Dikshi Gupta

Remain Sorted While Being Entangled in the Irony of Life

July 2, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Many things in life are Ironical, Aren’t they? Have you ever experienced anything Ironical? I believe Life is too ironic to be fully understood. Happiness can only be understood when one has experienced sadness; it takes absence of a person to value his presence. Throughout our childhood, we dream of growing up to earn money and when we start earning, we always wish to retrace our steps to our carefree childhood days. Another example is that we tend to ignore calls/ messages of those we know and never fail to respond to unknown calls/ texts. Moreover, another irony in this time is when the world is trying to steer through this pandemic of coronavirus, where people are urged to stay indoors as much, is when they crave to go outside.

Thinking through this notion, Ms. Dipti Kotra has penned down her thoughts in poetry, the ones which were bottled up, on Irony of Life:

Today, I was wondering about the Irony of Life,

While working, we always waited for the weekend to arrive,

But now, we are finding this lock down period difficult to survive.

Going back to work again is what we strive.

Today, I was wondering about the Irony of Life..

Looking at the weather we wanted to step outside,

But now, something is pulling us back,

And letting this feeling subside.

Today, I was wondering about the Irony of Life..

We were in a race to earn more and save for vacation,

But locked down with money in our pockets is creating frustration.

They say, stay indoor during the period of Incubation,

For the betterment of our dear Nation..

The need of the hour is to be Wise and Compromise,

Today, I was wondering about the Irony of Life..

We always cribbed about inadequate balance of Work and Personal Life,

About less time for loved ones, husband and wife.

Today, We are given Ample time- Off what we thought we were deprived,

But we are not sure of how to make the most out of this and prioritize.

Today, I was wondering about the Irony of Life..

We always desired for a pollution free air,

Today, Nature has given us our share,

An air as pure as we could ever declare,

A sky as clear that for hours we could stare,

But going outdoors these days is like a dare.

I ponder over when will we again roam under the open skies,

Today, I was wondering about the Irony of Life..

We always blamed time for catching up with a friend,

But with time in hand we are unable to comprehend.

So, video call is what they recommend,

To bring the departed feelings of our soul alive.

Today, I was wondering about the Irony of Life..

Sadly, I realized that our entire community is in a strife.

The PM, for our good, is urging us to stay Indoors,

But people are taking it otherwise.

I pray to almighty, to end this pandemic as the world has paid its price,

Today, I was wondering about the Irony of Life..

“The Irony of our life is that we are so engrossed on reaching some point, some goal, or some happiness in our journey, that we tend to forget that the journey is itself where life happens.”

As long as you have this leisure time, spend it with your loved ones, call your friends to catch up, pursue some hobby and take pleasure in whatever you do because when life resumes to normal tomorrow, you should be content with what you made out of this time and cherish these moments for future rather than repenting later to revisit this time.

So, embrace the journey as the beauty of life lies in the way it unravels itself..!!

I’m Worthy of Love

July 1, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Self-esteem mirrors your opinion of yourself – how you perceive your abilities, shortcomings, and your own worth. In simple words, it reflects how much you appreciate and like being yourself. There is a reason why Self-esteem, Self-respect, Self-love start with the word ‘Self’, and this is because you cannot find them in someone else. The essence of self-esteem lies in- Feeling lovable and feeling capable. Self-esteem is the key contributor to success, i.e., Belief you can do it, belief you deserve it and belief you will get it.

Self-esteem develops when one can interpret the world in their own terms and decline to abide by the judgement of other people. When one has healthy self-esteem, they feel good about themselves, are motivated to achieve more, and feel a sense of satisfaction. They focus on the progress and enhancement of their skill set and are less vulnerable to anxiety. Possessing little self-regard can result in one feeling depressed, unwilling to work on ideas, and constantly worrying about not being good enough. They focus on being cautious about making mistakes and live in a state of fear.

However, you must have heard this common phrase- ‘Excess of everything is bad’. While low self-esteem can force people to make the wrong choices or decisions, fall into traps, and enter disturbing relationships. An excessive sense of Self-worth will also make you subdue others and can be destructive for your relationships. So it is important to strike a balance between the two and it is the biggest achievement to be yourself in a world full of people who constantly try to make you behave or act differently than what you are.

Signs of Healthy Self Esteem Vs Low Self Esteem:

Healthy Self Esteem	Low Self Esteem
Confidence	Self-doubt or weakness
Expression of thoughts/ needs	Difficult to express thoughts/ needs
Positive outlook of life	Negative outlook of life
Say No when the need be	Have trouble in saying No
Focus on gearing towards success	Focus on fear of failure
Easily makes friends	Difficulty in making friends
Feelings like Joy, Happiness, Worthy of Love	Feelings like Shame, Anxiety, Unwanted

Self-esteem can be – Global or Situational. Global self-esteem is a constant belief about who you are. Another is the situational self-esteem which fluctuates basis circumstances, events, and roles. It can be high when you are promoted at work or can be low if you are going through a break-up.

Causes of Low Self-Esteem:

Unsupportive Parents/ Friends
Stressful circumstances like divorce/ break up
Constant Bullying
Lack of motivation
Mood disorder or medical issues

While everyone at some point in their life lacks confidence, but people with low self-esteem do not realize their worth and are pulled down as they feel unhappy and unsatisfied the majority of the time. When you value yourself and have high self-esteem, you feel stable and worthy. It takes time to cultivate healthy self-esteem and following are the tips to work on the same:

Eradicate Self Criticism- Be Kind to yourself. Make an effort to quieten the voice of doubt created inside you. Focus on replacing criticism with care and concern.

Stop Comparing- Focus on being the best version of yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others and stop striving to become like them.

Accept yourself– Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. So, accept what is not perfect for you. Focus on what you can change for the better. Let yourself feel good about that because beauty begins when you decide to be yourself.

Don’t judge yourself basis other’s opinion- The one who knows their worth does not get disturbed by what you think about them. So, do not degrade your value basis someone’s inability to understand your worth. Don’t let anyone dimmer your shine.

Exercise- Set goals for work out and achieve them. This motivates and helps in improving confidence.

Recognize your strengths– Find out your competencies and work to strengthen them. E.g., If you are good at organizing, help your friend in planning and organizing an event. What holds you back is not what you are, but what you think you are not.

Surround yourself with a positive support group– Having a safety net of loved ones to fall back on, from time to time helps in strengthening your belief about yourself.

Understand that it is unlikely to achieve high self-esteem overnight, but small steps matter as the journey of a thousand miles begins with a small step. You will find improvements over a period. So, do not rush and try to be normal, which others think, for you will never know how astonishing you can be. Lastly, remember that ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. So, don’t bend your head, rather hold it high and tell them that you are Worthy of Love’.

POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

June 26, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

The nature of people determines the quality of their life which indeed is a reflection of their mind and thoughts. To classify yourself as an Optimist or Pessimist, it is important to understand- Whether you see the glass as half empty or half full? How do you perceive things around you or contemplate any given task or respond to alleged words? Basis your experience, how do you respond to the challenges and opportunities? Inculcating positive thinking is essential to leading a happy life.

Positive thoughts not only aggregate to a happy and fulfilling life, but it has also been concluded in a research that optimists tend to have a longer life span. While thoughts imbued with negative emotions narrows down focus and diminishes life’s quality. Positive thinking and attitude are not only about anticipating the finest of things to happen all the time, but it is about making peace with whatever is happening, is for the good.

Benefits of being an Optimist-

Every individual’s way of thinking differs from one another. The difference in perception can lead to relationship troubles, botheration of financial decisions, snowballing into self-related doubts and inability to perform daily tasks well. It is often said “If you cannot change a thing, change the way you think about it.” Therefore, the key resolution is “Power of Positive Thinking” which will help you in the following ways:

Acknowledge opportunities– A positive attitude helps us in looking at the possibilities that exist instead of the problems/ obstacles and encourages us to work towards capitalizing them.

Better Health and Immunity– Optimist tend to have lower levels of cardiovascular diseases, less risk of depression and stronger immune system.

Better work Performance– A positive outlook helps one to accept the challenges, gives one less time to crib and therefore increases productivity and results in better work performance.

Situation Handling– It helps you uplift the state of mind and enables one to deal with stressful circumstances in life with more calmness.

Vicious circle of success- Positive thoughts translate into our actions. Actions decides whether we will achieve success in given task, also influences the relationships and our perception of the overall world.

Words Think Positive motivational slogan on wooden table with group of pencils. Top view

However, one cannot become an optimist overnight, rather one must practice positive attitude in their daily routine. Following are some of the tips that can help you in molding your thought process towards positivity:

Don’t Complain Often- A complaining nature can detach you from people and opportunities and will land you to more problems in life. “You can learn to surf if you cannot stop the waves”.

Look for good in others– No one in this world is perfect, not even You. So, look for the positive side and focus on their good qualities and try to adapt the same.

Don’t be influenced by negative surroundings- In a world where people believe in pulling down others by their negativity to achieve success, having optimistic and happy people around you will help you in taming a difficult situation.

Less use of negative words/ emotions– Try to be more focused about positive words like Yes, I can, Achievable. Negative words like Not possible, Never, Nothing and emotions like anger, fear have a wrong impact on our mind.

Don’t be judgmental– Do not judge a person by the way he or she looks/ talks/ handles a situation because it might be the best they could think of. Rather help the person with a better solution if you can.

Relax everyday- Spend time with yourself and try to relax by doing meditation which leads to a calm mind and can fetch better output in anything you do.

Help others- Help people with whatever you can as that makes you content and gives a sense of positivity.

Therefore, A positive attitude can be an anchor in your life. There is only one thing in the universe that you can be sure of revamping and that is your own thoughts. And remember that “Success does not come to those who avoid failures, but it surrenders itself to the ones who learn how to retaliate to the failure with positivity.”

An Act of Kindness

June 24, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

We often hear people saying- Be Kind. Kindness is nothing but a deed, no matter how big or small, that brings a difference in the life of others. It is all about being generous and considerate towards others irrespective of whether that person is known or a stranger.

Kindness involves choosing love over hate and light over darkness. They say that any act of Kindness never gets wasted as “The fragrance always stays in the hand who gives the Rose.” An act of Kindness might not cost you anything but can really help and change the lives of someone in need.

What can be the acts of Kindness:

Many of us are not born with a silver spoon and helping each other in such pressing times gives you a sense of satisfaction, joy and makes the world a better place to live in. Our small act of kindness can add value to someone’s life. We can also practice kindness in our daily routine by the following:

Gestures- Gestures are small random acts like-

Give someone a smile or hug,
Lend your ears to listen or Be someone’s confidant,
Help someone carry a heavy load,
Hold the door open for someone,
Call a friend/ family for no reason but to check their well-being,
Help a stranger in fixing a flat tyre,
Help a visually impaired cross the road,
Give up a parking space and park further,
Help someone in getting the billing done prior to you in a store,
Forgive someone,
Offer to babysit for someone,
Be polite to a sales representative on call,
Recommend someone for job opening
Teach someone for no fee/ favors

Donate to Reuse – With people switching to ‘Use and Throw’ policy, an act of kindness can simply be following ‘Re-use or Re-cycle’ policy. This form of donation does not necessarily mean spending money to donate, but it involves donating the things you bought for yourself and are no more relevant to you because for you it might be one of the stuff, but for them it might be the only stuff they have. It can be any item that they can use for a better lifestyle. These may be:

Old clothes,
Old pair of shoes (in a condition that someone can re-use),
Excess/ Leftover food,
Old Books,
Feed animals with water/ food,
Donate blood

Donation for Helping the Destitute- This form of kindness involves donation where you can afford to spare some money to help the ones in need and can be done by following ways:

Buy someone food/ a cup of coffee,
Tip someone more than you usually do,
Make monetary donation to NGOs who provide shelter,
Donate personal hygiene items,
Sponsor a child’s education

What are the benefits of being Kind?

Kindness is Contagious– It will come back to you some day in some form when you need it the most.
Releases feel-good hormones– When you do good for others, it makes you feel better and turns out to be a natural remedy that eases anxiety.
Sense of Satisfaction– It gives you Inner peace and Joy that improves your state of mind and makes you more productive.
Prevents stress– It equips you to handle stressful situations, helps you get a sound sleep, and lead a healthy and happier life.
Improves Relations– It is a language which Deaf can hear and Blind can see and therefore improves connections and relations between people and indirectly boosts your health.

To conclude this, Kindness is about being more compassionate than being judgmental and is fundamental to Human Existence. “In a World where we can be anything, Be Kind“ !!

Importance of Yoga

June 19, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

In today’s Technology-driven Era, physical activity has gone minuscule. We have been dominated by machines in every segment of life, whether personal or professional, to ease our chores. Moreover, with changing lifestyle choices and eating habits, people are becoming obese and more stressed. Also, in the wake of the pandemic situation where negative vibes are prevailing, it is important to control your anxiety levels and keep your calm. Therefore, in order to nurture a healthy mind in a healthy body, Yoga plays an inevitable role. For it helps one to maintain the balance between Mind, Body, and Spirit.

It is often said and believed that one cannot control what is going on outside but can always control what is going on inside. Therefore, Yoga is nothing but conquering your Mind which helps to improve the shape of your life rather than just the shape of your body.

Yoga is a mind-body workout which includes Physical exercise, Breath control, Positive thinking & meditation which relaxes your muscles. There are various forms of Yoga and can be practiced either Outdoor or Indoor with no special equipment besides a Yoga mat.

Major Forms of Yoga:

Hatha: This form is a combination of basic physical posture and breathing and involves balancing active and calming energies. This is best for beginners.

Vinyasa: This involves a series of postures in different sequences as the word itself means ‘to place in a special way’. It is usually practiced in a dark room.

Power: It is a faster and higher intensity practice with added core exercises that tones up muscles.

Ashtanga: It means Eight Limbs and involves breath synchronization along with movement through a series of postures. Eg- Sun Salutation. Each limb has a technique to practice-

Yamas: Moral conduct & ethical standards
Niyamas: Discipline
Asana: Physical postures for awareness about body, mind
Pranayama: Special breathing techniques to control the energies
Pratyahara: Practice of Sensory detachment
Dharana: Concentration and focus
Dhyana: Meditation
Samadhi: State of bliss that merges with the divine

Bikram: It is known as Hot Yoga and has a series of 26 poses that are performed in a room heated to a certain temperature.

Popular Postures (Asana) of Yoga:

Headstand (Sirasana)- Where you balance on your Elbows, Arms, and Head. It helps in the circulation of oxygen-rich blood and energy flow to the brain. It improves memory and concentration.

Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana)- Where the body rests on the shoulder with arms touching the floor and legs upright. This removes the blockage in the neck and shoulder area, relieves stress, and regulates all glands in the body ensuring proper functioning of organs.

Plough (Halasana)- Posture resembling a plough where the hand rests on the floor and feet touches the floor. It helps to put pressure on abdominal organs and reduces indigestion and constipation.

Sitting Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)- Stretching the spine forward with hands touching feet. It helps in easing spine compression and gives strength to the nervous system and prevents diabetes.

Cobra (Bhujangasana)- Lifting the upper body to form an arc and expanding the chest. It increases flexibility, improves blood supply to the spine, and strengthens the neck and upper back. It helps in menstrual problems in women by putting pressure on pelvic organs.

Locust (Salabhasana)- Lying on the front with arms resting on the floor and lifted legs towards the head to form an arc. This improves the flexibility of the cervical region, reduces sciatica and lower back pain. It enhances your will power.

Bow (Dhanurasana)- Balancing on the abdomen in the shape of a bow with hands grabbing the feet. It helps in reducing menstrual problems in women and strengthens digestive organs.

Standing forward bend (Padahastasana)- Bending forward in standing position with hands touching feet. It makes the spine elastic and strengthens the joints and promotes lasting youth.

Triangle (Trikonasana)- A bend towards the side resembling a triangle with one hand straight and another touching the feet. This increases the flexibility of the hip and leg.

Overall Benefits of Yoga:

The benefits of Yoga are multifold. The body is benefitted from movement and the mind is benefitted from Stillness. They are broadly categorized as follows:

Psychological–

Concentration- Does not let you divert easily, improves focus and concentration, and boosts memory.
Reduces Stress– Stress can have devastating effects on body and mind and yoga leads to improved ability to deal with stress, reduces anxiety, thereby headache.
Lower risk of Mental Health Conditions– Helps to channel our curiosity and mental powers and therefore curtail depression, hypertension.
Heightened mood– Induces meditative mood that heals your mind and soul.
Quality of Sleep– Helps in reducing tension, calming our mind, and provides the inner peace and therefore improves sleep.
Self-Esteem– Yoga is a journey of the self, to the self, through the self, and enhances confidence.
The overall quality of life– Our life is shaped by our mind. For we become what we think. It aids in adding years to your life and life to your years.

Physical-

Tone– Improves the strength of muscles, joints, and ligaments and tone them.
Flexibility– Improvises your posture, balance, flexibility, and stamina. It opens shoulders, chest, etc.
Injury Prevention- Increases strength as well as awareness of body and prevents injury.
Reduces Obesity– Helps to burn calories and shed excess fat.
Slows Down Aging– Improves energy circulation, reduces fatigue, improves skin tone, and promotes youthfulness.

Biochemical-

Balances metabolism– Helps to remove blockages and improves digestion and functioning of all organs,
Immune System– By taming the mind and cultivating positive thoughts, it does marvels in boosting the immune system.
Controls Cholesterol– Burns calories, improves blood circulation and makes one less prone to heart disease.
Hormonal Balance- Blood is the carrier of hormones and increased blood circulation helps in maintaining the balance of hormones.

“Yoga shines the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body.” It is a twirl between control and surrender, between pushing and letting go. It is an art where it is 99% practice and 1% theory. So why not start from today and Unveil the Unexplored You.

Simple Tips to Self-Care during the COVID Lockdown

June 17, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Stressing out about what the future holds for you? Constantly worrying about whether things will ever go back to normal? Regularly doubting yourself on whether you are being productive enough in this lockdown? Making plans every day of doing something meaningful but ending up just scrolling through social media all day? If you are going through any of these situations in these testing times, then don’t worry. You are not alone.

In these strange times that we are living in today, it is normal to feel the pressure. Stress and anxiety can easily creep up on you. But it is important to not let it get to our heads. If all these things that are making noises in our heads go unchecked, there are chances of one slowly spiraling towards a mental breakdown. Not able to go outside and see your friends and family is piling up on that.

But, lying in bed all day with just your thoughts is also not a solution. Being stationary does not help anyone. You need to snap yourself out of it and get moving. There are some things that you can do in order to feel better about yourself which do not take much effort. Below is a list of things you should do in the increase the productivity in your life:

Get Creative – Now that everyone is sitting at home and scrolling their social media, this is the perfect opportunity to up your meme game. And who knows? You might even go viral.

Exercise – You have to shake that lethargy off of you and get your body moving. It’s great if you have some workout equipment at home. But even if you don’t, there are plenty of tutorials and fitness apps on the internet that will tell you simple ways to workout at home.

Cooking – Cooking is the ultimate stress buster. Success does not matter in this endeavour. Just making efforts and preparing food with your own hands can be a really fulfilling experience. And don’t forget, it can also make for good Instagram stories.

Reading – There cannot be a better time to read one of the many books that are sitting in your collection but you haven’t had a chance to read. A good book can enhance your perspective towards the world and that is exactly what is needed in this pandemic.

Meditation – Meditation helps in calming your nerves and is a great tool for stress management.

Learn Something New – Hasn’t there been one thing that you always want to learn but couldn’t for some reason? Well hopefully, you can do it now. From dancing to playing guitar to learning a new language, the options are endless.

Be in Touch with Your Therapist – Just because you cannot physically visit your therapist, does not mean that there are no other ways to communicate. Therapists are there to help you become better. Many of them will be more than willing to offer their advice on phone calls.

Clean Your Room – A dirty room can lead to the conjuring of negative thoughts. Live in a clean and cheerful environment.

Talk to Your Friends – Stay in touch with your friends, ask them how they are doing and keep checking up on them. Everyone is having their own issues right now and it is a really good thing to talk about. It lessens the burden on the heart and can also increase happiness in your life.

Sleep – A lot of people’s healthy sleep cycles are going out of the windows these days. For some, birds chirping outside the window is an indication that they should sleep now. This is unhealthy and can cause physical stress on the body. You should try to avoid watching another episode of that web series that you are binging on and go to sleep at an appropriate time.

We hope this article is of help to you and you come out a better person after this pandemic.