India has reported around 250+ million adolescents with uncertain academics, no idea about their future, stuck with their family without any clarity of when they will get back to pursuing their courses. Add to that the constant news and negativity, fear of the rapid spread of the virus--things that might make the teenagers or children vulnerable to different emotions leading to depression and mental instability. 

An entire generation growing up in these conditions, without any foreseeable future, is bizarre but out of our control. What we can control though is how our children react to this situation and focus on coming out of this with no damages. Hence,building resilience is of utmost importance in the current situation especially when it comes to the younger generation. It is important to address this issue sooner as prolonged stress and pressure might have severe mental health consequences. 

Resilience is nothing but the ability to overcome and work through difficult challenges while continuing with normal life and the onus to build this comes down on the parents.

Be involved in your child’s development, have honest discussions with him/her about the feelings during the pandemic and help them accept the current situation and also be able to express their fears. Talk, talk, talk to them. But be honest as well. Understand that the more you keep your kids hidden from the truth, the more it is going to get difficult for them to cope up and face reality. Hence, while discussing with your children about the current situation, try and be as clear as you can with them. Do not miss out on POSITIVE news whenever you come across one because that will help the kids look forward to hope. 

Try focusing on developing executive functioning skills in the children for instance; staying focused through different activities, helping them plan and prioritize the tasks and enhancing their performance in the tasks.  Including a lot of games and activities that involve working on memory. Also, reward a job well done and for the next time around, raise the bar. This will motivate them to outdo themselves--a skill that will come handy throughout their lives.

Try to keep up a better body regulation focusing cardiovascular exercises and breathing to keep them physically active with the help of small workout plans for them. Also, small rituals such as chanting, lighting a lamp in the house, or praying at bedtime, will instil stability in them, the foundation of a resilient person.

While maintaining physical health, make sure you help them focus on emotional regulation as well wherein they develop the ability to explore their thoughts, feelings and interpersonal skills by connecting with different people and understanding them. You could set them up in group chats and discussions, online family discussions etc.