Academic learning is important, but wellbeing in adolescents, teens and young adults whilst learning is vital. It is a period of intense growth, where the right guidance can play a major role.

What helps young people make healthy and safe lifestyle choices?

Facilitators Sadhvi Vrinda Om, Sushree Nishtha Om and Ambika Om addressed these questions and more, in Zenrich’s ‘Teen to Titan – Own Your Wellbeing,’ a six-week-long program that commenced on August 16th. The focus was on the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of young and adolescent children.

The first of the two sessions by Sadhvi Vrinda Om pivoted around finding the balance between their inner and outer worlds. The outer world can sometimes become tiresome when one follows the same routine, day in and day out. Soon, without realizing, one starts to feel angry, frustrated, snappy and filled with emotions like envy, self-doubt and resentment. As a result, concentration suffers, and so does school work, sports and behaviours. She spoke about the importance of self-reflection, and taking some time out for oneself at the end of each day. 

Few of the questions that Sadhvi Vrinda Om prompted participants to ask themselves were: 

How was my day? 

What could I have done differently? 

How will I choose to make my days more productive? 

To rejuvenate oneself, she said, “We could spend time in nature, take a walk, meditate, or do anything creative. The more time we spend with ourselves, the more confident and fearless we will become. This, in turn, allows us to take more initiative.” And this was the focus of Sadhvi Vrinda’s second session. Initiative makes a leader. It helps us take up challenges beyond our capacity, create remarkable things and is invaluable in the forming of habits like self-discipline to ensure success in life.

Sushree Nishtha Om’s sessions focused on the vibrations and energy we emit. Every person operates at a vibrational frequency, high or low. Positive people, the ones who are happy, cheerful, and empathetic with a sunny disposition, are those with high vibrations. People who are negative, unhappy, insecure, dissatisfied, and have a gloomy disposition, are the ones with low vibrations. And often, the language that one uses reflects this.

Young people tend to fluctuate between low and high vibrations depending on their circumstances and state of mind. They were shown easy ways to raise this, like having an optimistic outlook, surrounding oneself with positive friends, listening to music, and choosing to act with care, concern, and compassion. To make them understand this at a deeper level, she took them through a beautiful visualization and meditation session, focused on positive affirmations and loving kindness.

Ambika Om’s sessions were about the physical and mental aspects of wellbeing.
The most impactful elements of physical health for this generation are food and sleep. If they are regulated and in sync, then energy levels and overall wellbeing are all taken care of. 

The elements of mental health, she indicated, are talking openly about one’s feelings to a friend, parent or caregiver, and keeping oneself busy. 

She defined five simple steps to keep a check on both aspects: stay active, nurture positive relationships, practice gratitude, develop a keenness to learn and help others.

The final session, conducted especially for parents, was insightful and informative with Sadhvi Vrinda Om speaking about ‘Tomato Parenting’ versus ‘Potato Parenting’. Do we want to hover around our kids or let them make their own decisions? She highlighted the importance of introducing them, early on, to our scriptural heritage.

This session also saw Swamiji make a brief appearance and speak about wealth: Which wealth matters the most: material or spiritual? 

He emphasised the need for children to learn the concept of savings early. When they take responsibility for finances, they naturally begin taking responsibility in other areas too. He indicated that ultimately, every parent only wants to see their children do well in life.

There’s nothing called an extraordinary child, only an extraordinary childhood. Good
parenting is what makes it extraordinary. 

– Om Swami, The Children of Tomorrow

The program closed with the announcement of the winners of the ‘Wellergize Yourself’ contest. The children had submitted an essay on their learnings from the sessions

1st prize – Hemanya Vashishta

2nd prize – Aarnav Verma

3rd prize -Saathvi Kodali

Certificate of Appreciation – Nihaal Singh Bajwa

Hemanya Vashishta and Shambhavi Goel also received certificates of appreciation for the Creative Affirmation Cards they made as part of an assignment.

Looking forward to the second series soon!