Teentalk

Preparing for the world isn’t an easy job. As the world transition, new technologies and practices are introduced. What we acquire in schools usually becomes obsolete by the time we’re ready to start working. This is why preparation for children, teenagers and young adults nowadays should focus on developing skills that are important for adapting to this ever-changing reality. One of the essential skills we need to nurture is creative thinking. This creative process allows you to discover connections, meet new challenges and seek solutions that are unusual, original and fresh. We have to break the patterns and traditional way of thinking which is going to help you create a new approach to a particular situation or a problem. Beginning with this method early on guarantees more experience as you learn from many different examples as you grow up. As an innovative way of approaching and exploring ideas, creative problem solving became an essential skill for the 21st century.

Our Teentalkindia expert shares some ways to develop creative thinking:

1. Brainstorming: It includes thinking about something and putting down all the ideas that come to your mind–regardless how unrelated they might seem at first. In this pool of ideas, you’re bound to find one that will stand out, one that will be concrete and innovative. Used as an individual or group practice, brainstorming is a good way to develop creative thinking and problem solving. The more options come to your mind, the more likely you’ll find great ideas.

2. Mind mapping: Mind mapping is the method of connecting the dots. While brainstorming consist of putting all the ideas down as they come to your mind, mind mapping is about organizing your thoughts, thinking in a logical way, using associations, recognizing patterns and arranging an order. All that collection of ideas from brainstorming should come together in mind mapping. This exercise involves both left and right hemisphere of the brain; it encourages you to think about the relationship among aspects and ideas. It also has a good influence on organizational skill.

3. Reframing: Reframing means shifting the frame of things, so you’ll need to take a look at a problem or a situation in a different manner, to be able to come up with a new, innovative approach. Explore other meanings of things, evaluate the context and enlarge the perspective to spot new opportunities and expect potential obstacles. Again, this exercise and way of thinking are useful in many professions nowadays.

4. Envisioning the future: The goal of this is to train your mind to anticipate future based on the images of today. Begin with the current situation. Regardless of you’re using images or data to understand it, try to think about future and where you want future to take you. Through this process, you’ll need to create connections from present to future, and this is where creativity is useful, as ideas to overcome gaps become solutions that will take you to desired future and help you achieve your goals.

Creative thinking is not just for ‘creative types’ like artists and musicians. Everyone can benefit from creative thinking. There are huge benefits to learning to think a little differently. It will help you to see others’ perspectives. In a global scenario, broader horizons and an ability to think more widely is never going to hurt. If you want to build a successful career, it’s important to develop creative thinking, together with problem solving and critical thinking.

What we all understand by counseling is very different depending on what we see, hear, learn and comprehend. Our culture and society tends to stigmatize the concept of talking to someone for ‘mental health’ as counseling may be considered only for ‘mad’ or ‘crazy’ people. Let me help you understand that just like we may have physical concerns in our bodies, our brain and mind also may experience distress. Doctors can take care of your physical well-being however, someone needs to tend to our psychological well-being as well.

Counseling may be frowned upon but once you make an informed decision of seeking it, you’ll realize how important and nurturing it can be. There are things we can expect and not expect from counseling and counsellors.

Things to expect in counseling -

1. Empathy – Your counsellor will be able to offer you an empathetic perspective and allow you to feel that you are never alone in what you feel. Everything you feel is valid in counseling

2. Safe and non-judgmental space – Speak your mind! Counselors will aim to provide a safe and non-judgmental space for you to share your innermost thoughts and feelings with no inhibitions. Please be honest with them so that they can help you to their best capacities

3. Confidential – They are not going to tell anybody about what you tell them. What you say in counseling stays in counseling. So go on, tell them how you really feel about your new school

4. Support and Strategies – Sometimes we need support from someone outside of our friends and family members. Counselors will offer you their support and understanding in the darkest of times. Alongside support, they will also share ways of coping with distress.

5. Time and a Listening Ear – Counseling may normally go on for an hour. Remember, this hour is fully yours with no interruptions. They are there to listen to you without wondering when you would be done talking. They’ll listen to you because they want to and they know you need to be heard.

6. Some Discomfort – As you begin to share your deepest fears and insecurities, things might become uncomfortable sometimes. But that’s okay! This means that you have taken the first step towards healing and you are willing to work on change. Fortunately, you won’t be alone in this discomfort.

7. Feedback – Counselors will provide their perspective on things you share. They are different people from you and look at things differently too. S hear them out! They may have something meaningful to offer.

Things to NOT expect in counseling –

1. Advice – Counselors are not going to provide you with any kind of advice. They can’t tell you what to do or not to do. They can certainly listen to you and help you find your own way through a tunnel. So, if you ask them “what should I do?”, you may not get  an answer.

2. False Hopes – A counsellor will be there to support you through rough times but will not make promises of taking all your pain away. They will assist you in coping with the pain. Hope is what you’ll find when you begin to talk and identify progress during sessions

3. Social media association – Counselors are not your friends. They are professionals who are hoping and willing to help you with your concerns. So, if you try to befriend them on social media, they may not accept it. This doesn’t mean that they don’t care about you. It just means that they are drawing professional boundaries which limit their association with you to therapy.

4. Confidentiality when risk is involved – Counselors are bound by confidentiality to the extent where no risk is involved. This means that if you or anybody else is in danger, they will need to break their silence and inform someone trusted. However, they will keep you involved in this process. You’re still safe!

5. Agreement – Counselors may not always agree with what you are saying. This doesn’t mean that they don’t care or are trying to challenge you out of spite. It means that they are looking out for you and trying to help you look at things from a different and healthier perspective.           

Now you know what to look for in counseling and what not to expect. If you are experiencing distress or even the slightest of discomfort, don’t hesitate to seek help. Counselors are equipped to help you and travel with you in the journey of healing. They’ll assist you in creating your own support toolbox and find your comfort point. Going to a counsellor is not a crazy thing to do. It just means that you need to be heard and/or change something that isn’t working for you now.

Visit a counsellor, thank us later!

PS – If you wish to speak with someone, please chat with our counselors from Monday through Saturday between 11am and 8pm or leave us an offline message.