Psychologist at work

Should we segregate students on the basis of gender(paalinam) ? Many schools & colleges in our Country, in the name of culture & discipline (ozhukam) don’t allow boys & girls to mingle with each other. They can’t talk to each other, in the institution premises/campus . In certain institutions students can’t use the same corridor & staircase . Students are viewed even in the school/college bus through cameras to ensure that they don't speak to the opposite gender. Disciplinary action is taken against the ones who do not follow these rules. We shouldn’t segregate students on the basis of gender, from childhood itself . Your child interacting with children of the opposite gender is part of healthy growing.  Students who grow up with a mixed gender group develop mutual respect for each other. If a boy child and girl child, are close friend, they will treat each other well from the beginning. It paves way for a male child to know what a girl goes through,...

‘Ungaluku vandha ratham adithavanuku vandha thakali chutney ah?’ Dear friends I want to share a very disturbing incident with you which happened yesterday. Myself and my husband were travelling by train from Chennai to Coimbatore. A youngster was seated before us and was very busy with his mobile phone. My husband by chance noticed him taking pictures and videos of the woman who was seated on the left side, and showed what this guy did to me. That woman was sitting along with her 2 little children. She dozed off in sometime. This guy took note of it and started zooming and recording her, through his cell phone camera as her saree moved a little away. My husband immediately raised his voice and questioned that guy on what he was doing.   That guy couldn’t face my husband and he rushed into the restroom. My husband alerted the woman and others about this guy’s behavior. There were many other men seated next to us. As soon as this guy came out of the restroom that woman, myself ...

Working from home can definitely be appealing as there is no dress code, no close supervision, no travel time, and the freedom to decide where you work. Although employees who work from home may experience more of a difficulty, when it comes to setting boundaries between work and personal life. Work-from-home employees may struggle more with freeing themselves and ending their work day, compared to work in an office setting. Challenges professionals face, include adapting to new technologies, like audio and video- conferencing. At home, you have certain comforts that tempt you to indulge in. For instance, if you have a boring interaction with a client, in an office setting you just have to move with it and get on with your workday. But If you work from home, you can actually withdraw and go watch TV or play video games until you feel better. You may also experience many challenges, if you have children and elders at home. Depending on the age of your kids, you may need to deal ...

 A phobia is an irrational fear of something that will actually not cause. The word itself comes from the Greek word phobos, which means fear or horror. When someone has a phobia, they experience intense fear of a certain object or situation. Phobias are different than regular fears because they cause significant distress, interfering with daily life routine of the individual. Ramani 52yr old house wife, (name and other details changed due to confidentiality) visited a psychiatric hospital with complaints of intense fear of closed places like locked windowless rooms, lift in showrooms, malls and also crowded bus, party/marriage halls, driving on congested road so on. She used to look for the exit door in every crowded space, she enters and stand near it. She had severe fear undergoing a MRI or CT scan too. Ramani was diagnosed with claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is a situational phobia triggered by an irrational and intense fear of confined or crowded spaces. People with ph...

Here are top helpful ways to deal with anxiety ·          Understand that anxiety is not your fault: Our system has been constantly triggered due to the pressures which the world around placed on us. The stress hormone released in our body, is keeping us in a state of fight or flight. This had developed into a state of automatic response and we developed the habit of anxiety. ·          Understanding the way you speak to yourself We need to take care of our mind, like a parent taking care of a child. Everything that we say to our mind conditions a response of either fear or love depending on our thoughts. We need to be kinder and calmer to this child. By becoming more positive, we are not becoming a new person but we are accessing a part of ourselves that is already there. It is about tapping our ‘Best self’. ·          Recreate your life story Recreate the...

This post is to create awareness about intense anxiety, it's effects and role of psychologist/therapist in it.  Deepthi, 18 yr old medical college student was rushed to the hospital, midnight with symptoms of chest pain, rapid heart pounding, sweating, trembling of hands and legs. She experienced tightness in the throat and chills running through her body. Her mother brought her suspecting heart-attack. She was taken to the emergency care for examination. The doctor checked her found that she was physically very normal. He spoke to her for quite some time and her symptoms reduced. He gave her a vitamin injection. He suggested the parent to take her to a psychologist and she was sent back home. Deepthi, ,had a panic attack. She had her semester examination in a week’s time and so was in too much of stress and anxiety as she had lot of subjects/syllabus to study. She was worried about her performance results. Her mother was a strict parent and was expecting a lot of marks from he...

Hypothetical deductive reasoning: Adolescents, thinking becomes more systematic & logical in solving problems. They think of possible courses of action, why something is happening the way it is, and seek solutions. For example a conflict arises between friends, s/he identifies the problem. and plans for the solution by evaluating the outcome. Imaginary audience: Adolescents believe that others are as preoccupied with them as they are about themselves. They imagine that people are always noticing them and are observing each & every behavior of theirs. For example a boy who has spikes, is very much cautious about his hair and a girl who uses make-up, might feel that everyone is looking at her. Personal fable: Adolescents' sense of uniqueness makes them think that no one understands them or their feelings. For example an adolescent thinks that he has a lot to study, but his parents/teachers don't empathize with her/him nor understand her/his difficulties. To ret...