Shaping Lives (Socio Emotional Development)

SHAPING LIVES (Socio-Emotional Development)

The Shaping Lives Program is designed for high school students and young adults to address critical challenges such as anger management, substance misuse, interpersonal conflicts, family discord, relationship issues and bullying. It equips participants with essential life skills, helping them to better understand and manage their emotions, handle stress effectively, use constructive anger management techniques, cope with grief and anxiety, and develop resilience in facing life's challenges.

This program uses an innovative theatre-based group intervention approach, developed by Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service Project Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. It also integrates purposeful exercises from the Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT) Theatre Education program. By combining NIMHANS’ well-crafted methodology with BLT's enriching exercises, the workshops create a dynamic and engaging environment that promotes emotional well-being and essential life skills development.

The group interventions encourage participants to develop these life skills through participatory activities like group discussions and creative methods such as storytelling, art, film, theatre, and role-play. These interactive sessions aim to help children and young adults confront and process various issues they have experienced or may encounter in the future.

The main goal of the workshops is to empower participants with critical life skills to manage their emotions, think creatively, solve problems and resolve conflicts. The program focuses on the following key areas:

Emotional Awareness: Helping participants recognize and understand their own emotions.
Healthy Emotional Expression: Encouraging them to express their emotions constructively.
Emotional Regulation: Providing strategies to manage difficult emotions like anger and anxiety.

Workshop Structure

The workshop is structured as 12 sessions, each lasting up to 90 minutes. Each session will explore one or more of the following modules:

Anger is a natural emotion that everyone experiences at some point. We may feel angry for various reasons—when others treat us unfairly, when things don’t go our way, or when someone’s behavior upsets us. People express anger in different ways, whether through words, actions, or aggression. However, anger affects us both physically and emotionally and can strain our relationships. Learning to manage anger effectively not only helps us stay calm and in control but also contributes to our overall well-being.

In this session, we will explore the common causes of anger in children, the situations that trigger it, how they typically respond, the consequences of their reactions, and strategies for managing anger in healthier ways.

The objectives of this session are to:

Help children develop awareness of situations that provoke anger and understand how they respond or express their emotions.
Encourage children to evaluate the effectiveness of their responses and explore alternative, constructive ways to express anger and handle conflicts or challenging situations.

Discussion:

Key things learnt about anger and conflict resolution
Feeling angry is completely normal—everyone experiences anger at some point
The important factor is how we manage and channel our anger, resolving conflicts and problems in ways that are constructive and beneficial to both ourselves and others
Anger can also arise when we or others are treated unfairly. In such cases, feeling angry is natural and even important, as it reflects our concern for justice, fairness, and the well-being of others. If we never felt anger in response to injustice, it could indicate indifference to people’s feelings and unfair treatment.

Source & References:
Social & Emotional Development – Adolescent Life Series
https://nimhanschildprotect.in/ii-life-skills-socio-emotional-development/

Everyone experiences different types of fears and worries. In our last session, we explored our own fears and concerns. These emotions vary in intensity—some may terrify us, some may cause mild worry, and some situations cause mild worry which we feel confident managing.

In this session, we will discuss initial ways to manage fear and anxiety. We’ll also consider the tasks we struggle to accomplish when feeling overwhelmed. Anxiety can become so intense that it prevents people from handling situations effectively—they may either avoid necessary actions or even flee from the source of their distress. Some may also experience physical symptoms such as headaches, body aches, or fainting due to anxiety.

Fortunately, there are simple techniques to help manage anxiety and regain a sense of calm. Engaging in enjoyable activities—such as drawing, dancing, listening to music, gardening, or cooking—can serve as a helpful distraction when feeling anxious. These activities keep our attention focused, preventing us from dwelling on worries and reducing distress.

The objectives of this session are to:

Enabling children to express their fears and worries.
Helping children identify the degree of fear and worry they experience and to distinguish between issues that cause more or less fear/ worry.
Helping children manage and control anxiety through relaxation and identity exercises.

Source & References:

Social & Emotional Development – Adolescent Life Series

https://nimhanschildprotect.in/ii-life-skills-socio-emotional-development/

Identity for an individual is the unique combination of characteristics, beliefs, experiences, and roles that define who a person is. It encompasses personal traits, values, relationships, cultural influences, and life experiences, shaping how an individual perceives themselves and interacts with others. Identity reflects a person’s sense of self and answers the question, "Who am I?" It is both deeply personal, evolving over time as people grow, adapt, and encounter new situations.

What or how we think of ourselves makes a difference to how good we feel about ourselves. What we usually think about ourselves is based on what people tell us or our experiences. Identity is our sense of who we are. People’s impressions and some experiences do not make one’s entire identity. During this session participants will start seeing oneself, which will make their identities strong and capable. This will continue to evolve during subsequent sessions.

How we think about ourselves greatly impacts how we feel about ourselves. Our self-perception is often shaped by what others tell us and the experiences we go through. Identity is our sense of who we are, but it is not defined by others’ impressions or isolated experiences. In this session, participants will begin to explore and understand their true selves, strengthening their understanding of their identity. This journey of self-discovery will continue to evolve in subsequent sessions.

The objective of this module is to help participants to start understanding who they are.

Source & References:

Social & Emotional Development – Adolescent Life Series

https://nimhanschildprotect.in/ii-life-skills-socio-emotional-development/

Stress is the body's natural response to pressure, challenges, or demands. It is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can be categorized into three type– Physical, Psychological, and Psychosocial. It can be triggered by various factors, including relationships, family issues, financial difficulties, bullying, academic pressures or major life changes. In small doses, stress can help individuals stay focused, motivated, and alert. However, prolonged stress can lead to serious physical and mental health problems.

Children experiencing high levels of anxiety may struggle to cope with situations, leading to avoidance, unhealthy responses, or emotional withdrawal.

Common physical symptoms of stress include headaches, body ache, fainting, insomnia, shallow breathing, heart palpitation, nausea, loss of appetite. These symptoms arise due to the mind-body connection, where emotional distress is manifested as physical ailments.

Chronic stress increases the risk of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and menstrual irregularities. Its severity can range from mild (manageable), moderate (worrisome), to extreme (overwhelming).

Every child experiences stress uniquely, shaped by their experiences and circumstances. Even children in similar situations may react differently, while those with similar responses may come from vastly different backgrounds.

The objectives of this session are to:

provide a safe space for children to express emotions such as sadness, loneliness, anger, grief, and trauma.
help children recognize the impact of stress on themselves and others.

A follow-up session will focus on coping strategies for managing stress and difficult emotions.

Source & References:

Social & Emotional Development – Adolescent Life Series

https://nimhanschildprotect.in/ii-life-skills-socio-emotional-development/

Emotions are the feelings we experience in response to situations, thoughts, or events. They help us understand and interact with the world around us. Emotions are our internal feelings (like happiness or sadness) that result in physical responses in our bodies (such as a racing heartbeat when scared), and outward expressions (like smiling or crying).

Primary Emotions typically include – Anger, Fear, Sadness, Disgust, Happiness, Surprise.

Emotional development is the ability to:

identify and be aware of one’s own emotions
express emotions appropriately
regulate and manage difficult emotions, such as anger and anxiety
develop empathy

The objective of this module is to help participants

Gain a better understanding of their emotions
Distinguish between useful and not-useful responses to emotions
Explore the consequences of their emotional responses

Source & References:

Social & Emotional Development – Adolescent Life Series

https://nimhanschildprotect.in/ii-life-skills-socio-emotional-development/

In a previous session, we explored different types of stress. One common source of stress for children is bullying or teasing. Teasing can sometimes be playful and harmless, but it can also be hurtful and intended to cause pain.

In this session, we will examine different forms of teasing—some that may be taken lightly, others that cause mild irritation, and those that leave the person feeling deeply upset or angry. We will also discuss the nature of bullying, the typical traits of a bully, and effective ways to respond to such situations.

Through guided exercises, we will explore why some individuals are targeted for teasing simply because they are different. The session will encourage reflection on whether it is fair to judge or treat people differently based on their skin colour, body size, abilities, or other differences. We will also look at the value of diversity and consider: what would the world be like if everyone looked alike or had the same skills and weaknesses?

The objectives of this session are to:

To understand the dynamics of bullying and teasing
To appreciate and respect diversity in appearance, abilities, talents, and personal qualities
To develop assertiveness and learn various constructive ways to respond to bullying.

Source & References:

Social & Emotional Development – Adolescent Life Series

https://nimhanschildprotect.in/ii-life-skills-socio-emotional-development/