the better. Infant’s and toddler’s brains are rapidly growing and this age is the perfect time to begin educating their little brains.

I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s #MYFriendAlexa.

Pics Courtesy : Pexel / Canva

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Are nutrition and exercise inter-connected to strengthen your muscles?

“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” – Hippocrates

Balanced nutrients and healthy routine exercise go hand in hand just like peas and carrots. One without the other just doesn’t work. As an Image Consultant I always talk about “Image inside out”. Now what does this means? It means managing image is all about developing your inner strength and at the same time reflect them on the outside through your appearance. Similarly, if you are looking for prolonged health benefits and want your body to retain muscle strength even when you age, it is imperative to focus on both diet and exercise at the same time. Nothing exists in isolation. Everything is inter-related.

Contrary to popular belief, exercise alone will not help you with weight loss or stimulate your metabolism.  Healthy eating accounts for roughly 70-80% of the work with exercise being the rest. Too many people think that they can eat crap as long as they exercise. But it is just going to do more harm than good.

If you are looking for perfection, I am sorry to disappoint you, but no one is perfect nor should they expect to be. In life and nutrition, it’s about finding a good or right balance. Proper nutrition and right exercise will help you obtain the body you desire, improve your self- confidence and boost your fitness performance.

There is a 80/20 rule. Aim for healthy nutrition at least 80 percent of the time and exercise accounts for approximately 20 percent of the work. Try to set realistic goals, look for progress and not perfection. As far as exercise is concerned, do not force what your body can’t bare. One thing you need to remember, your metabolism decreases as you get older. So, eat mindful, build a life style which can be maintained and gives you longer, happier and healthier life.

As you age your nutritional need also alter. This is because aging leads to varity of changes in your body like, nutrients deficiencies, decreased quality of life and poor health outcome. But luckily there are things you can do to prevent all of these by taking nutrient rich food and taking the appropriate supplements for example Ensure supplements. #EnsureStrongerInsideOut.

6 Ways To Stay Strong And Healthy As You Age

Do you know that people over the age of 40 may lose up to 10 % of their muscle mass per decade? And the rate of decline may double after the age of 70. But can we do something about it? The answer is Yes! Now let’s understand How?

  • Add Movement

Engage in regular exercise, including resistance training, to maintain muscle and strength. Exercise not just keeps you fit physically but also mentally.

  • Add protein rich diet

Eat good amount of protein from lean meats, eggs and beans. Aim for 25-30 grams of protein at every meal. As we know protein is a muscle building nutrient and while aging bodies process protein less efficiently and need more of it to maintain muscle mass and strength, bone health, and other essential physiological functions.

  • Add balanced nutrients in your diet

Choose a balanced diet full of veggies, fruits, whole grains, proteins and healthy fats. It also lowers your risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.

  • Add considerate supplements to you diet

Consider adding a nutrition drink to your diet to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need as you age. But one needs to remember, they can also have unwanted side effects. Therefore it’s important to understand the supplements you are taking and why you are taking them. Talk with your doctor if you are considering taking a supplement.

  • Add regular health check up in your lifestyle

Consult your healthcare provider about nutrition, especially if you’re ill, hospitalized or recovering from surgery, to manage illness-related muscle loss. And go for regular health check-ups.

  • Add more positive people in your life

Surround yourself with positive people. When you surround yourself with positive influences, you will feel better about yourself. You’ll feel energized and motivated and in turn have longer and healthier life.

Build a lifestyle, not just a diet and treat your body as a holistic system for long term results. When these two lifestyle factors Diet and Exercise are combined, they provide holistic health.

This Post is part of Blogchatter’s Campaign #EnsureStrongerInsideOut

I have taken my test.. Have you taken yours?

Check your muscle age here https://bit.ly/MuscleAgeTest

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3 Simple Ways To Change A Habit

How are habits formed? Is there any habit which you wish to change? It is our thoughts and actions that create pathways in our brain. And as we repeat the thinking and response, so the pathways become a tarred road and in no time, highways develop, along which our response travel. This means that whenever we are required to respond to a certain type of thought or situation, our brain follow the road most travelled. And that’s how habits are formed.

Identify The Habit You Want To Change

Make a list of habits you wish to change. Find the trigger point or the cause which is leading to those habits. It might be overwhelming but you need to be focused and determined. Once you learn what prompts them, it is easier to find solution.

Follow 21/120 Rule

Any habit which you wish to change, you must train yourself to turn off the freeway and start a new path, which involves change and hard work. The trouble is that when a crisis arises, we inevitably rush back to the old familiar path or way of doing things. New Year’s Eve is the time when many of us decide to rectify certain bad habits. But how many of us really abide by them? It is said that if you can maintain a cessation of your behavior for 21 days then you are a long way down the road towards maintaining the new behavior. After 120 days you have truly turned the new path into an established road and are far less likely to revert to the old road even during the periods of stress.

But then why we find it hard to stop a bad habit? According to my observation giving up on habitual behavior is hard as we must engage voluntarily in the change, but anything which is forced upon us is easy as we have very little say in the process. Change is something that we humans are not very good with, rather we use up huge amount of energy trying to ensure that change does not happen to us. So, when we are required to change a habit, we need huge amount of determination and courage if we are to succeed.

We develop certain habits because they make us feel good. They help us ease tension and bring relief. This is not just true for good habits but bad habits too.  Someone who self-harms know it very well that what they are doing will cause a scar, but the negative implication of doing this surpassed by the emotional release. This really sounds scary and one must strive hard to change these negative habits.

Take Small Steps

Change in habit will not happen overnight. And changing something completely is also not practical. Or setting huge task like “I will stop eating chocolate” might not work as well. So, what are we supposed to do? Take baby steps which you can fulfil. For example, if you just aim not to eat chocolate for a day, then the goal would be more attainable. At the end of the day, you would feel good about yourself and resolve to continue the process for another day, and so on. After 21 days the craving would have reduced, and you could look at weekly target. Now having build up on your success and affirmed a positive sense of self, you would be ready to take up any habit which is a hinderance in your life. Once you’ve established that habit, you continue to do it for another ninety days. It is like throwing a small pebble into the pond and watching how ripples increase in size as they more outwards. One small success can lead to far bigger ones.

Once you understand the only thing which is constant in this world is change, you will dug up your fear , win over your mind and will see a ray of hope.

@ Swati Mathur

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How Inclusion Can Help In Employee Well-Being? #CauseAChatter

Mental health and diversity and inclusion are closely related. You cannot ignore the effect of racism and racial trauma on mental health at the same time the disparity in access to mental health care across various communities cannot be ignored. The inequality and lack of cultural competency in mental health treatment cannot be ignored. Employees from diverse backgrounds can face lack of representation, unconscious bias, and other stressors that impact their mental health and psychological safety at work. Nothing can be ignored as they all are deep rooted, but we do see a ray of hope.

Today the modern workplace is consists of people of different religion, ages, gender and ethnicity. And one of the reasons for this outcome is economic globalization. Many organizations have realized that diversity at workplace can bring lot of material as well as intangible benefits. However, diversity has their own challenges like discrimination, harassment. disrespect, indifferent attitude and many more which can lead to a nasty consequence. Hiring a diverse workforce is great but this is not enough if people don’t feel wanted and accepted. Diversity is one part of the equation, to balance this equation companies need to work on inclusion.

Therefore, many companies have adopted diversity and inclusion programs. Inclusion in the workplace is extremely important for any organization looking to build a strong sense of connections and belonging and an engaging culture. Inclusive workplace is where all the employees irrespective of their differences and disabilities feel welcomed and valued for their contribution.

Here we need to understand without inclusion, diversity effort will not succeed. Some of the important traits of inclusions are

Every employee should feel that they have a voice and will be heard.

Every employee should feel the sense of ownership. The feeling that you’re a part of an organization that knows and values you. 

Every employee should be given an environment for learning and development which makes them feel that companies care about their growth and aspirations.

Every employee should have access to resources which will aid them in their work.

Every employee should be provided with collaborative environment regardless of their role and department.

Ways to create inclusive culture

Firstly it is important to educate employees and leaders.

Secondly creating an environment for open communication where listening should be given priority.

Third and the most important is embracing employees to their full authentic self. As we all know we are at our best when we are our own authentic selves. Give employee freedom to explore their true potential.

Benefits of inclusive workplace

  • People are more committed towards their work.
  • People are more engaged with their work as they enjoy working.
  • People will have better wellbeing in their lives.
  • Reduction in attrition rate and people will stay with the company for a longer duration.
  • People will be more likely to recommend their company as a best working place.
  • Increase in productivity and sales.
  • Improved participation and decision making.
  • Reduce conflicts and miscommunication.
  • Brings out favorable work cultural and happy and satisfy employees.
  • Leads to increase in self- esteem and self- confidence.
  • Better ideas that leads to inflation of profits.

According to Deloitte’s article on diversity and inclusion, it states, “A growing body of research indicates that diverse and inclusive teams outperform their peers. Companies with inclusive talent practices in hiring, promotion, development, leadership, and team management generate up to 30 percent higher revenue per employee and greater profitability than their competitors. Without a strong culture of inclusion and flexibility, the team-centric model comprising diverse individuals may not perform well.”

Therefore, diversity with inclusiveness leads to positive growth not just for the employee but for the organization. It is time that each and every company should adopt this for the overall growth of our country and for better mental health of our employee.

This post is part of the Blogchatter’s #CauseAChatter campaign.

Pic Courtesy : Pexels/Google/Canva

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Reasons For Fresher’s Distress and Coping Mechanism #CauseAChatter

Today, whether you are working for a well known company or a start up or for yourself, going digital is the only way forward. Generation Y and Z consuming digital content every second of their lives ,leading India to the world’s largest internet using population. And this will witness its zenith in the coming years. Though most of us are still trying hard to adapt to this changing environment, the youth is accepting it whole heartedly. But this fast changing technology is quite overwhelming for these freshers, which leads to stress and taking our attention to the fast increasing mental health issues.

Stress is the biggest trigger factor which impacts mental and physical wellbeing. The lesser or the more managed the stress levels, the better the overall wellbeing. “It is a well-known fact that physical and mental wellbeing are correlated, and one cannot be managed at the expense of the other. 

There could be numerous reasons which can induces stress but to name a few

  • Uneasy work place : shows team politics, late working hours, not fitting in with the team’s vision, not being recognized for work, expected verses actual task etc.
  • Family Issues : shows money crunch, parents pressure for getting married, emotional instability etc.
  • Exposure to technology : leads to continuous learning, industry pressure, competition etc.

There are certain set of skills which are prerequisite to be able to sustain in the competitive market. Unfortunately I feel sorry to say that freshers lack even the basic problem solving skills.

Here are the top four , most important problems fresher’s faces that leads to increase in stress

  1. Lack of Readiness : Students when step into the corporate world expected to have certain skill sets. There is a wide range of dissatisfaction among recruiters as students lack initiative skill, being efficient and flexible, accepting protocols and procedures, basic corporate etiquettes etc. Every organization today is looking for candidates who are ready for the job or someone who is trainable. Being proactive and with right attitude can actually assist them to be more acceptable in this giant would of opportunities. Freshers need to comprehend the realities of a workplace, along with being aware of the realistic expectations around them.
  2. Lack of Application Knowledge : Today’s generation is really lucky as they have instant access to abundant information and they are very much conscious of the power it holds in this new age. Somehow all the information they possess is theoretical and is not getting channeled practically. But whom should we blame for this? Students are not to be blamed completely, the problem lies in our education system that does not have access to detailed courses and uses outdated curriculum. Due to this it becomes even more important for the companies to provide internships to freshers before hiring them. This will not only give them better clarity about job expectations but also clear their concepts about different subjects.
  3. Lack of communication Skills : As you are not working in isolation, dealing with people becomes must. And if freshers lack in expressing themselves it can hinder their growth. While some suffer from the fear of speaking in public, others lack the right way of doing so. Inadvertently, their job suffers. These skills can be worked upon, just that there has to be self motivation and desire to achieve more.
  4. High Attrition Rate : This is to do with the attitude. Students get into “get” attitude where everything has been served on the silver platter. Parents supported them financially and emotionally, college supported them with good education and industry supported them with infrastructure. But once they step into the real world they realize things are not the way they perceived and that leads to stress which they find difficult to handle and quit. Owing to a growth in the technology, freshers today have access to endless opportunities. They are more interested in higher salaries and fast-track promotion as they know there is no respite from the pressure of timelines and deliveries, wherever they go. They know they can jump around companies and get what they want. But how long they can continue like this. Here also companies come to their rescue by providing access to mentors who can administer job guidance and help them understand their role and responsibility by honing their skills, the problem can be solved to a great extent.

If freshers really want to survive in this competitive market without being stressed out they need to

  • Take ownership of their personal and professional growth
  • Bring positive change in their attitude
  • Be proactive in understanding the changing needs of the market
  • Work on upscaling skills that can aid in their success path
  • Accept the change and come out of their comfort zone
  • Ready to learn-unlearn and relearn

Remember stress itself is not negative the way we respond to it makes it negative of positive. Make sure you take it as an EU Stress which will help you to be more confident, adequate, and stimulated by the challenges you experience from the stressor.

This post is part of Blogchatter’s #CauseAChatter

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Impact of Body Image on Mental Health #CauseAChatter

Body dissatisfaction is the experience of negative thoughts and feelings about one’s body and appearance , is a powerful and consistent precursor of a whole range of unhealthy body-related behaviors. These includes : unhealthy dieting regimes and problematic eating behaviors (starving, bingeing and purging), clinical eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia), cosmetic surgery, extreme exercising and unhealthy muscle-enhancing behaviors in men and boys (such as taking steroids or other supplements ). It is also linked to depression, anxiety, sexual dissatisfaction and low self-esteem. Therefore body dissatisfaction is a significant risk for physical health, mental health, and thus well-being. Any factor, such as idealized media image, that increases body dissatisfaction is therefore an important influence on well-being.

  • I am fat
  • I am too skinny
  • I would be happy if I was taller
  • I would be happy if I was shorter
  • I would be happy if I had curly hair
  • I would be happy if I had straight hair
  • I would be happy if I was fairer
  • I would be happy if I was………A never ending list of complaints about how I look.

Do any of these statements sound familiar? Are you used to putting yourself down? If so you are not alone. However these are not thoughts which crept overnight. It has been there sub consciously and this all started slowly when you were a kid probably at a age of 2 years plus, when others have commented about you. Lots of people have trouble adjusting and this can affect their self esteem. If I say body image and self esteem are inter related, I am sure many of you will agree with me. Self-esteem is all about how much people value themselves, the pride they feel in themselves, and how worthwhile they feel. Self-esteem is important because feeling good about yourself can affect how you act. For example a person who has high self esteem will make friends easily, is more in control of his or her behavior, and will enjoy life more. As far as Body-image is concerned it is how someone feels about his or her own physical appearance. Therefore, for most people, body image can be closely linked to self-esteem. That’s because as kids develop into teens and further adults, they care more about how others see them.

There are people who look into the mirror constantly. Forget about them, if I just ask why we look in the mirror? We are all more obsessed with our appearance than we like to admit. But this is not an indication of vanity. Concern about appearance is quite normal and understandable. But drawing a line is important before it becomes an obsession.

The bias for beauty operates in almost all social situations. Most of the experiments show we react more favorably to physically attractive people. We also believe in the “what is beautiful is good” stereotype- an irrational but deep-seated belief that physically attractive people possess other desirable characteristics such as intelligence. competence, social skills, confidence, even moral virtue. (The good fairy/princess is always beautiful; the wicked stepmother is always ugly)

It is not surprising that physical attractiveness is of overwhelming importance to us. Concern with appearance is not just an aberration of modern western culture. Every period of history has had its own standards of what is and is not beautiful, and every contemporary society has its own distinctive concept of the ideal physical attributes. Advances in technology and in particular the rise of the social media have caused normal concern about how we look to become an obsessions. Thanks to media, we have becomes accustomed to extremely rigid and uniform standards of beauty.

According to my observation ,people see and react to their reflection in a mirror varies according to their age, mood, gender, eating disorder, what they been watching on TV, what magazines they read, their marital status and also what kind of childhood they had.

All research to date on body image shows that women are more critical of their appearance than men. Up to 8 out of 10 women will be dissatisfied with their reflection, and more than half may see a distorted image. On the other hand men looking in the mirror are more likely to be either pleased with what they see or indifferent. Research shows that men generally have much more positive image than women, if anything, they may tend to over-estimate their attractiveness. Some men looking in the mirror may literally not see the flaws in their appearance.

But why are women so much more critical than man?

  • Because women are judged on their appearance more than men, and standards of female beauty are considerably higher and more inflexible. Constant exposure to idealized images of female beauty on TV and magazines makes exceptional good looks seems normal and anything short of perfection seem abnormal and ugly.
  • Also, most women are trying to achieve the impossible: standards of female beauty have in fact become progressively more unrealistic during 21st century.

Female dissatisfaction with appearance begins at a very early age. and puberty only makes things worse. Boys were found to be significantly less critical, but they too do go through a short phase of relative dissatisfaction in early adolescence, but the physical changes associated with puberty soon bring them closer to the masculine ideal. There is also a possibility that if a child is teased about flaws in their appearance, their body image may have become permanently disturbed.

Most of us are aware of our society’s emphasis on the importance of appearance, and we know what the socially sanctioned standards of beauty are. But not all of us accept or internalize these standards. Strong minded individuals who reject current standards are more likely to have a positive body image. If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself the way you are. This healthy attitude allows you to explore other aspects of growing up, such as developing good friendships, growing more independent from your parents and challenging yourself physically and mentally. Developing these parts of yourself can help boost your self esteem.

7 Steps To Enhance Body-Image

Body images are not fixed. Our body experiences changes as we grow older, and each stage in our life is associated with body image maker. Building a positive body image is a lifelong process. Changing body image means more than changing our body, it means changing how we think, feel and react to our body. There are many a way to remodel the outside, however, it also requires extensive inside changes in body-image. Some steps to enhance body-image are:

  • Explore your personal body-image with its strengths and limitations
  • Confront thinking distortions related to your body
  • Challenge misleading assumptions about body appearance
  • Accept and love who you are
  • Be comfortable with your body
  • Have positive experience with your body
  • Be a friend to your body with positive affirmations

This Post is part of Blogchatter’s # CauseAChatter

Pic courtesy / Edit : pexel / canva

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Difference Between Resume Making and Resume Building

In order to understand the difference between a resume making and resume building first we need to know what Resume is:

Resume is a marketing documents which is used to make a favorable impression on the recruiter. This is the first point of contact so make sure that it is impressive and to the point. A Resume is a detailed summary of your credentials which greatly assist you in various arenas of your professional life. The sole purpose of your resume is to sell your credentials for the purpose of employment. Your Resume is to get you an interview, not a job! . An Interview call means your resume has made a favorable impression and your qualifications and experience have been found to be appropriate for the assignment. The thought of having to write a resume can be daunting for the most seasoned of players and even more in the current job market, so for fresher who wouldn’t know what to include, what to leave out and what format to followed can be a big dilemma. There are times when Resume is sent through e-mail, that’s when the need to know basics of E-mail Etiquette’s comes into picture. You can know more about resume making here.

Resume making is mainly putting your achievements on a sheet of paper. It has more to do with the structuring of your details. It can be done on a short period of time. While resume building is a continuous and a complex process which should begin very early and spread over a period of 3 to 4 years.. It is the act of visualizing the content of your resume.

So when should the task of resume building begin?

Ideally, when a student enters his/her graduation course and set her/her professional goal. The student should visualize what their resume should contain and start working towards achieving them, Let us now understand what should the resume contain and more importantly why? To answer this question, we need to think from the point of view of the interviewer. It is very common for any student to be tensed before a job interview. It is because, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the type of questions that he/she might have to face in the interview. It is possible for a student to exercise control over the type of question they might have to face, at least to a certain extent. Yes that true but this can only happen when they start focusing on resume building.

Now this can happen if your resume has all these content:

  • Internships : Where a student will have a short term work experience in any company to get some entry level exposure to a particular industry or field. It is as much as learning experience as it is work. Here students spend their time on specific project of their interest, learning about the field, networking and developing hard and soft skills.
  • Workshops : This is where a teaching staff presents theme or concepts or the development of a skill related to the course of the study. Workshops gives more hands on learning however also allow more discussion, debate, interaction and presentation on a given topic.
  • Seminars: It is an important part of an academic program where a group of advanced students studying under a professor with each doing original research and all exchanging results through reports and discussions.
  • Project : This is nothing but a learning by doing. Students needs to do many mini projects and major project in their final here. This will give them exposure and deeper understanding of the concepts . A project is a chance to immerse yourself in a more ‘active learning’ experience. It will include activities such as planning, researching, creating, thinking critically, building, testing, and reporting.
  • Self Study: Using self-study, students are able to go beyond simply learning what their class textbooks and instructors teach them. By practicing self-study, they are encouraged to further explore topics they are interested in, developing stronger study skills as a result.
  • Paper presentation: Paper presentation is a technical event which is an individual competition where each participant is required to make a paper about a given topic or area, and then present it in front of the juries. It involves extensive research and originality.
  • Proactive technical orientation: The Technological  Orientation scale measures the tendency or habit of seeking to increase one’s repertoire of skills and uses of technology-based resources and programs; toward valuing the Internet and other technological means of accessing credible sources of information or researching a problem; toward being interested in staying current and learning about new technologies.

You are literally telling the Interviewer the areas to ask you questions from. Isn’t this better than having theoretical knowledge and being scared of the interview? When the questions are from your area of interest , your experience and efforts, should you be worry about technical excellence, inferiority complex. going blank or low confidence? Resume building helps you to build confidence and that lead to success. As the saying goes ” Failing to plan is equal to planning to fail”.

If a student understand the basic difference between resume making and resume building , he not only become successful and confident but will be prepared to face any tough situations with ease.

@SwatiMathur

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What IS OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)? And Ways To Deal With It

People suffering from OCD are not many, In fact only about 3% of adults have it and it is even less common in children. People generally mistake habits with OCD. However, there is a grey area between habits that we may have and OCD. For example, we may drive to work a certain way for the benefit of passing a favorite site , here we do not feel compelled to do so from a belief, but if we were to feel compelled to drive a certain route because not doing so would result in a car crash, such behavior could then be said to be OCD.

To come to any conclusion it is imperative to understand : What is an obsession?

As obsession is a thought which is recurrent and persistent or something which is inappropriate and unwanted. Now when the obsession continuous without showing any apparent cause, makes you distressed and make your life difficult, that is when intervention is needed. With obsession it is an image or thought that stuck with you and will only go away when you follow some other specific action and compulsion. In OCD, often the person will be aware that the original trigger for the action or compulsion, is simply a creation of their own mind, in spite of that they cannot get rid of these thoughts and images.

Now lets understand: What is a Compulsion?

It is nothing but a reaction to the obsession and must be adhered to rigidly, failure to do so will result in a major disaster. If someone suffering from OCD force herself/himself not to follow the compulsion may result in a huge increase in stress which can be released only by performing the compulsion. They have a feeling , by performing the compulsion repeatedly , they can actually get rid of their obsession. The sufferer knows it very well that performing these compulsion is illogical but as it worked at reducing the fear and tension in the past, they are compelled to repeat.

Are there any specific types of OCD?

Well, there are infinite types of OCD, it can impact on any thought, on any subject, on any person, on any fear, and frequently fixates on what’s important in a person’s life. Some of the known OCD’s are

  • Contamination: a fear of things that might be dirty or a compulsion to clean
  • Rumination : causes a person to spend an inordinate amount of time worrying, figuring out, trying to understand, analyzing or clarifying thoughts
  • Intrusive thoughts: are usually disturbing and the person often tries to resist them
  • Mental Contamination: Having a feeling of unwanted, being treated unfairly or feeling like you’ve been treated like a dirt.
  • Checking : Confirming if things are done in right way for example, checking up of locks, alarm systems, ovens, or light switches etc.
  • Symmetry or arranging : Wants things to be lined up in certain way.

Why people don’t open up and share their problems especially if it is related to mental health?

  • Fear of being judged : One of the most common cause is fear and being misjudged. The reason could be that people recognize the negative sigma and discrimination associated with it and don’t want to be labeled as “crazy” or, “mentally ill”.
  • Lack of awareness : A person my acknowledge that something is not normal but may not understand the real cause or consequences of it.
  • Fear of hurting people they love : Their is a sense of hopelessness. They feel they might hurt their near and dear once as this is considered as a taboo in the society and people might isolate them and their family.
  • Lack of understanding from others – It is very difficult to deal with someone with OCD as they don’t want to be treated differently. They don’t trust people as they feel no one will understand them.
  • Distrust : Not everyone is comfortable sharing and when something is related to as delicate as mental health people become more conscious. They worry that their personal information won’t be kept confidential.
  • Feeling of inadequacy ; Many people believe that they are inadequate or a failure if they won’t be able to handle this on their own.
  • Other Barriers : these barriers are more practical like inability to pay for treatment due to financial hardship or lack of health insurance. Not having reliable transportation, child care issues and appointments for treatment that conflict with work or school schedules can also prevent someone from engaging in treatment.

When do you know that you need an outside help?

According to the research, in terms of brain chemistry, insufficient serotonin levels may be a cause of OCD and that brain circuits appear to return to normal after taking serotonin medication or receiving cognitive behavioral psychotherapy.

It really disturbs me when I see that most of the time OCD goes unrecognized. According to the Obsessive Compulsion Foundation, studies show that it takes an average of seventeen years from the onset of OCD until the obtaining of appropriate treatment. What do you think would be the reason? Well as far as my experience with my clients, most of the time sufferer keep it a secret, as they feel no body will understand and most importantly access to appropriate treatment is not always available. This is a pity as with proper treatment patient can avoid suffering and can lessen the risk of developing further problems. In some cases it has been witnessed that after treatment, patient was fully cured or in some cases they have gained symptomatic relief.

How can you help someone suffering from OCD?

Offer support and understanding

It is very important that you clearly communicate to them that you do understand the difference between behavioral symptoms of OCD and the person. When compulsions are visible you need to convey to them that you know it is not them it is their OCD. This will help to reduce the person’s feeling of guilt and low self worth and in return can also help in diminishing of their stress and anxiety. Once they open up and discuss it becomes easier for you to understand how it affects them and how you can be more supportive.

Do not Comply with OCD behavior

Some times you comply with their request and do what pleases them, as you find it much easier then dealing with the prolonged anxiety, fear, or arguments that may arise if you don’t do what is asked. But this can act as a hindrance in their recovery process if they are undergoing any sort of treatment. Yes, It is important to normalize family or household routines at the same time refuse to participate in reinforcing OCD behaviors. 

Reach out for support for yourself and for the sufferer

Living with someone with OCD is not easy. Make sure you not only confide in someone who understands you and guides you . It is important to maintain your connections and supports among your extended family and friends. If need arises do not hesitate to consider professional support. Contact a telephone helpline for families of people with OCD and anxiety condition.

Treatments available

  • Psychotherapy
  • Medication
  • Relaxation
  • Neuromodulation
  • Transcranial Magnetic simulation

(You can google and find out these treatments in detail or can consult your Doctor)

I strongly believe, self awareness and acceptance can solve most of the problems. There is a saying that goes “the first page of the book of life is a mirror”. By understanding ourselves we can start to understand the nature of all things. We humans have a habit of ignoring our subconscious mind. Something which troubles or disturbs us we conveniently avoid rather than own and confront them. Knowing your strengths and weakness, accepting that they exist and work on them as needed can help us overcome any obstacle in life.

This Post is part of Blogchatter’s #CauseAChatter Campaign.

This blog post if part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

@Swati Mathur