A few weeks back, a parent was sharing her worries regarding her daughter who was overwhelmed by the JEE coaching on weekends. A grade 12 student, she was upset, anxious and clearly suffering a burnout.
The teenager used to excel in Yoga. She had won many awards for the same and has the kind of flexibility that would make anyone envious. It came to her naturally.
I checked how her yoga sessions were going. Her mom said, “we have stopped everything for now, let her concentrate on the competition…” My heart sank, I took a deep breath and knew for sure the girl is going to take awhile before she feels better.
As a psychologist, career clarity coach and counsellor, I feel and know “play” to be an integral part of living holistically. Play for this teenager was to do yoga! What an amazing gift, just practicing yoga everyday would keep all her physical and mental health challenges at bay. And yet, our societal conditioning tells us to focus on eighteen hours of entrance exam coaching over weekends at the expense of our health, rest and play.
The quote from Einstein, “Play is the highest form of research” helps me focus better on what matters. What do you think? Does play feature in your life as a high school parent or professional?
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