Is everything alright?

Riddhima (14) walked to the school canteen for lunch and looked around for her gang. Finally spotting them in the far right corner she made her way through the crowd and quickly sat on the seat saved for her. 

Her classmates, Shiven, Aryaveer, Annika and Prisha were happily tucking into their lunch until they noticed Riddhima hadn’t touched her food. Shiven asked. ‘Why aren’t you eating Ridds, what’s wrong?’ 

Riddhima replied, ‘I just saw Vihaan’s parents in the counsellor’s office and I’m just feeling bad for him.’  

Prisha asked, ‘Why, what did he do? Haven’t seen him in computer class for over two weeks now, wasn’t he unwell?’

Riddhima replied sadly, ‘No Pri, he tried to hurt himself because he failed several subjects this term. Mumma spoke to his mom last night and she was crying. He was hospitalized and got back home two days ago.’

Do check out this very informative video on self-harm. Read the rest of the article below the video: 

I’d be worried too

Everyone at the table went quiet. After what seemed like forever Aryaveer said, “Baap re, that’s tough! But why take so much stress? I mean nothing is more important than your life, is there?’

‘I feel for Vihaan but I just don’t get why he did what he did,’ Annika added.

‘I can understand the pressure he must’ve been under. Like, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t freak out if I had a bad grade. I wouldn’t hurt myself or anything but I’d be totally upset’, Prisha said softly.  

Shiven added, ‘Plus, I’d be worried how my parents would react if I failed. I did badly on my Math exam once and they panicked. I had to take tuition for three months. My football classes were reduced.’

‘Luckily Dadu told them to stop making it such a big deal and reminded Papa that he almost failed History! It was awesome and since then my parents are less strict’, he added with a weak smile.  

That would help

Shiven’s story cheered everyone a little bit. Riddhima then said, ‘I overheard Meeta Ma’am telling Vihaan’s parents that the school will organise a mandatory counselling session for the students and their parents on how to cope with stress. That would be helpful for all of us. Don’t you think?’

Arayaveer agreed, ‘Yeah, anyone of us could have had a weak moment and done something to ourselves. I can’t even imagine how tense and alone Vihaan must’ve felt. I wish he would have talked to us.  Perhaps we might have been able to help.’

Let’s promise each other we’ll speak up whenever we feel low, no matter the problem! Promise?’’ said Riddhima putting her hand out. 

Everyone at the table smiled and put their hands on Riddhima’s. 

‘Let’s also go to Vihaan’s place after school and check on him if his parents allow. Perhaps we can take him out for a game’, she added. Everyone nodded just as the bell rang announcing the end of the lunch hour.  

Have you ever felt extremely  worried about exams, sports matches or performances? Share with us in the comments box below. Remember not to share any personal information in the comment boxes.  

Chapter 1: The midnight grind

Aarav has been staring at the same paragraph of his Economics textbook for forty minutes. It is 2:00 AM. His desk is a graveyard of empty coffee mugs and crumpled snack wrappers. He can hear his dad’s voice in his head, already rehearsing the “I am disappointed” speech if Aarav doesn’t land that scholarship. His heart is thumping like a bass drum, and he is pretty sure he has forgotten how to breathe normally.

Chapter 2: The social shadow

Sara is hiding in the school bathroom. She just saw a notification that Aditi posted a photo from the weekend. Everyone is in it except her. To make things worse, someone commented on Sara’s last post saying her new glasses make her look like a “disturbed owl.” Now, she is convinced everyone in the hallway is laughing at her. She feels sick to her stomach and just wants to disappear.

Chapter 3: The “too much” plate

Aarav’s phone is buzzing. It is his friend Aryan, who is pushing him to try a cigarette to “chill out.” Meanwhile, his mom is shouting about him not helping with his sister. On top of that, he is “on read” by his crush, and he has a football trial tomorrow. He feels like a computer that has too many tabs open and is about to crash.

Chapter 4: Zero battery

Sara used to love the school play. But lately, even the thought of rehearsal makes her feel like she is moving through wet cement. Her favorite playlist sounds annoying, her head has a dull ache that won’t go away, and she just snapped at her brother for no reason. She isn’t just tired; she feels like her “internal battery” is broken and won’t hold a charge anymore.

Chapter 5: The recovery phase

Aarav finally decides to close the book. He takes ten deep breaths and puts his phone on “Do Not Disturb.” He realizes his worth isn’t tied to one exam. He decides to talk to his older cousin who always keeps it real. Slowly, the “heavy” feeling starts to lift.

Your stress survival toolkit

1. The stress mapping exercise

Stress likes to hide in your body. Take a moment to scan yourself from head to toe.

• The jaw clench: If your teeth are touching, drop your jaw and relax your tongue.
• The shoulder shrug: Drop your shoulders away from your ears to release your “armor.”
• The pit in the stomach: Recognize that nausea is just your body saving energy for a “fight.”
• Cold hands: This is just blood moving to your heart to help you “survive.”

2. The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique

When the world feels like it is spinning too fast, use your five senses to pull your brain back to the “right now.”

• 5 things you can see: A crack in the wall, a specific color.
• 4 things you can touch: Your shirt, a cold desk, your hair.
• 3 things you can hear: The AC hum, a bird, your breathing.
• 2 things you can smell: Laundry detergent, pencil lead.
• 1 thing you can taste: Toothpaste or just the inside of your mouth.

3. Peer pressure hacks

• The Ghost: Just walk away. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.
• The Hard No: “Nah, I’m good” works better than a long excuse.
• The Pivot: “I’m not into that, let’s just go get a burger instead.”

Don’t forget to check out TeenBook’s podcast on How to deal with stress.