Okay, let’s admit it. There is no shame in talking about it. We all have felt it, gone through it, disliked it, and yet we can’t help but go through it occasionally.
The question is, despite making all the efforts in our capacity to live a healthy life, why don’t we get the satisfaction we deserve every morning? The satisfaction, the lightness, and the relief we deserve every morning anyhow get disrupted.
Sometimes it’s because of poor hydration, sometimes the KFC burger is the culprit, sometimes it could be our favorite momo, sometimes it’s our poor sleep cycle, and sometimes it’s the heavy dosage of medicines doing something there with our intestines.
And you hopefully wait to pass this, too. Yes, it feels terrible. But maybe it’s your body’s way to constantly remind you to take very good care of your everyday hydration, nutrition, movement, and rest.
Hopefully, my medications will soon stop, and I can see the changes I want to see very soon. The worst feeling of constipation is that it constantly makes you feel stuck somewhere in your body. And for me, that blockage feeling is itself very bad.
Really blessed are those who don’t know what it feels like to be constipated. I know a few of those kinds of people in my family. And honestly, I am truly happy for them. After all, starting your day on a healthier and lighter note is a great thing, right?
Really, walking outdoors is fun. It’s actually great. And if the weather outside is amazing, then one should take full advantage of it.
Yesterday evening, after many days, in fact months, I went on the terrace for my evening walk. The weather was great. The air was a bit breezy. And I had a good half an hour walk.
I enjoyed my walk a lot more than I usually enjoy my regular treadmill walks indoors. And the difference was really something big. I could feel my whole body moving differently and a bit more freely compared to my straight standing posture on the treadmill.
Sure, I do enjoy my treadmill walks, and I have been continuously walking on a treadmill for the past two months or so, almost every day. It’s great. It helps me to have the proper sweaty walk and great cardio. But the outdoors is also fun.
And I have decided that now winter has almost ended, so I am going to have a mix of both types of walk in my everyday life. I think it’s going to be more interesting, fun, and beautiful.
I am excited for my outdoor walks. What about you? Don’t wait too much. Spring is in its full charm right now. Go, have a walk outside. It’s good for your health and longevity. Don’t think too much now. Just put on those shoes and go. You will enjoy it.
I know it sounds different from what you have heard, but I genuinely think about this sometimes.
People say that time is the greatest healer. That time heals everything. But, is it really so? Does time really heal everything? Today, I feel it’s not the complete truth. I feel it’s not only about time, but it’s more about us. It’s more about us with time.
Time can only heal us if we are ready to accept in the first place that we are wounded and we need to heal our wounds. That we can’t carry the trauma of our past wounds to our future selves.
The acknowledgement of pain, the acceptance of prolonged sadness, and the decision to break the vicious cycle of ruminating over our past, coupled with a good amount of time, surely can heal us. Time alone can’t do much, I feel. The onus is also on us. On you and me.
I have seen people in their thirties and forties having grudges against their parents. Yes, their emotions can be valid. But for how long are we adults going to behave like giant children and complain about all the bad and terrible experiences we have had with our parents and in our families? For how long? Till the 50s? Till the 60s? Till the 70s? or till 100? Because time alone won’t heal us unless we are ready to forgive and let go of the baggage we have been carrying for years.
We are not going to become the enlightened ones in our 60s or 70s one day. No, it’s not gonna happen. I have seen even people in their late sixties who still have a few unresolved fights in their hearts with their late parents, and somehow, they never got the chance to heal themselves.
It’s unfortunate, but true! Are we going to repeat the same cycle? Or will we break this cycle? The decision is ours. Sure, time is with us today to help us. But we can’t get away without doing our part.
We have to take the responsibility to heal ourselves. Time can only help us a lot, not heal us on its own.
Well, this is what I think sometimes. What do you think?
I am not the person who likes to clean every nook and corner, and room, and hall of the home every day like it’s Diwali, but I am certainly a kind of person who prefers a cleaner and more organized space when it comes to everyday life.
I have a younger sister who usually handles the household cleaning and laundry on weekends, like it’s Diwali on Monday. She spends hours and hours cleaning the clutter, organizing the shelves, and cleaning each section of the home.
She says cleaning is therapeutic to her. Fine. It can be. But are our weekends only meant for this? I one hundred percent disagree. Weekends, holidays, leave days, off days, and break days are mostly for us to get back to ourselves. If you know what I mean!
Sure, we have to make sure that the house is clean, the wardrobe is organized, the study area is well set up, the fridge is fully stocked, and our kitchen and bathroom have all the essential supplies. But, we can’t make it a habit to look after the housekeeping stuff, our primary job on those days.
I have asked her to at least get a part-time househelp for everyday basic cleaning so she can be a bit more relaxed and chill on weekends. It will give her much relief. But her satisfaction, according to her, which she gets only by cleaning the house herself, will be compromised then.
I hope she understands that her life holds a lot more beautiful, exciting, and meaningful things to do and derive satisfaction from, rather than dusting, brooming, and mopping the floor like it’s going to become the white marble one day.
Now that I have a househelp, I know how much relieved I am with each waking day. I can comfortably wake up naturally when I have had enough sleep without worrying about the dirty dishes in the sink we left last night. Di comes and does the dishes, brooming, dusting, and mopping within an hour of the whole house while we, Abhi and I, can focus on morning exercises, getting ready for the day ahead on time, early morning reading, and cooking our meals for the day together.
When you have a relatively bigger house with large spaces and a few spare rooms, it becomes sometimes difficult to do it all alone. And delegating a few things saves your time and a lot more energy for the rest of the work you want to excel in.
Having said that, yes, I have a househelp now, but I am also the person who makes sure that cleanliness stays throughout the day, and the things that belong to a particular space should be kept to that particular place only after use. And this is a very important thing when it comes to cleanliness in general. For me, this is very important.
Books on the shelf, clothes in the cupboard, shoes in the shoe racks, laptop on the desk, extra things in the storage room, and stuff like that.
Recently, I came back to our apartment after a good eight months in Delhi, and my hubby is 99 percent opposite to me….okay, let’s say 90 percent opposite to me in this particular thing. When I live with him, he behaves a good 80-90 in this stuff, but when he is alone…..I can’t say anything!
So, we took a good few 5-6 days, once a week preferably, and did the proper arranging, rearranging, organizing, and reorganizing of our whole space together. It was a lot more hectic, confusing, and irritating initially, but now I can feel and soak in the calm and beauty I feel inside here. And thanks to my househelp di, our everyday cleaning stuff is taken care of very well.
Cleaning your study area and arranging your books in order, setting up your desk space with all the gadgets you need, folding and arranging your clothes properly in your wardrobe, organizing kitchen stuff in categories and boxes, rearranging your bedroom with a few changes here and there – it all gives a certain sense of order, calmness, positivity, and high vibes in general. And your soul can feel it. That’s why cleaning the physical clutter around you is so important for feeling healthier, calmer, and clearer in the space you call home.
So yeah, tidying up works for me. And I know it works for many as well. What about you? Does it really help, or does it make things unnecessarily complicated for you? Share your thoughts. I would love to know about your side of the story.
Health, especially good health when you are physically, mentally, and emotionally sound and strong, is a privilege we take for granted every day.
My hospital visits and frequent surprising ailments in the recent past have made me aware of this even more. Right now, it’s 4:35 am in the morning, I am sitting in front of my laptop, and typing this piece for my blog happily and peacefully after having a deep and restorative sleep at night. And I am happily doing this. But this wasn’t the case just a few days back.
Almost two to three weeks back, I had an excruciating nerve and back pain in my body, which led me to a very bad physical and emotional space. Things feel very heavy and bad when you can’t move any part of your body without crying in pain. A lot of pain!
Luckily, I have Abhi(my hubby, my better half, and my partner). He carefully, and with a lot of patience (a lot of patience!), took me to the hospital, and we immediately started the medications. Thankfully, painkillers started working well, and I got the immediate, much-needed relief I needed that time. Medicines are still continuing. And precautions have to be taken in everyday life to avoid such kind of pain. I am mindful of the situation more now.
In the initial 2-3 days of medication, I used to sleep a lot during the day because of heavy doses, and any physical movement was also not very easy due to weakness. Though I still feel weak sometimes. And I started hating the fact that I was only lying, sleeping, and sleeping all day.
In times like these, you start to see health very differently. Suddenly, even walking comfortably for an hour or so feels like a big privilege. Sleeping and waking up on time feels like an impractical and highly privileged thing. And then in the recovery process, you start to respect your body, your health, and your circumstances, which ensures that you get this privilege as a basic everyday need in your life. Many people don’t get it for years.
Even right now, when I remember my condition two to three weeks back, sitting in my study and writing this blog comfortably, feels very different. It feels like a blessing. And I know deep down that it is a blessing. The priceless one indeed!
May divine bless you with a very good physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, cognitive, financial, and social health and well-being.
Srishti Kumari 