STOP! SPARE FEW MINUTES TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN AN ADOLESCENT BRAIN

Dear parents, teachers and my dear young friends,

 Adolescent is one of the most difficult and sensitive period in one’s life. We might have observed that the adolescents won’t be able to concentrate on studies at the same time they can watch TV for long time; they won’t be able to concentrate on work but they can be a couch potato playing pc games, social media, tabs and cellphones.

It is the time when dressing becomes more important than having a proper meal. They hurry up to their schools/colleges skipping the breakfast. Arguing with mothers every morning and remaining speechless in front of father at the evening or troubling their siblings. Often tend to prove themselves right in front of you or elders, face with many difficult life decisions, confused about their own feelings and thus tend to act out in either passive or outrageous ways. Whenever this happens we may try to offend them showing our aggressiveness which always end up leaving them alone locked up in their room. After this how many of us have always tried to figure out ‘whose mistake it was factually’? and are struck!

Yes, we have solutions for all these challenges. Adolescence is the transitional period where childhood characteristics are changed into adult like. Both the physical and the psychological changes take place in them. According to neuroscience the neurons and their connections become increasingly networked during adolescent, as a result they show more evolved feelings to one and activities which tends to express themselves, but sometimes to the heights!

 During this time the frontal lobe functions becomes more balanced with youthful idealism along with the recognition of partial realities. But this is not fully balanced until adulthood. So patience, long wait, self-control and proper judgment can help the frontal lobe functions to improve.

Based on the observations the adolescents and their parents, most of their mothers will be at the nearest to their menopausal. Even mothers at the same time will be facing hormonal imbalances and their effects. In adults, stress increases the concentration of cortisol which gradually decreases over an hour or two. But in case of adolescents, the burst of cortisol lasts longer which makes them helpless to manage their stress. If the cortisol lasts longer in blood serum it leads to the shrinkage of cells in hippocampus (seahorse shaped structure in brain) amygdala (almond shaped neuron association). This is the reason for their absent mindedness, memory loss, depression, anxiety and other emotions. So the frontal lobe, hippocampus and amygdala are the three main regions in the brain which undergoes major changes during adolescence.

So as a parent or a teacher we should always keep in mind that our child/student fails in his exams or assigned work is not because of his lack of interest or laziness or stupidity, but it’s due to the poor integration of neurons in frontal lobes. A child can overcome this by motivating them to take active participation in music, sports, mathematics, which fixes the neuronal circuit. But do remember, hanging out with friends, chatting in cell phones or in social Medias also connects the circuit but in the fashion which are not appreciated. So take care of your three major brain areas and help them to overcome their transition in a smooth, healthy and miraculous way.

By Sangeetha Michahial