GUWAHATI, Oct 15 - Stress management among youths with constructive behaviour and attitude change is essential to tackle COVID-19 issues, experts opined at a webinar organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Guwahati here on Tuesday.
Experts from the medical fraternity, government sector along with academicians deliberated on and discussed the potential ways to tackle the COVID-19 situation from the medical and policy perspectives.
Film director and producer Naresh Chander Lal said leading a disciplined life is the best way to tackle the issues related to COVID. He said a healthy diet and hygiene are important aspects when it comes to preventing and protection from COVID-19.
Lal laid emphasis on child health care and stress management. He said that children should be encouraged to indulge in activities and hobbies they enjoy so that depression, stress and loneliness could be tackled.
Dr KRS Sambasiva Rao, Vice Chancellor, Mizoram University, Aizawl said a healthy and constructive behaviour of students, particularly the child�s emotional health, is vital for cognitive development. He said technology is changing the perception of learning and it has to be leveraged for development of children. He said education is development of talent of students and in that endeavour, an attitude change is essential to tackle Covid-19 issues and stress among the youths. He said emotions and stress are likely to affect children with cognitive disabilities also.
Dr Rao further said that not every child or adult would react in the same way to the stress of COVID-19, but it is likely that everyone would respond in some way and parents have to see to it that children do not digress from normal daily routine and lead a constructive life.
Talking about nutrition, Dr Lopamudra Datta, Principal, Guru Nanak Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, said stress management is also about proper diet and healthy food. She said yoga and citreous fruits with vitamin C and healthy diet are essential for growing children. She further said that children should be encouraged to talk to their friends and parents so that anxiety and stress are reduced. She said quality family time and proper motivation to children play a vital role when it comes to stress management among youths.
Arjun Das, Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication, Nagaland University and Abdul Rahman Mallick, advocate of Delhi High Court said that stress among youths can be tackled with patient listening whereby parents help their children to tell their problems.
Prof Anumita Mallick, Department of Nutrition, Belda College, Paschim Medinipur said most issues related to youths are psychological and child apprehensions are because of lack of communication. She said stress is leading youths, especially children to become anxious, emotionally demotivated and making them scared to talk to others, which affects their development and eventually their personality.
The webinar was managed and coordinated by Samrat Bandyopadhyay, Joint Director (M and C), PIB, Guwahati. Pallav Chakravorty, Deputy Director, PIB welcomed the experts. Along with students, noted journalists and senior officials from Doordarshan Guwahati, Regional Outreach Bureau, Guwahati and All India Radio Guwahati were also present on the occasion.
