Life skills are the skills we need to deal effectively with the challenges in everyday life, whether at school, at work, or in our personal lives. Adolescence, a vital stage of growth and development, marks the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. It is characterized by rapid physiological changes and psychosocial maturation. Adolescence is also the stage when young people extend their relationships beyond parents and family; they are intensely influenced by their peers and the outside world in general.

It has been seen that many adolescents are able to deal effectively with these challenges, while others struggle more than others. How well an adolescent deals with these issues depends on a host of factors, including their personality, psychosocial support from their environment (which includes parents, teachers, and peers), and the life skills they possess.

Life skills are understood to be a useful tool for empowering youth to act responsibly, take initiative, and take control. It is based on the assumption that when young people are able to rise above emotional impasses arising from daily conflicts, entangled relationships, and peer pressure, they are less likely to resort to antisocial or high-risk behaviors.

Life skills have been defined as “the abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life” (WHO). ‘Adaptive’ means that a person is flexible in their approach and able to adjust in different circumstances. ‘Positive behavior’ implies that a person is forward-looking and maintains a constructive outlook, even in difficult situations.

Benefits for the Individual

In everyday life, the development of life skills helps adolescents to:

  • Find new ways of thinking and problem-solving
  • Recognize the impact of their actions and learn to take responsibility for what they do, rather than blaming others
  • Build confidence, both in spoken skills and for group collaboration and cooperation
  • Analyze options, make decisions, and understand why they make certain choices outside the classroom
  • Develop a greater sense of self-awareness and appreciation for others

Some core life skills according to WHO are:

  1. Empathy: Empathy is the ability to imagine what life is like for another person. Without empathy, the communication that adolescents have with others will not amount to a two-way process.
  2. Self-Awareness: It includes recognition of self, our character, our strengths and weaknesses, desires, and dislikes. Creating self-awareness can help adolescents recognize when they are under stress or feel pressured. Self-awareness is often a prerequisite for effective communication and interpersonal relations, as well as for developing empathy with others.
  3. Creative Thinking: It is a way of seeing or doing things that is characterized by four components – fluency (generating new ideas), flexibility (shifting perspective easily), originality (conceiving something new), and elaboration (building on other ideas).
  4. Critical Thinking: It is the ability to analyze information and experiences objectively.
  5. Problem-Solving: This skill helps empower adolescents to look at a problem objectively, weigh different options for solutions, and come to a decision after evaluating the pros and cons of the available options.
  6. Decision Making: This skill can help an adolescent deal constructively with decisions about their lives. Youth and adults can learn to assess the different options available to them and consider the likely effects of these decisions.
  7. Effective Communication: This means being able to express opinions, desires, needs, and fears, and also includes the ability to ask for advice and help when needed.
  8. Interpersonal Relationship Skill: This skill helps adolescents relate in positive ways with people they interact with in their everyday lives.
  9. Coping With Stress: Coping with stress as a life skill means recognizing the sources of stress in their lives, understanding how this affects them, and acting in ways that help them control their levels of stress.
  10. Coping With Emotions: An important aspect of this skill is learning to manage intense emotions like anger or sadness that can have negative effects on our health if we do not respond appropriately.