2021 A year for self-care & gratitude

“Things that make you go Hmmm”

Viktor E Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and survivor of the Holocaust said: “When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.”

The Covid 19 virus stealthily made its way into our lives – and 2020 changed the way we live, the way we work and changed the way we interact as humans. In a world where we escape to virtual worlds and social media, it is now our primary way of connecting to humans and the world. 

With Work from Home as new normal, longer work hours with no defined boundaries, inability to switch off, and continued restrictions in some way or the other, we are more mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted than we realize. And while things feel perhaps a little restricted in India, something to be grateful for, the lockdowns and restrictions in other parts of the world keep the pandemic still very real. 

We live with waves of emotions and thoughts – fear, worry, anxiety, irritation, anger, doubt, distrust, isolation. It subconsciously or unconsciously is controlling our lives – sometimes we feel stuck – worried and stressed- lonely or just simply out of control. BUT… 2021 feels like it has started with a spirit of hope- with vaccine rollouts, some cautious social interactions, we may feel like things are slowly getting better. 

So as I entered 2021, I asked myself –“how do you want 2021 to be different for you? And what learning from 2020 will you carry forward?”

It came to me very quickly – Self-care & Gratitude. 

Someone said, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” And 2020 made me realize how simple things like food on the table or having someone to talk to are things to be thankful for. There are many heartwarming and inspiring stories that also came out as a result of the pandemic – community building, support and generosity of time, and more. 

So what is self-care according to me? As a yoga teacher and a psychotherapist in training, I was fortunate to have access to resources/people and my yoga practice helped me keep fit physically through the lockdown. And having loved ones and access to therapy took care of my emotional and mental well-being. 

I believe 2021 requires a lot more focus on self-care – we may have turned a corner with the Coronavirus, but we still don’t know the long-term impact or repercussion. The world as we knew it changed and the only way to deal with this is to keep ourselves in good health and spirit.

So ask yourself – what can I do to take care of myself and how can I show a little gratitude? 

1. At the end of each day think of and write down 2 things you were grateful for that day
2. Take a few deep breaths. Stretch your arms and legs!! 
3. Laugh – it reduces blood pressure, increases immunity response in the body and boosts your heart rate! Laughing even burns calories!

Why did I decide to call this column “Things that make you go Hmmm”? 

To create a space to share little nuggets from my experiences, or something I have come across in an article or social media post – the idea being, to make you pause for a moment and reflect, or make you feel good or simply make you go hmmm!

So I sign off by asking…Did You Know……that children laugh more than adults? An average toddler laughs about 400 times a day, while an average adult tends to laugh about 15-20 times a day? So why not make time to laugh and get in touch with your inner child! Hmmmm!