Eyes glaze over as photograph after photograph of flawless Indian influencers scrolls across the screen.
Teenagers around the world are spending countless hours on various social media platforms, constantly consumed by the addictive domain cycle induced by the
colourful bursts of content that remind them they aren’t good enough, smart enough, or successful enough. It is no surprise then, that experts in psychological research are warning educators of the negative, long-term impacts of social media on adolescent mental health and overall well-being. Studies have shown that kids today are growing up with more anxiety and less self-esteem than ever before.
At Athena Education, a leading education consultancy, we are acutely aware of the challenges this new age poses to the confidence and self-esteem of our students. To actively mitigate this, our program is specifically designed to empower students to regain control of their own identity and start taking pride in their innate characteristics.
Through our proprietary assessments like the Deep Autobiography of a Scholar, we focus on understanding each student inside and out, making sure to identify issues of self-confidence early on and that we know the specific self-limiting beliefs they hold. Subsequently, our expert mentors, many of whom are trained in psychology, work closely with the student to unlearn the negative self-talk brought on by glamorized portrayals of their peers on social media. Through these deep discussions, students are able to open up and confide in their mentors, thereby regaining confidence in themselves and evolving into more positive, self-assured individuals.
One significant way to boost students’ confidence is to help them see their inherent potential and apply themselves to the execution of a self-driven project. This is precisely what Athena does. After we understand a student’s goals, we help them design, develop, and execute a uniquely authentic project that pushes them out of their comfort zone and helps them gain skills in public speaking, leadership, management, and creativity. This exercise is a powerful tool that shows students just how capable they are, and that they indeed need not compare themselves to others on social media.
When students learn to derive their self-worth from what they can do instead of how they look or what they own, they discover true confidence.
Author’s bio :
Chandra Chandhok, is the Senior Writing Manager, at Athena Education.
