Stay Happy, Stay Safe!

With Corona spreading across the world and deaths embracing the human souls, it is difficult to stay positive as negativity has surrounded us from all corners. 

I was never a fan of Newspapers. I, rather, preferred to stay updated through media apps like Inshorts, The Hindu, etc. However, it needs a lot of mental strength and persistence to stay away from social media when you are always on mobile and/or laptop. Thankfully, I realized the benefits of this and started practicing it years ago. :)

Recently, I have started talking more to my friends, family, and colleagues. One thing that was common among all is the statement,

I am hearing just the bad news, these days. Do not know when will this end.

So, if you are reading this and get bothered with the same thought, let me make things simple for you. "This" is going to stay for a while! 

I know that a few of you must be finding me pessimistic. I beg to disagree. I will call it an acceptance of a problem. The human brain is prone to get attracted to negative thoughts and stay in denial as this is the easiest escape. However, what is more, important is to identify and accept a problem and then look for a solution. Trust me, there is not a single problem or emotional turmoil that a human being can't get off. Yes, it may take time depending on the personality and problem an individual is dealing with but there is "literally" nothing we can't overcome. However, to look for a solution, we have to accept that we are dealing with a problem. 

A few things that I am doing are:

1. I did not detach myself from social media entirely as I've accepted the problem and with no hesitance, I am good to confess that I want to stay updated with the well-being of my circle. You know, it is a fact! Even happy social media posts can give you a glimpse of the anxiety and emotional outburst of the individual who posted it. I do not want to miss that and want to be there with that person with all my heart and ears. But what I did for myself is changed my social media feed by spending more time on things I love.
2. I've started giving over 100% to my work and volunteer for new initiatives. I give at least 1-hour a week to myself to just identify the bottlenecks, if exists and spend the remaining week finding and executing the solution. This way, my brain is occupied productively and keeps learning new things. I must mention that I am fortunate to work in a company (Blazeclan Technologies) and with a leader (Varoon Rajani) that gives me the liberty to ideate, improve, and grow.
3. I give 15-minutes daily to look for skills I do not excel in and try learning them. It can be a skill that may not resonate with my current role. But trust me, this is a fantastic practice as even the skills that do not contribute directly to our job, do bring an experience that helps somewhere or the other. 
4. I talk to my father and nephew daily on video call as they lie in an age group which, is at most risk. Also, 60+ and 5-year old kids give you so much happiness that all problems, negative thoughts, issues are vanished and replaced with happiness. 
5. If I am unable to call, I at least leave a text message to 1 person in my first and/or second circle to know if they are doing good. If I sense any anxiety, I immediately call back.
6. Playing with our dog after dinner has become a daily ritual for me and my husband. You can fight any problem with the unconditional love you get from these members of your family.
7. I ensure that when I sleep, my focus is only on my breath. I do not force myself to stop the thoughts but I try channelizing them and taking my brain back to my breath. This helps in giving sound sleep. Just see that you don't give up on this as initially, it will be difficult to channelize your thoughts.
8. Whenever I get time, I just sit ideal for 5-10 minutes with no device, music, or literally anything that can distract me from staying in the moment… giving undivided attention to the surroundings and Living In The Moment. Self-awareness is important!

To conclude, I will only say that we all are sailing in the same boat and we have to take it to the shore together. There is a problem and there is a solution in staying calm, being self-aware, bringing ourselves back to reality, and taking actions when needed. Worrying will only cause more stress making you weak and allowing Corona to enter you. If not for you, think about the people you are surrounded with. Your safety is their safety. Anxiety, panic attacks, stress are all-natural but the solution to these is just one, 'Talk'.

I am here to listen to you. Try writing a note to me. Maybe I can help. And yeah, this isn't a copy-pasted note. You are listening to an actual human who is struggling just like you.

Accept -> Identify -> Solve

Stay Happy. Stay Safe.