This post begins with a confession. I must admit that I was a scared cat for a good part of my life. You can comfortably call me an introvert. Introverts can't mix with human life and yes I am one of those people who worry about putting off others and press the panic button at anything that my mind may not able to come to terms with. We introverts wear colored masks to hide the frown lines that the world and the drama it creates, puts on us. For a long time, I struggled at choosing those masks and painting them with my favourite hues of emotions. With the passage of time, I am learning the trick.
An article sent by the bestie on the three different kinds of people in the world based on their negative feelings shook me up. This thought provoking article on Mental Floss talks about three different kinds of personalities. If you happen to read it, you may get a fair idea about the kind of personality you are. I tried to wear one of those personality types, and failed to strictly put myself into any of the kinds that the author has mentioned of. For me the journey has been from a sense of nothingness to weary boredom and finally at this stage in life, I have given up on the world and can't fit myself into the shoes it has offered.
This discouragement led to anger, hopelessness and fear. I wasn't aware of those moments when I was becoming an epidemic of negativity.
In 2013, I took to practicing spirituality. My mom was startled when one fine day, I declared that I was attending the Sunday mass. For someone who had seen the altar of the church as a young girl, this was one giant leap towards a different kind of life, one that she had never perceived to live. After endless rounds of confession and spiritual cleansing, I took a few decisions. One of the most important of those resolutions was to deactivate my Facebook profile and stay away from twitter. I think one can freeze the former while I didn't know how I was supposed to delete the latter. Perhaps, it was one of the best decisions I ever took for myself. Yes, if you have been hunting to find peace and have failed till this day, then trust me this is the first door that you need to open, to be in harmony with yourself. I had scuttled away from social media during lent and by the time I returned, fifty days later, I was many kilos lighter and detached from the dramas that had taken a toll on me. If TV is the culprit for you, especially the depressing news channels, then try and cut that clutter from your life for sometime. Trust me, you'll thank me for having given you the advice.
A few months later, I also cleaned up my friend list, unfriending people who were there on my list because we had 125 mutual friends. We never bothered to speak and since it was scary to start a conversation with a stranger I chose to set them free. On the other hand, a few other people decided to set me free and that evened the equation.
The social media is keeping us informed and raising important issues but at the same time, it is accumulating pessimism inside us when we read about them everyday. Also, it puts us at par with people who talk about their personal lives or goals. We start measuring our materialistic and emotional happiness with their yardstick and that is the point from where we fall, and hurt ourselves.
Remember not all fingers are of the same length, and yes research like this says that Facebook can magnify narcissism and anxiety.
Picture credit: christianpost.com
I then decided to go for evening walks and looked to spend more time with myself. I struggled in the initial days but with time, this has become one of my favourite activities. I get to burn fat and at the same time connect with myself. If you are a fan of music of some kind, then you can plug in your earphones and forget the travails of the world while you tread across your walking path.
Reading is another great pastime that can save you from the theatrics of humanity. It transports you into a world that you like, acting as an emollient. Every book is a new world and an important lesson for me. Some people who occasionally catch me on the metro while I am in Delhi, or on the local while I am in Mumbai, always find my nose buried in a book. I happily accept the new name they have given me, that of a snob. I am a happier person if I converse with lesser number of people and reading keeps me away from people who may disrupt my sanity. For many of them, you are a dump for the toxicity in their life, or a punching bag to let go frustration. Why be a sitting duck to someone else's detrimental pessimism?
One of my friends during this time introduced me to the art of healing oneself through forgiveness. If you haven't let go people who have hurt you and still think about them, then this exercise may be of great help.
Ho'oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of forgiveness and reuniting with harmony. A Hawaaiian therapist Dr.Ihaleakala Hew Len healed a ward of criminally insane patients without meeting them or being in the same room. This link talks about how you can practice the therapy in four simple steps and get cured of the emotional baggage that is holding you back from being a happier person.
I practice it when I am travelling or for a few minutes in my room. Chanting these four one line affirmations can be really powerful, but make sure you mean every word of it when you are chanting it.
I am sorry-Please forgive me-Thank you-I love you.
Try this when you are sitting alone in your room or taking a walk in the park while mentally picturing the issues that trouble you. You won't believe the magic it can create. It will give you a feeling of emotional lightness and as you get healed it will make you realize that all the emotional burden was of no good.
Picture credit: raiseyourvibrationtoday.com
Try to make friends in the real world. Yes, social media has shrunk the world but the beauty of having friends who are a phone call away can never equal the joy that a long friend list on facebook can give you. I retorted to old world methods of writing letters to some of my closest friends. The process connected me with them on a deeper emotional level, the one that the shallowness of social media could never give.
Lastly, as I am growing older, I am trying to keep things simple in life. I have bid goodbye to oily and spicy food and even my favorite desserts, while indulging in them once in a week or in a fortnight. I never used makeup and believe in the healing power of water. I try and sleep for six to eight hours and make sure that all kinds of gadgets are placed outside my room as I hit the sack.
Picture credit:nairaland.com
Some of these easy methods have helped me create a healthy balance between my mind and soul.
The garish tunes of life can sometime corrupt the music in your soul. We all have our burdens to carry which shouldn't bend our bones. Life is too short to be annihilated by negativity and pessimism.
Take a call and see as to what works for you. It's never too late to reclaim the happiness that you have lost to this unhappy world.
Picture Credit: unislim.com
This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.
An article sent by the bestie on the three different kinds of people in the world based on their negative feelings shook me up. This thought provoking article on Mental Floss talks about three different kinds of personalities. If you happen to read it, you may get a fair idea about the kind of personality you are. I tried to wear one of those personality types, and failed to strictly put myself into any of the kinds that the author has mentioned of. For me the journey has been from a sense of nothingness to weary boredom and finally at this stage in life, I have given up on the world and can't fit myself into the shoes it has offered.
This discouragement led to anger, hopelessness and fear. I wasn't aware of those moments when I was becoming an epidemic of negativity.
In 2013, I took to practicing spirituality. My mom was startled when one fine day, I declared that I was attending the Sunday mass. For someone who had seen the altar of the church as a young girl, this was one giant leap towards a different kind of life, one that she had never perceived to live. After endless rounds of confession and spiritual cleansing, I took a few decisions. One of the most important of those resolutions was to deactivate my Facebook profile and stay away from twitter. I think one can freeze the former while I didn't know how I was supposed to delete the latter. Perhaps, it was one of the best decisions I ever took for myself. Yes, if you have been hunting to find peace and have failed till this day, then trust me this is the first door that you need to open, to be in harmony with yourself. I had scuttled away from social media during lent and by the time I returned, fifty days later, I was many kilos lighter and detached from the dramas that had taken a toll on me. If TV is the culprit for you, especially the depressing news channels, then try and cut that clutter from your life for sometime. Trust me, you'll thank me for having given you the advice.
A few months later, I also cleaned up my friend list, unfriending people who were there on my list because we had 125 mutual friends. We never bothered to speak and since it was scary to start a conversation with a stranger I chose to set them free. On the other hand, a few other people decided to set me free and that evened the equation.
The social media is keeping us informed and raising important issues but at the same time, it is accumulating pessimism inside us when we read about them everyday. Also, it puts us at par with people who talk about their personal lives or goals. We start measuring our materialistic and emotional happiness with their yardstick and that is the point from where we fall, and hurt ourselves.
Remember not all fingers are of the same length, and yes research like this says that Facebook can magnify narcissism and anxiety.
I then decided to go for evening walks and looked to spend more time with myself. I struggled in the initial days but with time, this has become one of my favourite activities. I get to burn fat and at the same time connect with myself. If you are a fan of music of some kind, then you can plug in your earphones and forget the travails of the world while you tread across your walking path.
Picture credit: used.ca
Reading is another great pastime that can save you from the theatrics of humanity. It transports you into a world that you like, acting as an emollient. Every book is a new world and an important lesson for me. Some people who occasionally catch me on the metro while I am in Delhi, or on the local while I am in Mumbai, always find my nose buried in a book. I happily accept the new name they have given me, that of a snob. I am a happier person if I converse with lesser number of people and reading keeps me away from people who may disrupt my sanity. For many of them, you are a dump for the toxicity in their life, or a punching bag to let go frustration. Why be a sitting duck to someone else's detrimental pessimism?
Picture Credit: innismcallister.photoshelter.com
One of my friends during this time introduced me to the art of healing oneself through forgiveness. If you haven't let go people who have hurt you and still think about them, then this exercise may be of great help.
Picture Credit: laughteronlineuniversity.com
Ho'oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of forgiveness and reuniting with harmony. A Hawaaiian therapist Dr.Ihaleakala Hew Len healed a ward of criminally insane patients without meeting them or being in the same room. This link talks about how you can practice the therapy in four simple steps and get cured of the emotional baggage that is holding you back from being a happier person.
I practice it when I am travelling or for a few minutes in my room. Chanting these four one line affirmations can be really powerful, but make sure you mean every word of it when you are chanting it.
I am sorry-Please forgive me-Thank you-I love you.
Try this when you are sitting alone in your room or taking a walk in the park while mentally picturing the issues that trouble you. You won't believe the magic it can create. It will give you a feeling of emotional lightness and as you get healed it will make you realize that all the emotional burden was of no good.
Try to make friends in the real world. Yes, social media has shrunk the world but the beauty of having friends who are a phone call away can never equal the joy that a long friend list on facebook can give you. I retorted to old world methods of writing letters to some of my closest friends. The process connected me with them on a deeper emotional level, the one that the shallowness of social media could never give.
Lastly, as I am growing older, I am trying to keep things simple in life. I have bid goodbye to oily and spicy food and even my favorite desserts, while indulging in them once in a week or in a fortnight. I never used makeup and believe in the healing power of water. I try and sleep for six to eight hours and make sure that all kinds of gadgets are placed outside my room as I hit the sack.
Some of these easy methods have helped me create a healthy balance between my mind and soul.
The garish tunes of life can sometime corrupt the music in your soul. We all have our burdens to carry which shouldn't bend our bones. Life is too short to be annihilated by negativity and pessimism.
Take a call and see as to what works for you. It's never too late to reclaim the happiness that you have lost to this unhappy world.
This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.
2 comments:
I think detaching oneself from social media is pretty difficult and that too for a blogger. But I would definitely love to follow the steps in order to heal the soul.
Saree giveaway on my blog
www.docdivatraveller.com/2016/02/triveni-saree-giveaway.html
social media is such an addiction! But loved the suggestions you provided. Now I realise why I see so less of you on Twitter. Great piece.
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