Expression Of Solidarity

The events of the past few days has really shaken up Mumbai and its citizens. Just a handful of ill informed youths filled with wrong knowledge held our city to ransom. The lure of money and instant gratification is gripping our youth. It is high time that our youth channel their energy towards a wholesome and positive lifestyle.

Concept Of Being Here And Now

Thoughts.....thoughts......thoughts.....is anyone free from thoughts? The question has answered itself. If we examine our thoughts, we find that they are of the past experiences or of future plans. So far so good.....but the problem arises when we dwell on past experience or on future uncertainty. Dwelling on these thoughts drains our energy and we loose clarity of mind. Living here and now is the only reality. It is the only truth. Other thoughts are just imagination. Any thought of the past and the present if need be should be entertained only from the present without stepping out of our present state. When we live in the concept of here and now, we can give 100% to what so ever activity we engage our self in.

Lifestyle changes

Many times we find that we experience problems in health or in relationship due to a particular lifestyle. So the best way is to bring changes in lifestyle. When we refer to life style changes, it means regular exercise, healthy food habits, some sort of spiritual practice which help us in keeping a good mental balance, a healthy hobby and a healthy social life. Positive thinking should be a norm. And if we find that we get negative thoughts, then we should first of all accept the fact. Trying hard to remove the negative thoughts will not help, because it will rebound. Instead positive affirmations help. A few positive affirmations are, ' I am confident', I am brave', I am peaceful', I am calm', I love my life', 'Life is wonderful', I love my job',etc......Another very important point to remember is that there is no place for words like ' may, can, will try, etc that is words which are not direct affirmations.

Positive affirmation

When our thoughts are repeatedly replayed in our mind, it becomes an affirmation. It may be a negative thought or a positive thought. For instance, if I repeatedly think that God has been unkind to me, and I am at the receiving end all the time, these thoughts are programmed in our mind. And believe me, it does happen that I get into problem all the time. On the contrary, if I think that I am capable of facing any problem and managing it, these thoughts are ingrained in my mind, and I do become strong enough to face and manage any problem in life. So why not I make it a habit to think positive. The same principle applies when we instruct our child. Let me narrate an anecdote.....In a certain garden, two children were playing. They climbed a tree, and one child climbed the upper branch of a tree and another child climbed the lower branch. Their mothers were watching from below. Suddenly a strong wind blew, and the first mother instantly instructed her child to hold on to the branch. The second mother frantically instructed the child not to fall. The net result was that the first child tightly held on to the branch and was saved, whereas the second child fell to the ground. A direct positive instruction does help in getting the desired result.

Spirituality

Many of us follow some form of spiritual practice. It may be in the form of rituals, poojas, visiting places of worship, meditation, etc. Some of us have spiritual gurus or guides or teachers to guide us. But......why is it that we suffer from so many maladies of life??????? hmmmmm........it needs pondering.......Let me narrate an anecdote. A person visits a doctor to get a cure for his physical ailment. He goes there and he is so impressed by the doctor's diagnosis and his prescription that he comes back, totally in awe of the doctor. He tells everyone who crosses his path that his doctor is the best. Many days pass by, but his illness has not been cured. He has only glorified the doctor, but has failed to take the medicine. Does this sound familiar with many of us?????????

Anxiety Neurosis

Anxiety Neurosis is not to be confused with fear. Fear arises when we face an actual threat, whereas anxiety neurosis is experienced due to an imaginary or perceived threat or danger. In the case of anxiety neurosis, we experience helplessness. Adrenalin and cortisone are released in the blood stream and there is palpitation. Breathing becomes shallow, the muscles are tense and a lot of energy is wasted. Behavioural patterns are learned when we are exposed to an unpleasant situation or experience. But there is hope, as any learned behaviour can be unlearned. The moment we decide to come out of the disease, then awareness, acceptance and understanding of our condition helps.........and we can be free.

Fear

During pre-historic times, man had to hunt for his food for his survival. He had to face his predators in pursuit of fulfilling his basic need for food. Fear was an inbuilt emotion for man to fight his predator or take a flight. Fear may also be due to an unknown situation or an unknown future. When man is consumed by fear, adrenalin is secreted by the adrenal glands. There is increased blood flow, his mind is much more alert to take on the situation. Fear does create stress. And a little stress called eustress is necessary to take on an adverse situation. But constant and continuous stress is what creates a problem. If we see the current scenario, it is filled with continuous and constant stress. Even preschoolers are faced with stress. Constant and continuous stress creates psychosomatic illness. Well..... not to worry.......the condition is reversible. The person has to first of all become aware of his fear and the cause which created this fear. Once he is aware, he needs to understand the whole dynamics of his fear. The next step would be to accept the fact that he has fear. Fear is conquered only when one faces it squarely in the eye. If one pushes fear under the carpet and thrives on it, it is unlikely to leave him. For instance, if one is afraid of death, a little awareness about death which is only a transition from one state to another and developing the quality of letting go of things and situations will help. If one is afraid of learning new skills, take the help of one who is aware of the techniques and go ahead. Fear of loneliness can be overcome by helping people in whatever possible way, so that you are always needed and surrounded by people.

Illness in the family

When we speak of illness, it may be mental illness or physical illness. Mental illness may be psychosomatic or heredity or it may be due to chemical imbalance in the brain. A physical illness may also be psychosomatic or it may be due to some injury or due to the effects of external environment such as bacterial or viral infection or it may be due to natural degeneration. What ever may be the cause, the patient and the immediate family members who are caretakers bear the brunt of the illness. In case of physical illness, there is physical pain accompanied by financial drain. The patient is vulnerable, and many a time he is totally dependent even for his basic needs on the caretakers. It is but natural for him to suffer low self esteem, loose faith in everything and everybody, and may also view life in a negative manner. In other words, he displays symptoms of depression. This is a time when the role of the caretaker is very important. He has to display the skills of a counselor, where he is empathic, non-judgmental, non-critical, and is also a good listener. The core values of love, care and patience shown by the family members, helps in speedy recovery of the patient. In case of mental illness too, the patient and the caretakers who are mostly the immediate family members bear the brunt of the illness. Here also there is financial drain and further, the family members may also suffer from mental trauma due to lack of awareness about the illness. Proper awareness about the illness and knowledge of how to cope with the illness helps them to manage it. Awareness about the illness, understanding and accepting the illness will pave the way for taking the help of professionals who deal with mental illness. Mental illness is also like physical illness and no more a taboo. It is curable and manegable.

Equanimity

Equanimity is a state of mind, where we experience a complete balance. What ever the may be the external situation, be it disturbance or upheavals, our mind stays in a complete state of balance.
This is the end state which is sought after by people who practice religious rituals or other spiritual practices like meditation, chanting, daily poojas, mantras. Even people who practice alternate therapies like yoga,reiki,pranic healing etc achieve this state after continuous and regular practice. The purpose of alternate healers may be to heal other beings or themselves, but the end goal achieved is balance in their energy or prana level which ultimately leads to a balanced state of mind. This is indeed a wonderful state to achieve, where one is above body and mind.

Life's purpose

Just imagine life without a purpose. It can be compared to a rudderless ship or a boat without oars. It is life without meaning. Well can we imagine how life without meaning would be? Hmmmmm......we'd rather not. We find this state among'st some senior citizens and also individuals who are under depression. When there is no meaning in life, we do crib about everything and everybody. The environment or a situation sets our mood rolling. It engulfs us so much that we fail to see beyond a situation. We blame the situation or environment for all our ills........well.......not to worry. We can bring colour into our lives by having a purpose in life. Even senior citizens can make their life meaningful by making themselves useful. They are rich in experience and knowledge. It can be put to good use for the betterment of society. The net result being, that they would feel wanted, loved and ultimately, they would have found a purpose in life, and life would definitely be meaningful.

Goal Setting

We need to set our goals in life. While setting goals, we have to divide them into short term and long term goals. For a short term goal, it is very necessary to fix a time period. Once a goal is set, it becomes mandatory for us to chalk out the route, and note down the resources needed to reach the goal. The resources may be human resources or material resources. The next step would be to collect the resources which help us to reach the goal. Goal setting gives a meaning to our life.

Belief System

Our belief system determines our current action. Let us take the example of a child who is playing and while playing he falls down. The mother who is standing nearby comes running and lifts the child. She tries to pacify the child by scolding the floor which has hurt the child. Here the belief system that the mother instills in the child is, not to take the blame for getting hurt, but to blame the external forces for the hurt. Now here the child grows up with the belief system that others are to be blamed for all the problems and hurt that he faces. He has not been taught to take responsibility for what ever happens to him. The net result being, that he blames the whole world, except himself for what ever happens to him. This type of blaming definitely plays a havoc in his personal relationships. Well nothing to worry about......because this belief system can be changed by first of all becoming aware that it is his belief system which is responsible for his current condition and it is in his hands to change his belief system by taking responsibility for his current status, and further bring in changes in his perception.

Belief System

When ever there is a situation, we find that various people react in different ways. Why is it so? The situation is the same. But we get different reactions from different people....well......here comes the belief system which is deeply ingrained into every individual. If the reaction to a situation creates disturbances, it is time we view our belief system and bring the necessary changes.
We need to experience how we feel when faced with a similar situation with a brand new belief system. If we feel undisturbed, then we need to practice the changed belief system. We will definitely experience a balanced state of mind.

Life Positive

How we treat a situation determines our happiness. Instead of adding adjectives to a situation, if we view it dispassionately, our mind will be clear enough to think and act in a positive manner.