I started noticing a pattern with my high-performing students - they were filled with pressures to perform and the pressure sometimes became debilitating anxiety. As I analyzed the trending practice test scores of my test prep students, I noticed that scores were directly linked to their stress levels. When there was something stressful happening in their life, their scores plummeted. When they were on holiday and relaxed, they excelled.
Out of necessity, I merged my life coaching skills with tutoring and started coaching some students. I was astounded by their ability to apply the mindfulness tools I shared with them and the direct impact it has on their lives. One student reported that he had trouble recalling how to do a certain math problem at school, and started to panic. But after remembering to practice the breathing exercise I taught him, he was able to get back to a calm and centered place. Not only that, he was able to relax enough to subsequently retrieve the information! Rather than push ourselves to exhaustion with our striving, it's actually much more balanced to operate from a relaxed state. Once centered, performing well academically is but one of many positive side effects.
Adults have an array of life coaching resources available to them, but students need this just as much, if not more, as they are navigating their sense of self during these seminal years.
Having an empathetic coach and mentor can make all the difference for young adults who are learning how to navigate their identity in relation to the world and others. Our current education system does not teach the tools for emotional regulation, something crucial to an adolescent's development into adulthood.
I teach emotional awareness by primarily using these tools:
Mindfulness Techniques
Effective Communication Skills
Spiritual Awareness (if applicable)
Over the years, I've acquired these tools because I was once a Type A, overachieving, anxious human-doing who based my self-esteem on my academic/professional performance. 20 years' worth of self study, workshops, coaches, therapists, and spiritual teachers later, I've turned this striving into a desire and a practice to help others transform. If you’d like to read more about my emotional wellness coaching work, visit Vesta Flames.
Curious to learn more about Emotional Wellness Coaching for you or your child? Book a free 30-minute Discovery Session with me!