Nikhil was lying face down on the
pillow & sobbing. He did not care that neither his father nor his
grandparents hated to see him cry… just because he was a boy! It was as if boys
should not feel at all or be good at hiding them. His twin sister Nikita could
hide her feelings easily. How she yearned for her father and grandfather to see
all the wonderful things she could do; things that they would like Nikhil to do!
Like studying business management in India or abroad and manage their family
business. But Nikhil never felt he had the head for business. He was happy with
his music & writing; he aced it and even had his own channel with tons of
subscribers. His father… why, even his sister felt it was a big waste when he
should be trying hard to excel at studying to go abroad to some fancy university
to get a Management degree. Nikita wanted to… quite frankly, she could too… unfortunately,
their father did not seem to care.
There was only one person who
Nikhil could talk to and that was his Uncle Narendra Singh (his father’ elder
brother) who he referred to as Tausa. He was the one who saw and encouraged
Nikhil’ passion for music and became his teacher. He himself was a renowned
musician who spent his time touring the globe for his various concerts. He was
also
His Tausa picked up his call and
heard Nikhil’ muttering interspersed with sobbing for a good 5 minutes after
which he requested Nikhil to either sob or talk and that he was willing to hold
the phone for either as long as it took. Nikhil told him about his dilemma - to
be happy doing what he loved OR to just do what his father liked and not think
too much.
His Tausa remained silent for a
few seconds and told him, “My son, I had the same dilemma 20 years ago &
then, your father was in Nikita’ position. But if you ask me, I will just say
that I chose to do what I loved and let me tell you that I am very happy.
However, I don’t know how I would be if I had chosen to do what your
grandfather liked but still, I could definitely not be happier than I am now.
Yes, it will tough, there will be obstacles, misses but it is OK. The result is
worth it. You know what? My decision has paved the way to happiness for your father's happiness just as your wise decision could pave a way for your sister's happiness. She will get noticed after that initial drama just like your father was. All the best, my child. It is going to be OK; I am always with you.”
PC: Ri Butov from Pixabay
Zinger for the Day:
Walk Away, Say NO, Cancel Plans, Take a Break, Change your Mind, Love your Flaws, Be yourself.
Janani was sorting through the
stuff in her parents’ room. Her parents were smiling at her from the photo
hanging on the wall. She could not believe that her ever-smiling, ever-giving,
ever-loving parents were gone. It had been a freak accident on the way to the
resort for a relaxing vacation after her father’ retirement. It was her gift to
them. Ever since she could remember, her parents were always working hard.
There were loans to pay and the last loan was repaid just a year before her
father retired. Her parents had always saved up whenever they could. They never
cut corners for Janani, but they squeezed themselves. So, this vacation was
Janani’ way of giving back.
Janani’ husband Shyam thought
that it would be a great idea to sell this house because they lived miles away
and would hardly come now that her parents were gone. Janani was very reluctant
so they decided that for the time being, they would rent it out. Hence, they
needed to know what to keep and what not.
As she was going through her
parents’ papers, she came across crisp entries regarding the fixed deposits
that were due to mature the next month. She was shocked to see that both her
parents had been contributing small portions of money individually for the last
twenty-five years towards fixed deposits renewed every year and the total
amount stood to over Rs 10 lakhs. They had named it the
“Seeing-the-world-together” fund.
Her parents had thought that one
day, they would use this money to see the world together. Janani remembered all
the times she thought they could live better. Instead, they were saving away
for that one day. Janani had tears in her eyes as she went towards her parents’
smiling frame on the wall.
She lamented, “Oh Dada &
Mumma, why did you not choose your 30th anniversary last year as
that day to start your world tour?” Alas, her parents would never have that
chance.
Picture Courtesy: Long Truong @ unsplash
There was a lesson in it for
Janani. Shyam & she had been putting off having a child till the day they
were "settled". She realised that she needed to be wiser. After all, time waits
for no one.
It was Raunak’ last day at the IT
firm where she had spent the last six years working in the pre-sales team and traveling
all over the world. She had it all – a great resume and equally awesome
personality traits to complement her job demands.
However, this was her parents’
dream not hers. They did everything possible to ensure that their dream came
true and provided her with all possible resources to enhance her natural talents.
They wanted her to bag a great job at an MNC, so that they could get a good
match for her from either the US, Europe, or Australia. That is how they could
ensure that their only daughter was set for life. And they were not wrong. Her
friends’ parents thought so too and many of them were already happily married and
settled abroad. But then again, Raunak’ friends wanted that life for themselves.
Not Raunak though!
She had always wanted to pursue a
career in travel photography. She had loved travelling since she was very
young. She was gifted her first digital camera when she was 13 years old and
she clicked away like there was no tomorrow. That stopped within a few months because
of preparation for exams. But she often managed to steal time for pursuing this
hobby; it was an obsession. She was happiest with the camera, but she did not dare
to mention it to her parents. She was
afraid that they would get angry at her apparent lack of respect for their efforts.
She was right. They were very
angry when she told them a month ago of her decision to quit and start afresh
in the field that she felt so passionate about. They were angry that their
dream of seeing their daughter married & settled abroad came crashing down.
They wondered where they had gone wrong.
Raunak tried to reassure them as
best she could that they did everything right and she did everything to walk
the path they had chosen for her. But something clearly was amiss. She was
happy when she got those awards, promotions at her work; however, more so, when
she was appreciated in her travel blog for her keen eye in her photographs that
she took while travelling around the world.
About six weeks ago, her parents
proposed that she marry their friends’ son. She liked Vyom, he was an awesome yet
nerdy guy who loved to hide behind his gadgets and hated travelling of any kind.
She quit being someone else to
please others. She chose to star in her own new story.
Background photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com
Mitali was sitting with downcast
eyes in front of her computer. Her mother who had come into the room to put the
ironed clothes in the cupboard, saw Mitali looking so sad. She was very
concerned and so she put an arm around Mitali and asked her what the matter was.
Mitali said, “Mumma, the girls in my class were discussing about doing a video
for our teacher Miss Kavita; it is her birthday. I love Miss Kavita, so I
wanted to be part of this video, but they declined saying I was too fat and
ugly, and they did not want to spoil their effort. You are so pretty and slim,
Mumma. I am your daughter so how come I am not like you?” Saying this, she put
her head into her hands and sobbed.
Her Mom gathered her close, wiped
her tears and said, “My dear, yes, you are my daughter who paints and writes so
well that even Miss Kavita told me at the PTA meeting that I should enable you
to harness this talent. You know my writing; I can barely string words
together. And painting? Remember, how I tried to do rangoli last Diwali and everyone
asked me to stop wasting my time and tell you to do it?”
The recollection of that day
brought a slight smile to Mitali’ face. Her Mom was encouraged to say further,
“And who says that Miss Kavita can only receive a video? Did you know that she
is a writer too and her late father loved to paint? Why don’t you make a
painting & write something nice for Miss Kavita?”
Mitali was thrilled with her
effort on her present for Miss Kavita whose birthday celebration was at the end of the online
classes today. Some boys presented her with an online skit, and the girls presented
their video. Others who were not included in skit or video just showed her
their handmade cards. Miss Kavita oohed and aahed & smiled through all of
it. When my turn came, & I presented a painting of her with a poem about
her father talking about her. The whole class fell silent as Miss Kavita was crying
and looked at me with scorn in their eyes. I was terrified at the hate messages
popping on my phone when Miss Kavita spoke “Mitali, I missed my father so much
today. When I see this awesome painting and read your lovely poem about my
father speaking to me from beyond, I just felt so special and so loved. Thank
you my dear, I will treasure this for the rest of my life”.
The messages stopped coming. I
was so happy.
Zinger for the Day:
You were born to be real; so, you
are perfect just the way you are.
Neelima looked at her Covid test
result with dismay. She had tested positive for Covid. She was wondering how
she could be positive when she had done everything by the book. Sanitising
herself and her apartment every half hour, getting everything ordered in at the
doorstep instead of stepping out, paying bills online, social distancing with
her neighbours; she had followed everything religiously. But when she caught
that cold & fever which refused to leave her despite all the homemade
remedies, she had gone for the test as her consulting doctor had suggested and
now this result.
She did not even feel like eating
the dinner she had prepared. Everything tasted like sawdust anyway. Luckily,
her parents were staying with her brother in the US & had been stuck there
due to the lockdown. They had been aghast at the news and lamented on how they
should have been there to look after their Neelu. This made Neelima miss them
even more.
Well, her doctor had told her to
remain hydrated, so while she was sipping the hot water, she remembered that
she had to intimate the Society office about her home quarantine. She dialled
the secretary – Mr. Shetty who lived in the flat just above her’s. Mr. Shetty
had been badly hit by Covid; in fact, he had been hospitalised for over 25 days
since he had multiple comorbid conditions. Mr. Shetty was very popular person,
always helpful, smiling and kind to not only the members but also the employees
in Security, Housekeeping. So, the entire society had become gloomy when he was
in the hospital and the day, that he had been brought home, it felt like Diwali.
Now, he heard Neelima and
probably it was her bleak tone that prompted him to say, “My dear, give me 15
minutes & I will get you Aunty’ hot soup. Don’t worry, we will talk through
the safety door” and promptly hang up.
I opened the main door &
waited a little away from it. Mr. Shetty landed exactly fifteen minutes later.
He told her very kindly, “My dear girl, you are young and healthy so treat
Covid like an injury that you could not avoid. Remember, when you fell off the
bicycle & scraped your knee? Did you stop cycling? No, right! You just
rested and dreamed of what you do when you felt better. And, when you did, you
cycled the remainder of that summer & others. In the same way, relax, have
all the right food and medicines and dream of what you would do, when you get
better”. He kept the bowl of soup on the table outside the safety door and left
with the same smile as he had come in.
Suddenly, I was immensely
cheerful, and smiling; probably the effect of Shetty Uncle’ smile & kind
words. When my parents called again, I had finished Aunty’ delicious soup.
Unlike the last time however, I was smiling and told them that the next 14 days
was going to be rest & relaxation time. Looking at my smiling face, they
started feeling better & my father could even manage to crack some jokes
during our 20-minute conversation.
I realised how Shetty Uncle’ kind
words and smiling face were reflecting & resonating with me & through
me to my parents. I felt like I was in a valley of bright flowers. The gloom
had passed.
Till last night, his worry had
been that HR of the new company would send him a letter saying that in view of
the Covid scenario that had escalated, they were in a midst of a hire freeze so
he need not join today. His last employer had even waived the notice period and
let him go off early so there was no chance of going back there. His worries
were unfounded. He joined today without any event.
As he was thinking over the
events of his first day, he could not help but worry over meeting the
expectations of his boss and getting along with his team. His boss had been
pleasant but firm in letting him know that he was quite result-oriented. His
team was in the midst of a delivery crisis especially since 3 out of them were
on sick leave having contracted Covid. He was expected to learn fast and do the
tasks assigned to him at the daily team meeting online from tomorrow.
His daughter Preeti brought out
the tea since his wife Parvati had not completed her workday yet. Looking at
his pinched face, she said, “What happened Appa? The new company is not good?”.
He shook himself out of his reverie and said, “No da, they were quite pleasant.
I am just thinking whether I will be able to meet the demands of this new job”.
She laughed and said, “Oh Appa! You are always worried just that your worry
changes from time to time. Till last night, you worried they may not hire you
and since you could not go back to your old job, you would have to hunt for a
new one. Just last month, when Covid outbreak started, you worried about us
contracting Covid and how we would manage during lockdown without our maid and
cook Nachamma. On New Year’, you were worried about whether you would be
promoted & that is all you wished for. Just few months back, you were
worried that so much travel in your previous job was hurting your diet and
sleep. Where are all these worries now, Appa?”
Sethu looked at Preethi &
wondered where his teenage daughter got so much wisdom from. Not him for sure!
Zinger for the Day:
You won’t always have the
worries that you have now.
Juhi was so happy when she left
the building. She had landed her dream job after a series of really exhausting
four interviews. There was so much competition, but she had aced it. She
treated herself to pizza and cakes even though it was not her cheat day. Food
really made her happy, but it also added many kgs onto her frame. Today, she
did not care how many extra weight she put on; so euphoric was she. Shopping,
another favourite activity was next on the cards. And, she shopped like a
maniac; after all she, a small-town girl was shifting to Bangalore. The
farthest she had ever been was to Delhi for visiting paternal family members.
She was so excited about living without any restrictions as she had here.
She reached home and seeing her
parents’ face, the fizz in her happy spirits started reducing. They did not
look like they were glad. Her mother just told her that tea was ready, and her
father continued with his gardening after nodding at her.
No congratulations, no pride in
her achievement!
Juhi was so upset that she missed
a step and landed badly on her left ankle with all her shopping strewn around
and under her. She was in terrible pain. Her father rushed her to the hospital
where they said she had a ligament tear. Even though no cast was required, she
was to be complete bed rest for at least two weeks. Juhi & her father came
back in silence from the hospital. She felt this was such bad luck.
Her mother fussed over her. Her
elder sister, a counsellor practising in Kanpur arrived a short while later. Juhi
complained how hurt she was at her parents’ attitude. She ranted over how she
had always tried to make them proud of her but how she failed. Then there was
this mishap.
Her sister patiently listened to
Juhi. Then she asked her, “Juhi, you landed your dream job. You were so happy
that you bought a lot of things. But this job is going to take you away from
our parents. They are proud of you, but they are going to miss you more
especially since you won’t be coming home now & then like me. Instead of
giving them time to digest this, you became upset and fell down. But, you have
only a ligament tear and 2-weeks bed rest which gives our parents ample time to
spend with you till you leave. Imagine if you had a cast, how would you have
left for Bangalore? Instead of concentrating on the positives and continue
being happy about your job, why are you choosing to focus on the minor things
& complaining?”
Juhi reflected on her sister’
words.
Zinger for the Day:
Happiness is a habit. Habit
formation requires constant practice. Practise being happy every chance you
get.
Pallavi came out of her bedroom
after giving her husband Girish yet another reminder that the cable & gas
bills needed to be paid online tonight. It was nearly 8:30 p.m. which meant
that if Girish did not pay the cable bill at least, their daughter Gargi was
sure to create a ruckus. Gargi’ exams were getting over tomorrow and she was
looking forward to catching up on her favourite TV shows. Pallavi realised that
she had just half-hour remaining before spending time with Gargi to prepare for
the last exam Social Studies. She still had the utensils from dinner to wash,
clean the kitchen, fold, and iron the dried clothes, set up the things for
making breakfast & lunch and make her TO-DO list for tomorrow.
Meanwhile Girish was struggling
with work. Two members of his team had taken sick leave because of extreme
fatigue and suspected Covid in their respective families. He was frustrated
because even while his team was shrinking, the delivery date was still the
same. To add to the frustration, Pallavi would interrupt him constantly
reminding him of things that he had to do. He wondered why Pallavi did not
understand that if he did not work as per expectations, then bill payments
would be a bigger problem.
Both Pallavi & Girish were
overwhelmed by the tasks still looming despite them slogging through the day.
Even though they were separated by the wall dividing the drawing room, and the
bedroom, they had identical thoughts – to sit in silence for 20 minutes without
any guilt.
The results were amazing.
Pallavi did the folding and
ironing of the clothes while she asked Gargi the answers to Social Studies
questions. After 9:30 p.m., she put on music from the 80s. She washed the
utensils, cleaned the kitchen, and sorted the vegetables while humming and
singing.
By 10:00 p.m. when she entered
the bedroom to give Girish some coffee, he apologised for being short with her
and told her that he had paid all the bills. He had told his boss very firmly
about his resource issues and his boss had been open to his ideas of extending
delivery.
Zinger for the Day:
Take a 20-minute break from your
routine daily. Sit in Silence. It is OK!
Neha & Meet woke up to the
insistent ringing of their phone alarms. It was 5:30 a.m. Both of them wanted
to snooze their alarms & sleep some more. They reviewed their choices –
Sleep or Not-to- sleep.
Meet had that presentation to
complete which according to his boss needs to be sent immediately as it is
given to him; he had received 15 reminders already. As if his hands could work
magic. But before starting on the presentation, he had a lot to do. First, he
had to sweep and mop the apartment. Maids were a huge risk for his aged parents
in this time of Covid-19, so he & Neha had decided to do everything
themselves. Then, he had to walk both his parents; they needed the exercise.
Then, feeding them breakfast and giving them their medicines.
Neha had an Australian client
call at 9:00 a.m. for which she still had some preparations left to complete.
She had the laundry to be done, clothes to be folded, utensils to be washed,
breakfast to be cooked, children to be woken and set up for online class. Only
after that could she get ready for the call.
Both of them shrugged. The choice
had been made – Not to sleep. A no-brainer really!
When Meet’ mother went to use the
restroom around 6:00 a.m., she found both of them doing exactly the same thing
that they had been doing for months. They claimed it was their mantra for
getting through any sort of crisis… well, Covid is one of the greatest that we
have faced, right?
Meet was engrossed in yoga and
Neha was meditating.
Meet’ mother smiled and thought
about what her son had told her when she had strong misgivings about ‘wasting
time’ when there was so much to be done.“Self-care isn’t selfish. If Neha & I are not fit physically &
emotionally, how can all of you bank upon us? Remember Ma, how when we travel
in airplanes, they say in case of emergency, put your own mask before assisting
anyone else?”. Her husband and she have never missed their meditation routine
at 10:00 a.m. ever since.
Mrs.
Kotian shivered under her blanket. Torrential rains were pelting on her
windowpanes. She did not have enough energy to close them or pick the phone
much less answer the doorbell. This was all new to her because she did not have
any major health issues and she had been careful about taking precautions post
the lockdown imposed due to Covid. .
She
struggled again to get up to the loud pealing of her mobile phone. She failed
miserably. She knew it must be her two daughters calling one after another from
the States. She wanted to shout for help, but she was not even close to the
window and there was nobody at home. Ever since the Covid-19 outbreak, she had
been left all alone. Mr. Kotian had passed away two years ago and she could
socialise with her family, friends and neighbours only virtually.
She
felt like Mr. Kotian was calling out to her but the more she tried to grab
him, the more she felt he was getting
fainter and fainter.
She
opened her eyes a crack and found a blurred vision in white before it
disappeared.
She
woke up and looked around to find that she was not alone. Another lady was
laying in the bed about feet away. Her vision in white became clear; it was a
nurse. Her name was Asha and she had quite a story to tell.
Asha
told Mrs. Kotian that her neighbours had broke open the lock of her house and
got her here 3 days ago. It was touch-and-go for some hours in her battle
against Covid but nobody including the doctors, nurses and herself had given up.
The
medical staff were putting their life at risk for her; someone who they had
never met before. The same neighbours who she had taken care of by providing
home-cooked food and virtual support during their time of need had made great
efforts to be her support now; never mind the broken door. Life is more
precious after all!
Zinger
for the Day:
Even
as you lay worried & weary from this battle against Covid-19, know
this in your heart – “We are all in
this together. We got your back as you have ours.”
Mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health in the world. Countries spend just 2% of their health budgets on mental health. However, close to 1 billion people are living with a mental disorder, 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. And now, billions of people around the world have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is having a further impact on people’ mental health.
However, there is a stigma attached to talking about mental health issues which needs to end now because we need to be mindful that emotional health is an important part of overall health. People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. They are able to cope with life’s challenges. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships.
Being emotionally healthy does not mean you are happy all the time. It means you are aware of your emotions. You can deal with them, whether they are positive or negative. Emotionally healthy people do still feel stress, anger, and sadness. But they also know how to manage their negative feelings. They can tell when a problem is more than they can handle on their own. They also know when to seek help from their therapist / counsellor.
Research shows that acquiring and maintaining emotional health is a skill. You can practise “Emotional Hygiene” to improve your emotional health and be happier.
Be aware of your emotions and reactions: Become aware of those things in your life that make you feel sad, frustrated, or angry and catalogue them in a journal. Then, make a plan to address or change them.
Manage your thoughts and feelings: Learn relaxation methods like meditation, deep breathing, and exercise to cope with stress due to negativity in thoughts and behaviour.
Think before you act: Give yourself time to think and be calm before you say or do something you may regret later.
Express your feelings in appropriate ways: Talk to family, friends when something is bothering you. If it is bothering you persistently, talk to a counsellor. Keeping feelings of sadness or anger inside can cause problems in your relationships at home, at work or at school and put you in the middle of a negative cyclic triad of thoughts, emotions, and behaviour.
Take care of your physical self: Exercise regularly, eat healthy meals, and get enough sleep. Do not abuse drugs or alcohol. Prevent your physical health from affecting your emotional health.
Strive for balance: Find a healthy balance between work and play, and between task and rest. Make time and focus on things that you are passionate about in your life.
Find purpose and meaning: Figure out what is important to you in life; it could be your family, your work, volunteering, caregiving, or anything else. Spend your time doing what feels meaningful to you.
Connect with others: Make a lunch date, join a group, and say hello and /or smile at strangers. Make meaningful and enduring connections with other people.
Stay grateful: Focus on being thankful for the good things in your life. Forgive yourself for making mistakes and forgive others.
Zinger for the Day: If you are finding it difficult to
practise Emotional Hygiene daily, then seek a counsellor. Dodge the stigma. Talk
about your feelings and your moods. We are here to listen. Come and be part of
the conversation.
Since
the Covid-19outbreak early this year,
we have been extra careful about shielding our body from the often deadly
coronavirus.
We
practice physical hygiene diligently. We wash our hands frequently, wear face
masks and maintain social distance. If we even suspect that we may be coming
down with a cold, we become rigorous in first aid like salt-water gargling,
steam inhalation, hot food, and beverages and over the counter medications. If
infection persists, then we consult the experts for diagnosis, medication and
even hospitalisation and intubation.
Thus,
we are protecting our physical self by ordered practice of
Physical Hygiene
First Aid
Consultation with Experts
What
about our emotional self?
In
the last few months, many if not all of us have been victims to turbulent
emotions like sadness, anger, frustration, stressed, anxious, fear. Some of us
have consulted counsellors when these emotions have disturbed us so much that
we have become dysfunctional. However, there are people who have suppressed
these feelings. Even after becoming dysfunctional, they continued to wallow in
these negative emotions to the point of suicide.
Maybe
it is the stigma attached to talking about mental health issues or maybe it is
lack of awareness. We have to stop stigmatising talking about
mental health issues; many of these may be remedied by emotional first
aid and hygiene practices. Still, if people are unable to cope with
their emotions, help is available; talk to a counsellor. They are ready to
listen without judgement or prejudice; so, come & have the conversation.
It
may be prudent to point out that we suffer emotional injuries more frequently
than we do physically. If we are aware of the first-aid practices, then we
could dull the pain from them faster before it starts interfering in our daily
life routines.
An
emotional injury stems from a trigger event and affects our Thoughts,
Feelings and Actions in a cyclic manner i.e. Thoughts affect Feelings &
Actions, Feelings affect Thoughts & Actions and Actions affect
Thoughts& Feelings. Emotional First
Aid may be applied at any level - Thoughts, Feelings or Actions and it dulls
the pain from emotional injuries.
Let
us take an example which some of us (especially those balancing
work-from-home with household tasks) may have faced since the lockdown in March -
Trigger Event: My family members and I have a huge
fight over my lack of contribution in household chores & I was called
‘absolutely useless’ (EMOTIONAL INJURY).
My feelings: I feel hurt, anxious, & depressed.
My Actions: I make mistakes in my work which makes
my boss angry. I failed him.
My Thoughts: I am unlovable, unworthy & an
utter failure.
I
apply Emotional First Aid at Actions level. I visualise
positively how my situation should ideally be i.e. I am appreciated by my
family members and my boss for the hard work and longer-than-usual hours that I
am putting in.
Here
is the change that happens in -
My Feelings: I feel peaceful and confident about
myself.
My Actions: I divide my time in a smart manner
between household & office tasks giving both appropriate priority at the
right time.
My Thoughts: I am worthy. I am sure I can do a great
job that will be appreciated
What happens? My family & my boss are pleased with
my work & they appreciate me.
Anyone
can practise Emotional First Aid. True. However, we can prevent harm from
emotional injuries by practising Emotional Hygiene daily through -
Meditating: Different techniques focusing on
mindfulness, spirituality, transcendence, progressive relaxation twice daily
(morning after rising and evening before going to bed shown to be most
effective)
Exercising: Take 20-30 minutes daily to activate
your muscles and release the stress through exercise, yoga.
Indulging nature: Tend to plants or pets
for some time each day. Their positive energy will rejuvenate you.
Motivating Self: Practise saying good,
motivational words to yourself in the mirror (real self). Hearing great and
positive things about yourself is good for lifting many a dark mood.
Positive Visualising: Close your eyes and see a very happy
version of yourself through your mind' eye and introspect on what can bring
about this happiness. Your mind will make pathways to make this happen.
Cataloguing Emotions: Write every aspect (your feelings,
thoughts) of events that disturb you or make you happy. Slowly, a pattern of
your reactions will emerge which will enable you to formulate a plan of action
for resolution (in case of disturbance) and replication (in case of happiness).
Fostering Relationships: Engage in meaningful and supportive
relationships and nurture them constantly by being there and calling out for
help. Talking to a support group is one of the best forms of therapy for
emotional injuries.
Engaging your passion: Find a hobby that excites you like
singing, dancing, painting reading. Indulge in it for some time daily; it will
relax and rejuvenate you.
Being grateful: Thank everyone who makes you happy; it
could be your parents, spouse, children, friends, pet or even a random
stranger. The positive energy vibrations will uplift you.
Volunteering: Give back to the society in whatever
you can.
Your
self-care routine should ideally encompass both your physical & emotional
self for contentment and happiness. Practice till it becomes a habit and slowly
you will see that it becomes a personality trait.
Zinger
for the Day: Practise self-care daily to add that zing to your moods. Feel free
to feel it.
