Greenlawns School

Change is the only constant. Yet, it's the most challenging to deal with.

As our lives have dramatically changed over night, many of us are struggling with finding ways to deal with this new reality in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.

For instance, parents of young children facing the stress of keeping the little ones occupied while often teleworking themselves.

Or, families with elderly or sick members dealing with stricter isolation.

Nobody knows how long the pandemic will last or how long it will take until we can resume our regular lives. However, what we do know, is the importance of building our emotional resilience in this time of crisis.

Trust us, it is normal to experience negative emotions. You have a lot of company aboard the anxiety boat! By accepting this emotional rollercoaster, letting it organically pass, and then focusing on how to spend this time with mindfulness, we can get through this.

There's a simple 3-step paradigm, we could follow.

First, take a deep breath.

Tell yourself that most people who contract this virus, will only experience mild symptoms. Work is being done to help those who may be more vulnerable in the form of antidote research and social distancing.

Second, get the facts.

In the advent of this media-centric age, there is a lot being circulated, a lot of it being inauthentic. Only trust the information coming from verified public health and government agencies. Communicate only this verified information to your family including children, responsibly. You sure want to limit how much media the young minds consume to keep their anxiety in check. Also remember, these young one's are observing you and your behaviour and emotions which they will pick as cues on how to manage their own feelings during this time.

Third, is the most important.

Let's look at it this way.

Has a hectic work schedule kept you from a fun-filled afternoon of family movie time in the comfort of your living room?

Haven't found the time to read this book you've been longing for?

Have been wanting to buy time to introspect on your professional life and formulate newer, more creative business ideas?

Missing catching up with old friends via a long voice/video chat in this world where facebook reminds us with birthdays?

Craving to try that interesting recipe you read on a food blog?

This is the perfect time to do all of this.

This is also the perfect time to reinvent self care. To pick up that guitar lying in the corner and guide yourself with some online lessons. To exercise, consume good nutrition, sleep soundly and have quality indoor self and family time.

These are unexpected, yet beautiful moments that the universe has bestowed upon you. For all you know, you'll emerge from this muddle, with a stronger sense of resilience, rekindled relationships and renewed appreciation for life.

Get set for this transformative experience.

Lights, Camera, Smile!

-Ms. Snehal Parwal

(School Counsellor)

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"Be grateful for what you have; you'll only end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever, have enough."

- Oprah Winfrey

Are you an individual who takes time out periodically to enjoy the little things? Are you someone who feels thankful for the good things, big or small, in spite of a busy and tedious daily routine?

All of us have some noteworthy, beautiful memories. Of board games and maggi nights with cousins in the summer vacation. Of evenings playing on the beach and the family dinners that followed. Of stealing mangoes from your sibling's share while everyone was asleep. Of waiting for your friends to finish their piece of chocolate and then eating yours while tempting the others around. Or, of saving the last bite of ice cream for a loved one. Yes, these are but just a few of the little things. But in hindsight, we do realise that these indeed were the big things.

Yes, one has a lot of memories and relationships to be thankful for. We all do.

No matter how difficult and uncertain things may look at this quarantine time, practicing gratitude (actively listing the things you're thankful for), is going to be important for getting through this. Latest psychological research suggests a strong relationship between expressing gratitude and the resultant feeling of happiness, thus, improving one's mental health. Gratitude is found to have long lasting positive effects on our grey matter as it unshackles us from toxic emotions. In fact it is found to have positive effects on our brain even before we share this gratitude towards the concerned parties.

Nonetheless, feeling gratitude and not expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it. This seems to be the sentiment underlying our PM Narendra Modi's urge to all the fitness of India to not only feel thankful to the medical and civil agents toiling in this time while we're in the safe interiors of our homes, but also express themselves gratitude by clapping for them at 5pm this evening. Connecting this to the aforementioned psychological research, think about how you're looking forward to the 5pm event when you'll join your neighbourhood and eventually your nation in this collective applause. Think of the amount of time you've spent discussing or reading about this in the last 2 days, partially taking away your attention from the negative aspect of the virus outbreak. And finally, the anticipated shared joy post the activity.

In the hustle of to-do lists and work deadlines, sometimes it's easy to block out the details of the day, forgetting that each and every day holds precious gifts. From the air we breathe to the friendship we hold close, there is 'always' something to be thankful for!

Let's count our blessings.

Happy quarantine!

'Happy' gratitude Sunday!

• Score a great academic score

• Win accolades in Sports

• Enhance debate and oratory skills

• Learn to play a musical instrument

• Master a foreign language

• Manage playtime while juggling school and tuition hours

• Sharpen one's soft skills and be presentable, most of the time(to say the least)!

Phewww! It’s not child’s play to be a 'child' in this age.

The expectations from the child : sky-high

Exposure given : Best quality

Professionals available to train : Umpteen

And Parents : Highly invested in the child, both, physically and emotionally

Now let's rewind our lives to our own childhood, and play a game of 'Never have I ever'. All you have to do is smile in agreement for everything that you HAVE done! Let's get started...

Never have I ever....

• Played a mischief like ringing the neighbour's doorbell and running away

• Broken a glass window/tubelight while playing cricket and shared the expense of installing a new one, after being yelled at of course!

• Stole my siblings sweets, because we were all given an equal share(and I already finished my own)

• Sneaked food out of the tiffin and ate it, while the teacher was teaching

• Hidden answer sheets from parents, when the scores were poor

While doing all of this, and bearing the repercussions of the same (or managing to escape some), we all grew up!

Not just grew up physically, but also developed life-coping mechanisms. We learnt to negotiate, to stand up for ourselves, covering up a friend's mistake or sometimes even take a scolding for his/her fault, nursing our physical and emotional wounds, fighting and making up, and of course safeguarding secrets.

Memories! Beautiful one's!!

Let's fast forward to the present day. With us being parents and/or caregivers today, is being 'invested' in our child making us so 'obsessed/possessive' about our child's needs and broadening the child's horizon, that we're unintentionally leaving no scope for the child to become independent, emotional strong and stable, develop coping mechanisms, to get hurt and heal by themselves?...after all, your child won't learn from your mistakes s/he will learn from their own mistakes.

"What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare"

-William Henry Davies

Let your child fall, let your child fail, let him/her play in the sand, let his/her ice-cream melt and mess their clothes, let him/her jump in a puddle…

Meanwhile you dear parent, you'll do a great job of being a friend and guide. Let your child do his/her job, of being a CHILD :)

Counselling