“Plan your self-improvement program”- 4 September 2016.
R.L
Q. I am a 4th year engineering student. My main goal is to become an IAS officer and for that I daily read the newspaper. I am also preparing for gate exams so that the job option remain in hand based on my score. Companies are coming but I don’t want to get placed so early. I want to study further & do M.tech if I get good gate score. I want to ask you that what should be the right time to prepare for UPSC exams since this is my ultimate goal. Whether I should start it early right after my graduation or after post graduation?
Ans. You should start preparing for UPSC right away. There is no need for a post graduate degree in engineering for the purpose of UPSC. In fact there is no need for engineering at all, any graduation is good enough. Get hold of the examination papers of the last five to ten years and start preparing for it. If you feel you may get enrolled into a good coaching centre which makes it more guided and easier for you. Start right now, do not wait further.
M.J
Q. I am a CA-IPCC student and spend 8-10 hours in coaching classes daily. I want to know how to manage time for outside sports for a better physical health??
Ans. You can always find time for physical activity at home or at the gym or by playing sports. If time is short to visit a gym or to indulge in sports then exercise at home. You can prepare a regimen of exercises with the help of an instructor or a friend and start doing them at home. Say for example, doing push up and dumb-bells or surya-namaskar with pranayam could be a good workout. Or just cycling around for 10 km either in the morning or in the evening could be another option. One can always find time for half hour to one hour time for physical activity. This will stimulate your mind as well, increase your concentration and lift your moods as exercise releases positive hormones good for mind and body. Good to know you are thinking on the right lines and are serious about your life and goals.
ABC.
Q. I am a student of final year and I have been suffering from depression since many years. I am on medicines and feel better. But my concentration is not good and I feel very lonely and have friends but still feel lonely. I get emotional easily and am very sensitive and so get hurt with small comments. My family is good to me but I miss my brother who has gone abroad after his studies. I miss him very much and feel my life has become empty after he is gone. I cannot trouble him frequently and cannot make calls as they are costly. What to do? Is there a way to solve this? Or I keep on have to suffer? Please give some hope.
Ans. Of course you can solve this problem of yours and lead your life with joy and happiness. It is natural to miss a brother if he was like a mentor and guide to you but after all everyone grows up one day and leaves the family to make a career and a life independent of the family. Your problem seems to be two-fold- one is your attachment and somewhat dependency on your brother and the second is your depression for which you are under medical treatment. Your dependency on your brother may be due to your depression and his loving care for you, for you may have become accustomed to his attention. It will be necessary for you to take charge of your life in all ways- your mental condition of depression as well as your loneliness. You will need to learn to manage your emotions as well as your social and leisure time activities. The gap created the absence of your brother needs to be filled up with a hobby or activity that would give your not only joy but also add meaning and purpose to your life. A few sessions of counselling will help you chalk out a programme for self development. If you can do it yourself it will good. Go ahead and take the plunge. All the best to you.
