In honour of World Mental Health Awareness Month, I’d like to share some of my strategies for coping with stress and improving my overall well-being. Before we dive into it, let’s remember two key points: (1) Sadness is a natural part of life, but when it remains bottled up without release, it can become a concern. (2) Stress has both healthy and unhealthy aspects. For instance, feeling anxious before an important deadline can signal that we need to slow down, which is a healthy response. However, feeling anxious without a clear reason, like on a Sunday morning, might be a sign of unhealthy anxiety or depression.

As long as you’re not hurting yourself or anyone else intentionally, there is no right or wrong way to achieve a task. Here are the ways I try to manage my anxiety:

Identifying Triggers: I cannot emphasize enough how important this is! Understanding what triggers my anxiety helps me manage it better. Always identify them so you can take measures to avoid.
Healthy Diet: Eating well and following a balanced diet is linked to reduced stress and anxiety, especially for those with underlying health conditions and food allergies. I don’t eat gluten or fast food. I do love my fries though and they have plenty of gf options nowadays if you have a sweet tooth or a big fan of desserts.
Me Time: Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, personal time is essential. For me, it means disengaging from external pressures, letting the world fade into the background and indulging in activities I enjoy, even if it’s doing nothing.
Controlled Breathing: Practicing controlled breathing can be done anytime, anywhere, and helps manage stress. But if you can set aside some time for yoga or meditation, then even better.
Avoidance: Psychologist Lisa Damour is one of my favorites. As she says, “Avoidance feeds anxiety,” and I agree. This also applies to procrastination, which may be an art to some, but the longer I put things off, the harder they become. Completing tasks sooner rather than later makes me feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder. Do a check list, it helps a great deal.
Conversations with Loved Ones: Talking with loved ones, who bring a sense of calm and peace, can be very therapeutic. Avoid folks who consistently make things complicated and are big on gossip.
Managing Distractions: Our society is flawed and full of distractions. Normal. We need to learn how to ignore things that are unimportant but often tempting. I am learning how to better control my emotions, let go of things beyond my control, and prioritize what matters.
Faith and Prayers: Whether you’re a Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu or a Buddhist, if your faith is important to you, then definitely use prayers as a way to seek relief from stress. For me, prayers also mean having a conversation with God. Not everything in our world can be explained with Science – it’s all interconnected and the Universe works in mysterious ways.

I would like to end this post w a video I was watching earlier from RSA. It nails the difference between sympathy and empathy. I know I struggled w it back in middle school; not having a clue how to differentiate. Love their animations!

Via RSA, UK

Please think of these little beautiful (vulnerable) creatures the next time you pick up a shell. It’s okay to collect them if there’s an abundance of shells, but don’t make it a habit.

We humans are quite skilled at destroying the environment. But Shawn has been helping these little guys get a new home by providing shells to choose from. His videos are available on YouTube. Thanks to people like him for making our planet Earth a better place.
© Shawn Miller – I do not own these photos.

Many people would find Miyazaki movies borrring. Sure, it may not leave up to the hype or appeal to the mass culture and etc but here’s why I absolutely love them! Many of us fans would agree that it’s much more complicated than what you would expect at first glance. These movies require patience – and offer unparalleled depth and dimension. They weave thematic significance into the plot that leaves a lasting impression on you. If you prefer Avengers like action, you’d be disappointed.

For the record, I am not hating on popular culture. I am a big fan of Harry Potter after all and legal/mystery dramas.

Here’s a wisdom and hadith I [try] to abide by. (easier said than done lol).

One day, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) saw a Bedouin man, who was leaving his camel without tying it. The Prophet asked him “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in the Lord.” The Prophet then replied, “Tie your camel first, and then put your trust in Allah.”

Simple: we should act first, work hard, exercise our due diligence and then leave the rest to Almighty. Focus on things that are within our control, and let go of things that are not.

I wonder how these two stern (Iron) ladies would have disciplined me had they been my grandmothers 🙂 Pretty sure I’d break things intentionally, particularly in the kitchen and the drawing room, just to see their reactions. That’s all I would do (ahem).

Gandhi: (During her visit to America ’83), …”It’s difficult to imagine two nations more different than ours. As history goes, your country is a young one. Over the years, it has held unparalleled attraction for the adventurous and daring, for the talented as well as for the persecuted. It has stood for opportunity and freedom. India is an ancient country, and history weighs heavily on us. The circumstances of its present development are shadowed by years of colonialism and exploitation. Yet our ancient philosophy has withstood all onslaught, absorbing newcomers, adapting ideas and cultures. We’ve developed endurance and resilience.”

Thatcher: “Fundamental principles are relevant to all times. Learning Latin opened up a whole new world for me; …don’t think they are dead languages. You will know the fundamentals of how people think and what the problems are. How people approach. We’re all up against human nature.”

Precisely true to this day. Just as educating your children about the past is as important as educating them about the future.

Oxford Union 
I  am sure many of us could compile a litany of accusations against the post-colonial world -- but for clarity, I am going to write from an Indian Perspective and British colonialism. As echoed by Sashi Tharoor during his speech at Oxford, ...." oppress, torture, imprison, deport and proscribe people for 200 years, and then take credit for the fact that they are democratic at the end of it." 

India, one of the pillars of civilizations, embraced a "live and let live" ethos and was one of the richest nations on Earth before the British arrived. Regrettably, the colonial era not only drained India (present-day India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan) but also sowed religious and ethnic divisions, curtailed women's rights, criminalized/regulated marriage equality, and introduced other detrimental policies. Large-scale conflicts between Hindus and Muslims (religiously defined), only began under colonial rule. 

Growing up, a focus on Eastern history and their dedication to science was paramount for me. I am grateful for being part of an educated household that emphasized the significance of understanding one's heritage, culture, and values accurately. I am also grateful for having friends and family of different and diverse cultures, their eagerness to learn, open-mindedness, and positive attitude. Like many others, my great-grandparents too fought for Independence from the British. Being truly educated doesn't mean having a fancy degree or going to university. It's ironic though that I am conveying these thoughts in English and am stuck following the English calendar. O well..gotta crack on. 

I read Tharoor's Inglorious Empire in 2017. Here's a link to his Oxford Speech, a must-watch if you haven't already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7CW7S0zxv4 

Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings
(Can’t get enough of this book – so beautifully illustrated!)

A folk poem from the 17th century. Condemnation of the English enclosure movement:

The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose off the common
But leaves the greater villain loose
Who steals the common from the goose.

The law demands that we atone
When we take things we do not own
But leaves the lords and ladies fine
Who takes things that are yours and mine.

The poor and wretched don’t escape
If they conspire the law to break;
This must be so but they endure
Those who conspire to make the law.

The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
And geese will still a common lack
Till they go and steal it back.

Thanks to Professor James Boyle and his “The Public Domain” for reintroducing me to this hidden gem.

Some of us are the happiest when we keep it low key. In a world of superficial relationships, unnecessary freedom/lack of it, partisan politics, social media façade and sincere ignorance – keep your weaknesses, struggles, faith and more importantly your happiness private.

RAMADAN MUBARAK to Muslims across the globe!

AND Shuvo Noboborsho (Bengali New Year)!

To learn more, we have to go even further back to India’s independence from Britain.

…Colonialism; exploitation; genocide.

N o w r u z M u b a r a k !

Happy Persian New Year!

Nowruz has been celebrated by various communities in Asia for over 3,000 years. However, the Iranian calendar was reformed in the 11th century CE and is now based on the Solar Hijri Calendar also known as the Islamic Calendar. The Hijri is based on precise astronomical observations and a sophisticated intercalation system – making it more accurate than the (European) Gregorian calendar.

March 20-21.

For my grandmothers and great-grandmother, the movement for women’s rights did not institute on the streets of early 20th century Bengal and Punjab but with conversations ‘at home’. Long before the Women’s Rights movement took off in the West.

International Women’s Day, March 8.

Satyajit Ray’s Charulata চারুলতা, 1964. One of his finest pieces and a must-watch. Based upon the 1901 Novella by Rabindranath Tagore.