This question by our trek leader, hit us hard leaving us speechless. Thankfully, Tushar Uncle helped us grasp its depth, but it still lingered in my mind. Simplifying it, I wonder: How can we live happier and more fulfilling lives? Following our passions has been my motto since childhood. I've made conscious choices like leaving secure but unfulfilling jobs during tough times, taking on demanding roles with less pay, and quitting a high-paying but soul-draining job when I needed cash. This mindset became second nature to me, shaping my …
Navigating Emotions: Anger, Guilt, and the Road to Self-Forgiveness
When someone hurts us, anger becomes a protective shield, a way of demanding acknowledgment for the hurt we've endured. Apologies and amends make it easy to move forward, but if not, enter Shame, making us worry about how others perceive us. On the flip side, when we let ourselves down—breaking promises or letting boundaries slide—cue Guilt. It's that cringe-worthy feeling, like we're falling short of our own standards. It's not just about the action; it's about evaluating ourselves. Dealing with these emotions is like wrestling an …
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Self-Sabotage
I have an embarrassingly long list of things I promise myself to do and then not do it -- sometimes even intentionally. I’ve had different labels and often legit reasons/excuses for them. But it never dawned on me, that collectively this is called self-sabotaging. Credit goes to a recent book I read. Self-sabotage is the behavior and thought patterns that stop you from doing what you want to do. I’ve been on an auto-pilot mode where a situation triggers some internal dialogues resulting in subconscious behaviors and all this happens so …
Finding joy and magic in the mundane
Many of us treat joy like our mothers treat “the good silverware” — only brought out for special occasions. “The tyranny of when” - the idea that we will only be happy “when” we’ve lost weight, gone for that dream vacation, got a better job, or it’s your birthday. We tend to wait for these Hollywood moments, thinking they will make our lives wonderful - and they do. But they’re also, by definition, extremely rare and fleeting, and sometimes never even come about. But investing your happiness in a few key dates is like choosing to see in …
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Rewire your brain
Most self-help advice for any anxious, depressed, or anyone going through some mental trauma revolves around rewiring your brain. "X steps to fix your mood forever." Although well-intentioned, they all seem to skip a critical step. In order to rewire your brain, you first need to identify exactly when your brain is spiraling out of control. Often by the time you realize that you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed, it has already triggered so many things that it's hard even to pinpoint what you were stressed about. We all know the …
A day in the life of a newbie solo traveller
On my first solo trip to Kashmir, I wanted to go for a day or two hikes in Gulmarg/Pahalgam. But the weather had suddenly become quite cold (~Zero degree Celsius at night) and I didn’t have appropriate winter clothing. Contemplating between whether or not to buy all the winter gear and then a hard look at my overpacked suitcase took a while and by the time I stepped out, it was already 12 pm. And as luck would have it, the sun was blazing hot after 4 days of gloomy, cold, and rainy weather. I had seen a hot air balloon while crossing …
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From Cacti Killer to Gardener
This quote hits home. I’ve tried growing plants a couple of times. And I’ve killed all of them - every single time. I’m talking about killing - Aloe vera and cactus, also known as the king and queen of the most indestructible plants on every gardening list. After a while, I ran out of excuses for blaming external factors like bad weather, bad plants, bad soil, etc. but still didn’t want to publicly admit that maybe gardening is not my thing. Every once in a while, I would tell Hari, let’s get only a few plants, this time it will …
Why Kashmir is my happy place?
Kashmir became my home in just one visit. And almost the whole of it is because of these people. I went on a solo trip to Srinagar and stayed with Insha and her beautiful family for 6 nights. I've never stayed/seen such a huge property and also lived with a joint family. The place is stunning with big rooms, wi-fi, power backup, a fully equipped kitchen, open grasslands of the size of the mansion, an orchard, a cave, and even a water stream opening to dal lake. I was greeted very warmly by everyone. Aunty (Insha’s …