Four bright ideas to light up your learning and wellbeing this Diwali

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the biggest celebrations for Hindus around the world. It is also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists. Diwali's origins are Hindu and the festival takes place in October or November, although the date changes each year depending on the Hindu lunar calendar. In 2025 Diwali is celebrated on Monday 20 October.

Diwali is followed by the Hindu new year, so can often be a time for reflection. We thought we'd take a look at four ways in which you can reflect to help light up your learning and brighten up your life as the nights get darker this Diwali.

Spread the light

Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, symbolised by Lord Rama’s victorious return after defeating the demon King Ravana. Hindus light small lamps known a Diyas during the festival, but Diwali is a time to reflect on our inner light as well. You could do this by being kind to others.

Expert on kindness, Professor Robin Banerjee, told us that it can help improve our wellbeing, he said: "People who regularly carry out or receive kind acts from others have higher levels of wellbeing on average." Professor Banerjee suggests showing kindness by:

• Giving emotional support
• Giving practical support
• Being generous
• Being inclusive

Many people feel like kindness has a ripple effect. If you or someone in your friendship group is regularly kind to others, others in the group are more likely to feel they want to do the same.

You can click here for more tips about kindness ahead of World Kindness Day which is on 11 November 2025.

Be thankful for friends and family

Diwali is a time when we can be thankful for the people we love, like our friends and family. In our World of Wellbeing podcast, Dr Radha spoke to Ami Charlize about the importance of friendships. Dr Radha said: "There are lots of elements that make up a healthy relationship including trust, openness and being able to be yourself and open up without worry. Friends who celebrate your wins and lift you up, and who are there for you if things are tough or challenging and in the bad times. Kindness is a big one too – if a friendship is based on kindness, then it is unlikely to go wrong."

Ami said of friendship: "You want friends that are going to uplift you and make you feel like the smallest achievements are the biggest achievements, even if it's like, you've had a really, really bad week at school, but you got yourself in, they should be acknowledging that and be like, ‘well done for actually going in today, it's really good.’"

Declutter to stay organised

One way that Diwali is celebrated is by decluttering the home to welcome the goddess Lakshmi. Did you know that decluttering your bedroom can help you stay on track when doing homework? Choose one place to keep all your books and school items. This might be a shelf, a desk space or even just a box or container that is only used for these things.

Be disciplined about putting things back in there when you come home from school, or when you've finished using them, then you’ll always know where to find things, and they will always be there when you’re looking for them!

You can find more ways to stay organised while doing your homework here.

Knowledge over ignorance

One of the themes of Diwali is knowledge over ignorance. Dr Heather Branigan spoke to us about metacognition, which is thinking about and managing your own thinking. Understanding metacognition can help improve how you learn by identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Using metacognitive knowledge and regulation, which you can find out more about here, is a good way to boost your learning.

The great thing about metacognition is that the more aware we are of our own thinking, including our strengths and areas to work on, the more efficient we can be with how we focus our attention and develop skills. You can find more ways to light up your learning in the Study Skills section of our website.

If you need support

You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.

If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on the BBC Bitesize Action Line page for young people.