Empower the future. Cultivate drive. Understand your mind.
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While it’s a common realization that the world has become a connected global village, it’s also a fact that we are seeing increasing divisions based on ideology, culture, class, race, religion, family values, and politics. With each passing day, differing attitudes, cultural values, perceived social norms, and political ideologies are pulling people further apart. This increased polarization is also making people feel isolated, demoralized, or angry since dialogue often ends up in arguments, hostility, and further division rather than listening, connection, problem-solving and social cohesion.
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While it’s a common realization that the world has become a connected global village, it’s also a fact that we are seeing increasing divisions based on ideology, culture, class, race, religion, family values, and politics. With each passing day, differing attitudes, cultural values, perceived social norms, and political ideologies are pulling people further apart. This increased polarization is also making people feel isolated, demoralized, or angry since dialogue often ends up in arguments, hostility, and further division rather than listening, connection, problem-solving and social cohesion.
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It would not be news to say that excessive use of technology is negatively affecting children of all ages. Screen time not only affects children’s mental health, but can also negatively impact parent-child relationships, attention span, self-esteem, self-identity, academic performance, physical fitness, and social development. According to a survey, around 70% of parents these days struggle with excessive tech use at their homes. Be it smartphones, tablets, or laptops, parents are finding it hard to manage the screen time of children. The issue does not end here; managing tech use is also a key concern at schools as devices continue to be an integral part of learning. This makes us eager to learn and understand the idea of tech withdrawal—behaviours and emotions children exhibit when technology use is diminished or removed. In this blog, let’s learn about tech withdrawal, what it is and what parents and teachers can do to manage it effectively.
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We’ve seen a lot of news coverage about social media lately. The Facebook Whistleblower sparked intense scrutiny over the morality of the social media giant. How did they follow up? By rebranding to Meta. Find out what's happening in social media and how it's affecting your children.
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Life after a pandemic is new territory for all of us, and it’s essential to recognize the many things that could be coming up for everyone. In this way, we can go forward into this new phase with compassion, understanding, and empathy. Part one of this blog post discussed hyper sociability, social anxiety post-pandemic, and germaphobia.
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Are you feeling excited about being able to attend school without masks and social bubbles? Perhaps you’re counting the days until you can attend a music festival or go travelling without worry. As we transition out of the acute phase of the pandemic, everything is looking up — right?
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This past year, a lot has been done through the comfort of a screen. School moved online for many students. Employees around the world transitioned into a home office. Even how we bought our groceries and clothes became more digitized.
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Have you ever arrived at a party only to feel a nervous flutter in your stomach? Maybe you’re worried about saying something silly or not having anything to say at all? For many of us, social gatherings cause a bit of anxiety. This anxiety can range from severe (such as panic attacks or avoidance of social situations) to minor nerves and discomfort.
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I recently got a call from a colleague. He and his wife are both healthcare workers who have been busy, distracted, stressed, and burnout working in the pandemic. Their fifteen-year-old son, Jake, discovered girls in the last year but was unable to connect with them in real life. He turned to the internet to explore his curiosity and ended up highly addicted to online pornography. Jake withdrew from his friends, sports, and school to make more time for pornography. His grades, sleep, physical, and mental health suffered. Jake eventually became depressed. Filled with confusion and shame he took an overdose of vodka and painkillers he found at home.
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As schools continue to adjust to the shifting realities of Covid-19, parents, teachers and schools have an opportunity to rethink the previous methods of student education. We asked Dr. Shimi Kang, IWF British Columbia member and founder of Dolphin Kids: Future-ready Leaders, the following question - “What are 3 ways to rethink student education in response to Covid-19?” Here's her response:
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When it comes to our emotions, there’s no way to avoid feeling them. Some emotions are easier to process than others and have minimal impacts on those around us. Anger is one such emotion that can negatively affect our social connections, our communities, and our health and well-being. Have you found yourself getting more irritated in traffic over the last few months? Perhaps you have less patience with cashiers or children telling you stories with a lot of unnecessary details. Do you feel guilty for cutting people off, yelling, or simply being a grumpy presence lately? All of this could be due to your body’s stress response.
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Technology is everywhere. It’s driving space exploration. It is making us more efficient at work. It’s keeping us in touch with distant relatives and friends. And now — it has a prevalent place in our classrooms. The question is, is classroom technology a good thing?
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Parallels have been drawn between the COVID-19 pandemic and the Spanish Flu that ran from 1918 to 1920. However, there’s one major difference that sets these two pandemics apart: technology. Modern technology has played a significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s had both benefits and drawbacks.
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We’ve all known that great teacher, boss, or coach. The one that motivated you to study harder, push farther, or perform more than you ever thought possible. These individuals are great motivators, but are they great at teaching you to motivate yourself intrinsically?
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Navigating life’s challenges requires one key thing: adaptability. Stress is an inevitable part of life, but we wouldn’t grow or develop without a certain amount of discomfort. Yet, in our modern world, we’re under such extreme pressure that stress has become a chronic issue.
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We’re well into a new year, and that means you’re either feeling good about taking steps to accomplish your goals for the year, or you’ve already defaulted back to your old habits and routines. Setting new year’s resolutions is simple. It’s accomplishing them that’s difficult.
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For the first time, humans have the answers to nearly every question in the palm of their hand, limited only by their download speed. The question we need to be asking, however, is how technology is affecting our brains.
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The holidays are a time of giving. We not only give thanks but give our time as well as gifts. Giving back is a foundational part of being human, and it provides a sense of closeness and goodwill within a friendship, a family, or even a community. The science of giving shows that it’s not just those that receive benefit, either. Here are the ways giving to someone else could be beneficial for you.
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Staying engaged and productive while working or learning from home can be challenging for many. Microsoft has done research into this and found that the average attention span for most people is now a mere eight seconds.
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Technology affects our modern society in numerous ways, but none more essential than how we connect with others, both in-person and online. The question is, is technology’s involvement in our relationships helpful — or harmful?
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There are times in life when we all face considerable uncertainty and change. These moments are typical and expected. No matter how change happens, it forces us to reevaluate some, or all, of what we know about ourselves and the world.
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The modern day workplace is often not such a happy place. Research indicates concerning trends of burnout, anxiety, depression, absenteeism, presenteeism, and bullying among other common workplace-related issues.1 Thankfully, there is an increased appreciation for workplace wellness and an uptick in counseling and support programs for staff. However, there is a powerful, overlooked activity that can reduce all of these issues while also enhancing mental health, creativity, collaboration, and self-motivation. It is something everyone has access to, often free or low cost, and is inherently fun. What is this secret sauce for personal and professional success? Play!
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Right now, many of us are experiencing a significant loss together. Our lifestyles have been altered to a near-unrecognizable degree. For many, this change has meant a loss of freedom and flexibility in our daily lives, loss of income, loss of security, or even loved ones. No matter how loss comes into our lives, there are certain stages that we all go through.
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Is wanting to be perfect so bad? The short answer is yes. Self-motivation and working hard to achieve success are admirable traits. But, you don’t need to be a perfectionist to exhibit these traits. In fact, perfectionism reduces the likelihood of being self-motivated, adaptable, and resilient in the face of life’s ups and downs.
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Research and studies show us that many people actually suffer from stress at higher rates than ever before. And the American Institute of Stress’ research says it’s from a variety of different causes: job pressure, money, health, and even media overload, to name a few. It’s this excess stress that can lead to burnout. So what can we do?
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Have you ever been so absorbed in an activity that you were able to tune out all distractions and lose track of time? Did your body and mind feel like you were in a special rhythm? Maybe you were running a race, and you were focused completely on your body. Or when you were writing or painting, all your creativity seemed to come out of nowhere.
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“Mason” was a high achiever and a dream student in any school. By grade 10, Mason, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy, was consistently on the honor roll and a top athlete. He was known to be driven, hardworking and responsible. So it was shocking to all who knew him when he was caught plagiarizing an essay – submitting a paper he’d found online as his own work.
As a best-selling author, international speaker, and expert contributor to prominent media outlets, Dr. Shimi Kang has influenced how millions of people approach self-development and mental health. Understand innovation and achievement, book Dr. Shimi Kang as a keynote speaker, a media appearance, or a medical consultation & empowerment coaching today!
