Inner Space

Discovering happiness, even if you feel low
Mindfulness and Meditation

DISCOVERING ‘HAPPY’ NEW YEAR, EVEN IF YOU FEEL BLUE

As December sets in, everything around you oozes of cheer, joy and happiness. Daily life seems to get a boost of excitement when you see that preparations for the celebrations have begun all around – be it Christmas, New Year’s or weddings. However, amidst all the December enthusiasm, there may be people who are feeling low, depressed and lonely.

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inner self
Self-esteem

TO THAT WHICH IS BEAUTIFUL IN YOU

You are able to live with yourself because you know you are fundamentally good!

You know that all your inadequacies and the not so good qualities exist either because they are judged that way by people around you or because you picked them up somewhere on the way because of the difficulties that life sent your way.

You are correct! The deepest core of you, of all of us, every person is beautiful.

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Rise in teenage suicide in India
Teens

UNDERSTAND TEENAGE SUICIDE: GET INTO THEIR SHOES

A classmate of mine in school and college successfully hung herself from a fan… It was devastating… Years later here I am-a psychologist- with several hundred sessions of having heard the teenagers side of the story-the hopelessness, helplessness and the frustrations. When Rediff asked me to write about teenage suicide, everything came together 🙂

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Be mindful
Mental Health Week Series

7 MOST EFFECTIVE MENTAL HEALTH TIPS: TIP 7

Tip 7: Be Mindful

I have spoken about mindfulness before, but I cannot stop raving about the benefits of this simple concept. Mindfulness, as someone said, is about paying extra-ordinary attention to ordinary experiences. Simply put, mindfulness is about being in the present completely and fully.

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Impermanence
Mental Health Week Series

7 MOST EFFECTIVE MENTAL HEALTH TIPS: TIP 6

TIP 6: BELIEVE IN IMPERMANENCE

Nothing lasts forever

About the lows:
Do you believe that good things don’t last forever?

Unfortunately true isn’t it?

However, flipping the coin around you’ll see that even bad things don’t last forever!

I’m sure each of us has been through some difficult times. Times when life was so tough that it was difficult to smile, when each breath and each step took just too much effort. Remember the times, when you thought it was impossible to survive without a loved one, or to conquer this particular challenge, or to surface from this deepest low. Pause. See where you are now. You didnt just survive, you lived! The disaster passed. Life went on. You moved on.

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Irrational Thinking
Mental Health Week Series

7 MOST EFFECTIVE MENTAL HEALTH TIPS: TIP 5

TIP 5: Identify Irrational Thought Patterns

‘I should be loved by everyone for everything I do.’ How does this statement sound to you? Chances are it will sound unrealistic, irrational and almost impossible. How can anybody be loved by everyone for everything they do?

Let me introduce a situation here. You are at a party, exchanging pleasantries with other folk. You spot someone you know across the room. You generously walk up and say ‘hi’. That person however barely acknowledges you and walks away. How are you likely to feel? Are you more likely to dismiss it and say, ‘never mind, he must have been frustrated’ or to dwell upon how ‘disrespectful’ and ‘insulting’ a gesture that was?

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Stress and effect on the body
Mental Health Week Series

7 MOST EFFECTIVE MENTAL HEALTH TIPS: TIP 4

TIP 4: Understand your stress and Don’t Ignore Your Body

Today is the less stress day and this is our tribute to it.
Stress is a household term these days. Everyone from the bored elderly to the overworked adults to the overburdened kids is “stressed”. As each of us fights this demon, not just our minds but our bodies are actively engaged in the struggle.

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Solution
Mental Health Week Series

7 MOST EFFECTIVE MENTAL HEALTH TIPS: TIP 3

TIP 3: YOU Play a Very Important Part in the Solution of YOUR Problems

Why are you unhappy?

Only 3 possible sources:

– The situation

– Other people

– Yourself

Not convinced with the third option? Read on.

Most of us feel that our emotional suffering and pain are created by situations or people. However, the only one who has any power to make you happy or unhappy is YOU. Our emotional responses are triggered by our own perception of a situation or event only.

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The Art of Listening