Core Life Skills

Self Awareness enables adolescents to understand their own weaknesses and strengths. Being aware of the good points about oneself helps adolescents build a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence. Being aware of their weaknesses will make adolescents be willing to learn more. This also helps them utilize the opportunities available to them in relation to their abilities.

Empathyis the ability to imagine oneself in the shoes of someone else, i.e. a friend, parent or others and experience their emotions. One can understand their concerns, worries, fears and needs and how they feel. For example, if a friend is feeling sad, putting oneself in his/her situation can help the adolescent to know how to help him/her.

Critical thinkingis the ability to analyze information and experiences in an objective manner. It can help us recognize and assess the factors that influence our attitude and behaviour, such as media and peer pressure influences.

Creative thinking contributes to both problem solving and decision making by enabling us to explore the available alternatives and various consequences of our actions or lack of actions. It helps us to look beyond our direct experience, and to respond adaptively and with flexibility to situations in our daily lives, even if no problem is identified, or no decision is to be made.

Decision-making skill is required for choosing the best amongst the various alternatives in many life situations. The situations may not really be problems, but require a choice to be made. This skill enables adolescents to weigh the pros and cons of alternatives and choose the best option available and accept responsibility for the consequences of the decision.

Problem solvinginvolves various steps. It requires clear identification of the problem, exploring the available alternatives and deciding on the best possible solution.

Effective Communication skillsare a combination of listening and speaking skills. Body language is as important as spoken words and may even have more of an impact. It is important for adolescents to talk and share their views especially with their parents, elders and peers. Sometimes adolescents experience difficulty in communicating with their parents on issues concerning sexual behaviour, marriage and career choice. Often they may not agree with their parents views, which results in conflict and turmoil. It is therefore an important skill for an adolescent to learn to communicate effectively (both verbally and non-verbally), which includes clear and rational thinking, expression of their own views and at the same time giving equal significance to other’s opinions and view points.

Interpersonal Relationship skills(Ability to establish positive relationships) help us to relate in positive ways with the people we interact with. This may mean being able to make and keep friendly relationships, which can be of great importance to our mental and social well being. It may mean keeping good relations with family members, which are an important source of social support. It may also mean being able to end relationships constructively. Positive relationships can be established by valuing the way others think and appreciating and understanding the other person’s point of view. Relationships demand understanding of one’s own and other people’s roles and constraints.

Coping with stress and emotions involves recognizing emotions within us and others, being aware of how emotions and stress influence behaviour, and being able to respond appropriately. This may mean that we take action to reduce the sources of stress. For example by making changes to our physical environment and life style, or learning how to relax so that tensions created by unavoidable stress do not give to health problems.