The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, OCT 23, 2021
“Storytelling can be a helpful and effective tool for mental wellness. It lets children experience real-life scenarios in the safe environment of a story and find ways out without any risks,” said Ameen Haque, innovation consultant and founder of Storywallahs, a company that helps leaders and organizations leverage the power of stories.
Conducting a session on Mental Wellness for the students and their parents and the staff of city-based KiiT International School, Ameen Haque said, “Stories show the child what kind of situations they might land in and point them in the right direction. Also, stories teach children about good and bad, and help them develop good qualities and help them to mature. Sharing similar experiences lets us know that we are not going through it alone and we are all in this together.
The brutal Covid-19 pandemic has entered its second year of wreaking havoc in our lives. Although India has successfully set a record of administering 100 crore vaccine doses, the battle is far from over. This gruesome time has not only affected each of us physically but has also had tremendous impact on our mental health and wellness. Following the footsteps of their founder Achyuta Samanta who has been a champion for mental wellness, KiiT International School recently organized a session on Mental Wellness for its students, their parents and the teachers and staff of the institution.
The objective of the session was underpinned with the ideas, such as Coping with fear, stress & worry; Being well educated about the current situation; Prioritizing Mental Wellness; Myth busting & stress busting during these testing times; and Redefining existence with laughing minds. Unlike other meets, the aim of this session was to motivate the teachers, parents, students to foresee a positive and strengthened future.
Haque used the power of storytelling to highlight on how everyone can adapt to the new normal, how the pandemic has changed the classroom, the coping strategies that can be used to tide over the difficult times and how to instill hope, optimism and positivity.
Speaking on the unique initiative, Mona Lisa Bal, Chairperson, KiiT International School said, “Mental wellbeing is equally important as physical wellbeing, and this cannot be stressed enough. Each of us must try and care for the mental health of ourselves and those around us.”
