The United Nations Volunteers

Importance of Life Management-Part I The technological developments of recent times have propelled the human race on a fast track of material progress. The dignified and leisurely pace of life is almost passé. People face tough competition to excel at every stage and in every sphere of worldly life. Our lives are marked by daily frustrating commutes to the work place and back, speedy means of travel, and instant communication using the latest gadgets. Urbanization is rapid and consumerism is rampant, as market driven economies are using novel ways to attract consumers. A blitzkrieg through the glamorous world of films, television, media, and sports pervades everywhere—in homes, on roads, doling out promises of instant gratification and overnight stardom. Those who are capable of enjoying the fruits of material progress and facing the challenges of modern life are considered fortunate by society. But it is really a challenging task for those who are running this difficult race...

The People-Pleasing Habit Think of a friend or acquaintance whom you’d consider to be a typical people pleaser. This individual is probably one of the nicest people you know. He or she is always ready to lend a hand. You can count on him or her to help you whenever the need arises. This person will gladly abandon his or her personal pursuits to cater to your wants and needs. Does this behavior sound disturbingly familiar to you in a personal way? Do you notice aspects of it in yourself? For example, when someone requests your help, do you immediately set aside whatever you’re working on and say “Sure!”? And here’s the bigger issue: do you regularly feel unhappy, stressed, and exhausted as a result of constantly putting other people’s priorities ahead of your own? If so, this blog is for you. Saying no to people is one of the most important skills you can develop. It frees you to pursue your own interests, both personal and professional. To that end, it’ll boost your productiv...

“Psychology” comes from two words: psyche and logos. The word psyche (pronounced “sigh-key”) is from the Greek word Ψυχη – meaning “breath of life”, i.e. “soul or spirit”, loosely translated as MIND. In Greek mythology, Psyche was represented by a butterfly. She became the wife of Eros, the god of love (renamed Cupid by the Romans). The Greek letter Ψ (spelled “psi”, and pronounced “sigh”) is now used as the international symbol for Psychology. Hence, Psychology was originally defined as: the study of the mind. But, this isn’t how most Psychologists define Psychology today. Towards a Definition: Most Psychologists try hard to make a clear distinction between what is proper Psychology, and what isn’t. So, how do Psychologists define “Psychology”? Well, there are difficulties in finding one universally accepted definition. Although most Psychologists agree that it is important to be scientific – to avoid muddled thinking – it’s not always clear exactly what this means. Anoth...

The power of your subconscious Mind I have seen miracles happen to men and women in all walks of life all over the world. Miracles will happen to you, too—when you begin using the magic power of your subconscious mind. This blog is designed to teach you that your habitual thinking and imagery mold, fashion, and create your destiny. For as a person thinketh in his subconscious mind, so is he. DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? Why is one person sad and another person happy? Why is one person joyous and prosperous and another person poor and miserable? Why is one person fearful and anxious and another full of faith and confidence? Why does one person have a beautiful, luxurious home while another person lives out a meager existence in a slum? Why is one person a great success and another an abject failure? Why is one speaker outstanding and immensely popular and another mediocre and unpopular? Why is one person a genius in her work or profession while another toils and moils all his lif...

Meditation is a practical science. Meditation is the science of God-realization. It is the most practical science in the world. Most people would want to meditate if they understood its value and experienced its beneficial effects. The ultimate object of meditation is to attain conscious awareness of God, and of the soul’s eternal oneness with Him. What achievement could be more purposeful and useful than to harness limited human faculties to the omnipresence and omnipotence of the Creator? God-realization bestows on the meditator the blessings of the Lord’s peace, love, joy, power, and wisdom. Meditation utilises concentration in its highest form. Concentration consists in freeing the attention from distractions and in focusing it on any thought in which one may be interested. Meditation is that special form of concentration in which the attention has been liberated from restlessness and is focused on God. Meditation, therefore, is concentration used to know God. To begin a ...

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)- Symptoms, Causes & Treatment ADHD is a common disorder that makes it tough for an individual to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors like lack of control, merged with a regularly shifting focus of interest. Individual may be restless and almost constantly active. The symptoms of ADHD begin in childhood and continues through adolescence and adulthood. Adults with ADHD may have problem managing time, setting goals, being systematic and holding down a job. They may suffers in problem with relationship, addiction and self-esteem. Symptoms : In Children: Basically symptoms are grouped into three categories: - Inattention - Hyperactivity - Impulsivity Inattention: # Easily distracted # Doesn't follow directions or finish tasks # Inattentive and makes silly mistakes # Not a good listener # Forget about daily activities and has problems in organizing them # Tends to daydream Hyperactivity: # Often f...

Resilience Building Games for Kids in Primary School Primary or elementary school is an excellent time to begin building resilience. Children are so adaptable already that introducing the idea of resilience is much easier than teaching resilience to adults. There are many resources out there for helping build resilience in young children, but games are certainly one of the best ways. Listed below are some of the best games for teaching resilience in primary or elementary school. Rock-Paper-Scissors game                                                                                ...

Art of public speaking Training in public speaking is not a matter of externals , primarily; it is not a matter of imitation, fundamentally; it is not a matter of conformity to standards, at all. Public speaking is public utterance, public issuance, of the man himself; therefore the first thing both in time and in importance is that the man should be and think and feel things that are worthy of being given forth. Unless there be something of value within, no tricks of training can ever make of the talker anything more than a machine, albeit a highly perfected machine, for the delivery of other men’s goods. So self-development is fundamental in our plan. The second principle lies close to the first: The man must enthrone his will to rule over his thought, his feelings, and all his physical powers, so that the outer self may give perfect, unhampered expression to the inner. It is futile, to lay down systems of rules for voice culture, intonation, gesture, and what not, unless...

Being a National UN Senior Volunteer... Ever since I became a National UN Volunteer ( on 14th October 2018), it has  changed the course of my life completely. I started feeling much more humble and down to earth and responsible, empathetic and sympathetic towards the needy and down trodden lot of the society! As if God has sent me on the earth with some definite purpose and that He is holding my hand to let me do what He wants! I have started deriving divine pleasure and happiness in doing small small things for the betterment of my fellow beings and the needy and the destitute around me! Even, the attitude of the people have changed towards me. The moment I introduce myself to them as a UN Volunteer, they pay immediate attention to me ( even some of the arrogant ones also who would earlier  give me frosty nosed stares to show off their superiority) and now they try their level best to help me  as a mark of their respect, not to me personally, but to the...

An open mind : An Open Mind Openness: characterized by an attitude of ready accessibility about one's actions or purposes Receptiveness: willingness or readiness to receive - especially impressions or ideas Once you have committed yourself to achieving your dream, you should begin to notice something rather odd starting to happen in your life: the universe actually begins to help you to achieve it. You just need to be open-minded - that is, you need to be ready and willing to receive what the universe (you might prefer to say God) has in store for you. Some people call this principle the Law of Attraction, but whatever you call it, it is quite true that you will absolutely set in motion unseen forces which will definitely assist you with the manifestation of your dream. People, events and circumstances will be drawn to you that will actually assist you in the achievement of your dream. You can probably only fully accept this truth when you experience it for yourself...

Kids and Credibility: An Empirical Examination of Youth, Digital Media Use- How well do children navigate the ocean of information that is available online? The enormous variety of Web-based resources represents both opportunities and challenges for Internet-savvy kids, offering extraordinary potential for learning and social connection but little guidance on assessing the reliability of online information. This report on the first large-scale survey to examine children's online information-seeking strategies and their beliefs about the credibility of that information. This Web-based survey of 2,747 children, ages 11 to 18 (and their parents), confirms children's heavy reliance on the Internet. They are concerned about the credibility of online information, but 89 percent believe that “some” to “a lot” of it is believable; and, choosing among several options, they rate the Internet as the most believable information source for entertainment, commercial products, and sch...

Wellbeing and Resilience in children Schools are a key setting in which to promote wellbeing and resilience of students as well as academic learning.  There are many evidences that highlights the whole-school approach in promoting students wellbeing and resilience. The evidence identifies the various ways in which school practice makes an impact on student wellbeing, including the contribution that teachers can make to wellbeing through positive engagement and the contribution that explicit curriculum can make to building socially and emotionally literate, resilient young people. Evidence also shows that in promoting students wellbeing has positive effects on academic learning outcomes. What is wellbeing? The term ‘wellbeing’ is now well used in  education sector is tending to replace the term such as ‘student welfare’ and ‘student health’. This is because it encompasses more than the notion of physical and material health of the children and young people.  It ...

Do you know that the teenagers are really elegant? Yes, not all teenagers are rude or disrespectful, but some disrespect is a normal part of teenage growth and development. This is partly because your child is learning to express and test out his own independent ideas, so there will be times when you disagree. Developing independence is a key part of growing up and a good sign that your child is trying to take more responsibility. But they’re also still learning about how to handle disagreement and differing their opinions appropriately. Also, your child’s moods can change quickly. Because of how teenage brains develop, your child isn’t always able to handle their changing feelings and reactions to everyday or unexpected things. And this can sometimes lead to over-sensitivity, which can lead in turn to grumpiness or rudeness. Sometimes disrespectful behaviour might also be a sign that your child is feeling particularly stressed or worried. Tips for communication : Stay c...

PHONEMIC AWARENESS AND PHONICS Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in words. We know that a student's skill in phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty. Find out what parents and teachers can do to help children develop this critical literacy skill. Dr. Louisa Moats explains to a kindergarten teacher why it is critical to differentiate between the letters and sounds within a word when teaching children to read and write. Phonic and Decoding: Phonics is the understanding that there is a predictable relationship between the sounds of spoken language, and the letters and spellings that represent those sounds in written language. Successful decoding occurs when a student uses his or her knowledge of letter-sound relationships to accurately read a word. This section provides information about how to teach children to sound out words, and what to do if a child is having difficulty ...

Art therapy and its applications Art therapy, sometimes called expressive art or art psychology, encourages self-discovery and emotional growth. It is a two-part process, involving both the creation of art and the discovery of its meaning. Rooted in Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung's theories of the subconscious and unconscious, art therapy is based on the premise that visual symbols and images are the most accessible and natural form of communication to the human experience. Patients are encouraged to visualize, and then create, the thoughts and emotions that they can't express verbally. The resulting artwork is then reviewed, and its meaning interpreted by the patient. The analysis of the artwork typically enables a patient to gain some level of insight into their feelings and allows them to work through these issues in a constructive manner. Art therapy is typically practiced in conjunction with individual, group, or family psychotherapy (or verbal therapy). While a thera...