Tag: lifestyle

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How to boost happiness

“SUCCESS IS NOT THE KEY TO HAPPINESS,
HAPPINESS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS”
— Albert Schweitzer

We have all crossed the baby phase where all we did was eat and sleep. We had nothing to worry about. We were well taken care off and our every need was met without any strain. We made people happy just by our presence. Being happy and carefree was how we spent life.

But as we grew up reality hit us hard and we understand what life is , how complicated it is. We face challenges to help us grow. We were also thought that if we don’t win them we might be overtaken. So to not be left-behind we were forced to push ourselves hard to keep up with others.

We realized that happiness is not just eating and sleeping for us like how it used to be in the past. Welcome to adulthood.

Life is not complicated unless we put it that way. The carefree happiness of childhood slowly vanishes as we get to know reality and understand feelings lie being cheated or cunning, betrayal. We also fail to understand happiness is within us and our personal trait.

To come out of worst conditions in life stronger and powerful our mind must be trained in a way that no matter what conditions we are put in, it cannot obstruct happiness and inner peace.

Practicing habits can help increasing happiness and make you calm from within. You will not only notice difference in you, but also radiate the vibes to others so people would look forward to having your company. Doesn’t that sound reassuring?

How to boost happiness?

START YOUR DAY ON A HAPPY NOTE

The start to your day has a lot about how your day goes on. A smile and a rough plan on what to accomplish is a great start that gives you the needed motivation to get up. A dull morning isn’t productive so you need to keep a check on your sleep routine.

Less sleep isn’t good for your mind. Taking a nature walk or exercising is a great way to start and keeps you up throughout the day.

BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

When you look around you will notice that a lot of people or even you might spend a lot of time comparing yourself to others. This will only plant negative thoughts and lead to disappointment.

Focusing on what you have and utilizing them is a great habit. Learn from people and take inspiration but don’t compare. Focusing on the self will give more time for you to grow and understand yourself better. Try to be a better person than yesterday which is the only competition for you.

FOCUS ON THE INTERNAL

Internal well-being is very much important. We spend a lot of time to make ourselves look better in front of others. A happy mind and a beautiful soul will definitely radiate a good personality.
Overthinking, procrastination, stress and laziness could be some of the things you need to work on. Learn how to deal with them, shoo them away from the path of happiness.

MUSIC THERAPY

Good and soothing music helps in alleviating sadness and stressful moments.It helps release tension and makes brain release happy hormones which will make the mood light and happy.

Compile a list of songs or music types that would lift your spirits up.

HAPPY PLACE

Change in environment can make you feel cheerful and give you a breath of fresh air. It does not necessarily need to be a physical place. Surrounding yourself with people who understand you and make you feel happy would also work.

Staying connected with happy people will unload stress and make you feel lighter. Keeping unwanted stress at bay is one of the key areas to focus on.

COUNTING BLESSINGS

Whatever hard time you may go through be thankful for what you have. Nothing other than the sense of gratitude will make you stay grounded and content from within.

Being thankful for what we have with us will make us feel happy and cheerful.

LISTENING TO BODY

At times in order to achieve our goals we tend to overwork the body beyond its capacity. Post the threshold the body starts sending out signals that it needs rest. Be on the lookout for these signals ignoring which will lead to stress, lethargy and anxiety.

Have you noticed some people being frustrated all the time. They probably don’t rest their bodies and overwork the capacity. Create a work-life balance which will keep a check on your happiness too.

REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

Check around you and if you find something pessimistic or negative stay away from it and cut it off immediately. Things and people who promote negativity are not worth your energy being spent.

The roller coaster life has its ups and down. That adrenaline rush can make you happy while going up and sad when you suddenly fall down. Prepare you mind to handle them both.

You needn’t follow them all. But trust me making at least two changes from above will surely make a difference in your way of life.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE –
@Sindhu Vinod Narayan. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sindhu Vinod Narayan (Thatmadrasmom) with the right and specific direction to the original content.

This post is part of Blogchatters half marathon.

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Water mistakes to avoid

Water forms about 60% of our body. Not getting enough of it leads to dehydration. We have all been learning from lower grades that our body requires about 8 glasses of water daily.

The moment the body is dehydrated it sends out signals in the form of symptoms like lethargy and
fatigue.

Drinking adequate water is need for optimum body functions and metabolic processes to take place the right way.
It is not just about reaching the target of drinking adequate water that we need for our body, it is also about drinking it in the right way.

Did you know that drinking water the wrong way or at wrong time has bad effects.

Here are the mistakes that you must avoid while drinking water.

Drinking water while standing.
Many of us have the habit of just picking a bottle drinking water from it and moving on. We do not sit when we drink water. Is this good? No. Drinking water when you stand directly sends it to the tummy. The nutrients of the water are not absorbed and doesn’t reach the organs it should. So the next time you pick up the bottle make sure to sit down and drink.

Drinking during exercise
Many people tend to sip water in between their workouts. Though this might be to quench the thirst, it might not be enough that is needed for loading your body before the workout. This will definitely cause headache. So it is always advisable to consume water before working out.

Drinking water before and after a meal
You shouldn’t be drinking water just right before your meal. The water might actually fill up the tummy and spoil your appetite. Do not drink water right after your meal as it may intervene the process of digestion and even lead to vomiting.

Substitutes of water being caffeine and tannic acid
The amount of water that is required by the body cannot be compensated by the amount of coffee or tea that you consume. Though it might be black coffee or green tea eliminating milk, it has to be water and water only.

Drinking very little water
Drinking very little water leads to dehydration. The body might feel deficit with the amount of water that has been consumed to carry out regular body functions and metabolic processes.

Drinking water by gulping
Many people gulp down water at one go. This rushes the water to sediment the impurities in the kidney and bladder. Therefore it is always advised to drink water in small sips.

Drinking too much

Drinking too much of water has no health benefits but leads to water intoxication. It can lead to low sodium levels, and swelling in the brain causing coma and seizures.

Right way to drink water


Drinking water on empty stomach

Drinking water on empty stomach helps in flushing out toxins, relieve constipation and alleviate issues in digestion. It keeps you hydrated throughout the day. Drinking infused water of various herbs or seeds has greater benefits.

Drinking water after working out

Drinking water after working out helps in restoring the electrolyte loss and helps in coping the water shortage post working out.

Drinking water half an hour before and after the meal
This will help in not intervening with your appetite, reaching your target for water levels and helps in relieving constipation. It also helps in avoiding you to overeating. This is different if you have water right before the meal, because that will spoil the appetite and make you avoid or eat less of nutrient rich food.

When having a headache
Headaches can be a sign of dehydration. It can also trigger migraines, so in take of water helps to decrease the intensity and frequency of migraines.

Before bath time

Drinking a glass of water before taking a bath helps in lowering your blood pressure.

Before bed time

Drink about half a glass or water before your good night’s sleep to replenish fluid loss that could occur during the sleep. You can also have a glass of water beside your bed to prevent dry mouth. This is common to people who are on medication.

Drinking water at room temperature
Cold water disrupts the digestion process. It decreases blood supply to organs leading to constipation. Room temperature water can help in digestion and metabolism in turn resulting in weight loss. Room temperature water also helps in reducing symptoms of bloating. Warm water helps in controlling the cholesterol levels in body and flush out toxins from arteries making it clean.

Drink when thirsty
The body sends signals when it needs water. So make sure you are aware of the thirst cues it sends so that you reciprocate by drinking water at the right time.

Noticing cues which signal dehydration
Dry chapped lips and dark yellow urine are signs of dehydration. So make sure you take these cues into consideration and start consuming enough water.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE –
@Sindhu Vinod Narayan. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sindhu Vinod Narayan (Thatmadrasmom) with the right and specific direction to the original content.

This post is part of Blogchatters half marathon.

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5 reasons why we procrastinate and how to overcome it

“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” – Benjamin Franklin



An act of unnecessarily postponing things , decisions or actions is called procrastination. People often confuse this with laziness but both are very different in their own ways.



Procrastinating is active meaning you chose to do something else instead of the actual task that you are supposed to be doing. Laziness on the other hand is being inactive and not deciding to do anything at all.



Procrastination is usually ignoring an important task in favour to something else that is much more easier to complete. Minor instances of procrastination can make us pay a heavy price. So it is always better not to give in to it, even if it is a smaller instance.

Primary issues cropping up would be demotivated behavior leading to low performance. But if it continues in the longer run it might lead to depression due to accumulated stress and degrade physical and mental health.

Most often misinterpreted as a matter of willpower, people fail to recognize that procrastination is something much more complex. Self-control is most important to give us the push to complete a task. We often get demotivated when factors like anxiety,negativity, failure interfere with self-control and take us in the opposite direction away from motivation.

Exhaustion and delay in receiving the reward for completion of task may make you disregard the value of the reward which interferes with the self-control and motivation. We must keep in mind that both self-control and motivation work hand-in-hand for us to complete a task or do an action. Anything in interference to these two will definitely have a negative impact.

Why do we procrastinate?



Unclear or abstract goals


When you have a concrete goal that is clearly defined you are more likely to show greater interest in completing the steps to achieve it. Contrary to this if your goal that is set is abstract or vague you are more likely to procrastinate.



Late rewards



When tasks come with the late reward package you are likely to deem it unimportant because the reward is getting to you a little late. Delay discounting where people tend to discount the value of rewards that they would be receiving later crops up. So people become biased to tasks which offer them a reward earlier and would be much interested to complete it first even if it is not critical.



Disconnect with future



A disconnect between the present and the future individual known as temporal discontinuity causes procrastination. People become carefree that the present is the only time to be concentrated and the future can be handled when it comes with the flow.


For someone who is advised a healthy diet by the physician failing to do so because, it is only the future individual who will be the sufferer. They fail to realize it is the individual’s present eating lifestyle that would cause the problems in future.



Optimistic future



People procrastinate because they are optimistic about the completion of tasks in future given the fact that they are confident of the availability of time and their ability to complete. Most often they fail when it comes to calculate the inadequate time at their disposal to complete the task and console themselves by saying the next time it would be different if in case it is a repetitive task.


Inability to make decisions



People procrastinate in situations when they are unable to decide the next course of action. Given the fact that the options in front of them would be too many to choose from, too important to choose and too similar to choose. In such cases the individual is said to have indecisiveness to proceed.



Anxiety and being overwhelmed



Sometimes when people feel anxious and highly overwhelmed they tend to procrastinate. Overwhelming could be due to situations where there is a single huge task or a couple of simple tasks. Anxiety on the other hand will have the capability even to put this into a loop- Anxiety and procrastinating due to anxiety.



Fear of failure, evaluation and negative feedback.



Exaggerated and unjustified would be right to name the fears in most cases when people procrastinate. The fear of being evaluated and given a feedback from the public make people worry and end up in procrastination.



Fear of failure is another important factor that plays a major role and could also be considered a subset of the evaluation and feedback fear. This would make them continue to work and not come to completion because of the fear.


How to overcome procrastination?

Agree or identify that you are procrastinating

The first step is to Identify that you’re into procrastination. Most people fail to recognize that they are procrastinating and think what’s stopping them.

How do you identify?

  • Waiting for the right time to work on it or make decisions.Read the instructions again and again but not taking any action or devising a strategy to work.
  • Low priority tasks are filled for the entire day in your planner.
  • Putting off a task in to-do for a long time though you know its important.
  • Try to fix why you are procrastinating.



Most times it is because of the task that is presented if it is vague or too simple or is overwhelming to be completed. Not having a proper strategy or the fear of success and failure could make you procrastinate. So identify the why and try to fix it.



Stopping the habit of procrastinating by adopting anti-procrastinating strategies.



If its an old habit it takes time to die hard. So understand that you cannot overcome this overnight. It takes time to forget the habit. Think how you could adopt strategies that will help you not procrastinate.

Strategies that help overcome procrastination

  • Forget the past.
  • Self-rewarding
  • Be capable of taking decisions immediately rather than postponing.
  • Peer pressure works so have someone check on you.
  • Commitment to the task
  • Lessen or minimize the distraction
  • Act on the go.



Take more control on the task. Think of it in a way that you choose to complete rather than you need to or you have to.



Procrastination is not a disease. It is not late to start correcting it, even if you are a senior citizen. Everybody gets a chance make mistakes, learn and bounce back. Make sure you do not procrastinate to getting started on the way to stop procrastinating.

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.’ 

COPYRIGHT NOTICE –
@Sindhu Vinod Narayan. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sindhu Vinod Narayan (Thatmadrasmom) with the right and specific direction to the original content.

This post is part of #causeachatter for blogchatter

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Book review of Doctor’s kitchen 3-2-1

Doctor’s kitchen 3-2-1 by Dr. Rupy Aujla

Food and lifestyle go hand in hand. This is a hard reality but that is what it is. Most of us tend to ignore or take proper care of what we eat. The food that we eat is what fuels our body, so we should be careful in knowing what goes inside.

It shouldn’t be destroying the body in the process of consumption.

 On the contrary, stopping to consume as part of a diet plan is not going to be of any help at all.

A good diet and a great workout routine go hand in hand to make you achieve a strong and toned physique. If you do not pay much attention to what goes into your body, it is going to show up in your physique and metabolism. Foods rich in sodium, sugar, and fats can help you curb hunger pangs, make you eat more than what is required making your body pile up the pounds but in the long run, will also be the reason for you to succumb to chronic illness. This is the main reason that you should be aware of what your food is made of before it goes inside your body. So a balanced diet that has carbs, proteins, fibers, and vitamins is the right choice.

Plan and cook your meals I’m in advance so that you don’t run hastily at the last minute. Most importantly this would help you in avoiding reaching out to unhealthy food options such as ready to eat, sugar, and sodium loaded foods. Choose a meal plan that suits your body type and one that would help you in reaching your goal.

Rupy Aujla is a medical doctor, home cook, and a portion of food as a medical advocate. That brings us to another point that the food we consume not only plays the part of fuel but also helps in healing conditions and ailments in the notion that food is medicine.

In his recent book, the author brings about a concept 3-2-1.

What is 3-2-1?

A three-part meal with fruits and vegetables for two people cooked in one pan. In this formula or way of cooking the author promises a change in life. The formula aims at ensuring health benefits to optimize healthy living and to streamline the process of cooking. As someone who wants to be fit and healthy by not slogging in the kitchen to cook meals that claim to help in losing pounds, I think this would definitely be a game-changer in cookbooks.

As a working mother of two and also a conscious member of the family who wishes to provide healthy meals to her family, the book does seem to be a quick go-to for me to cook a no-fuss recipe that would yield multiple health benefits. And what took me in awe is the one pan mention which also saves me from the horrendous task of the sink piling up with vessels to be washed. Isn’t this something that all we ladies wish for?

A daily dose of fresh produce, good quality fat, grains, and fibers is what a balanced meal needs to be comprised of and I think the 3-2-1 could be the best way to get this done right. The food that we eat can change the way we think, help in making our mood better, build or boost immunity levels and reduce infection.

When you say you eat well it not only means that you remove unhealthy stuff it is also about taking in foods that help to safeguard yourself from ailments. There is so much to understand between the communications that happen between what you see on your plate and the inner ecosystem. By ecosystem, it means the body that accepts whatever we eat and provides us the necessary energy needed to toil. We also need to understand that in reality we as people find it difficult to continue eating healthily. There is a roadblock somewhere in the form of work, stress, or time that hinders the habit of eating healthy meals in the longer run. Keeping this in mind is what the author promises that his 3-2-1 strategy can help us, in the long run, to eat healthy meals and cultivate an inner chef.

Eat the colours

The author talks about the colors in foods that need to be taken and their health benefits.

Red foods help in relaxing blood vessels and blood pressure.



Green foods help in brain and heart functioning. Green foods that are termed cruciferous have anti-cancer compounds. Green foods like broccoli help in the detoxification of the body.



Yellow and oranges foods are sources of vitamin C and beta carotenes they help in boosting immunity, load the system with anti-oxidants, and also lowering inflammation.

So the next time when we come across the term eat the rainbow or rainbow plate, we must remember it means food that covers all nutritional needs of the body.

The author also provides a lot of recipes ranging from salads, oats, curries, soups, stir-fries that would be in the formulation of 3-2-1 helping us achieve the goal of healthy living. A 100 recipes that guarantee to eat healthily and leading a better lifestyle. So always keep in mind that food is medicine and food is fuel.

What I like about the recipes are that you also get to swap the ingredients with variants that would suit us, By this, I mean a healthy swap or swapping due to non-availability.

Health is something that we need to practice daily and the meal that we consume is what would guide us through this journey of leading a healthy lifestyle. So make sure you make the meal preparation minimal and maximize the utilization of what goes inside us.

Doctor’s kitchen 3-2-1 by Dr. Rupy Aujla

You can buy this book here.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy and Noor Anand Chawla, and happily SPONSORED BY RRE Studios and SHOWCASE Events.

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Nurture is to take care of #writebravely #celebratewritetribe

Nurturing is to take care of, feed and protect so a person when referred as a nurturing person is someone who is protective and caring.

A relationship cannot survive by itself. Only when two people take care and nurture and give to each other in a way, there is a mutually favourable connection that helps in sustaining the relationship.

What are the ways you can nurture your relationship?

Loving, honest and frequent communication– Talk it out I say but with love and honesty.

The inclination to work through hitches and differences. -Try to learn to face the discomfort that comes with opinions that differ.

Thinking out of box together – The desire to do something new, step out of comfort zone by both of you, makes you build a stronger bond.

Sense of humour and a diversion from routine – Don’t just keep saying that you are working on relationship, take time out have fun.

Compliments and emotional support– Keep that trust factor on, if you get a feel that he doesn’t like or respect, the connection is gone forever. Lift up each other when the other person is down.

Love, romance, and sex- These are the foundations of a loving relationship. You can always rekindle the spark, if you know how. Do it and keep it going.

Sharing a common goal – That journey of working together towards a goal is always that we should be looking forward to, so that we pursue it together.

Admit, forgive and forget– To err is human. We all screw up. Trying to understand and let go of the mistakes the partner make swill make life even more joyful.

Share what you learnt with your better half. – You learn something new or a truth that you discover about life, make sure you share it with him. It does bring you a positive response.

Gestures that make HIM happy and also nurture your bond

  1. Compliment him in front of other.
  2. Food is the way to a man’s heart so get started.
  3. Be quick to apologize.
  4. Give him some man time.
  5. Plan a day for only the two of you.
  6. Say that he is handsome often.
  7. Get him the gift that he really wants.
  8. Put yourself first.
  9. Take time to invest and save money
  10. Write out a letter to him.
  11. Kiss him often.
  12. Learn about his hobby and get yourself involved.
  13. Initiate sex more, be romantic and playful as well.
  14. Appreciate him when he does something good.
  15. Go to him for advice and follow it.
  16. 15 minutes of talking daily. Only the two of you.

One more thing I would add is to have a meal once a day together. Take time to serve each other, enjoy the food and feel loved.

I’m Writing Bravely for the Write Tribe Festival of Words – March 2019’