Many of us find it hard to fall asleep, and even when we do, we often wake up feeling exhausted and unrefreshed. The quality of our sleep can have a significant impact on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and yet it is often something we neglect. One way to improve the quality of our sleep is through the use of night affirmations. In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of night affirmations and provide some examples of affirmations that you can use to promote a peaceful and restful sleep.
What are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive statements that you repeat to yourself to shift your mindset and change your beliefs. They can help you overcome negative self-talk, reduce stress and anxiety, and promote a positive outlook on life. By incorporating affirmations into your daily routine, you can train your mind to focus on the positive aspects of your life and create a more fulfilling and satisfying experience.
How do affirmations work?
Affirmations work by changing your thought patterns and beliefs. They help you focus on the positive aspects of your life and shift your mindset from a negative to a positive perspective. When you repeat affirmations to yourself, you are creating new neural pathways in your brain that reinforce positive thinking and behavior. This can help you overcome negative self-talk, reduce stress and anxiety, and promote more peaceful and restful sleep.
The Benefits of Night Affirmations
Night affirmations can help calm your mind and prepare your body for sleep. By repeating positive statements to yourself before bedtime, you are reducing stress and anxiety, which can interfere with your sleep. Night affirmations can also promote relaxation and a sense of well-being, helping you fall asleep more easily and sleep more soundly throughout the night.
Additionally, night affirmations can help improve your overall mental and emotional well-being. By promoting positive self-talk and reinforcing positive beliefs about yourself, you can increase your self-esteem, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve your overall quality of life.
Night Affirmations for Peaceful Sleep
Here are some night affirmations that you can use to promote a peaceful and restful sleep:
“I am calm and relaxed.”
Repeat this affirmation to yourself as you lie in bed, focusing on your breath and letting go of any tension in your body. By repeating this affirmation, you are reminding yourself that you are in a safe and comfortable space and that you can let go of any worries or stresses from the day.
“I am grateful for all that I have.”
Take a moment to reflect on the positive aspects of your life, such as your relationships, your health, and your achievements. By focusing on gratitude, you are shifting your mindset from a negative to a positive perspective, which can help you feel more content and at peace.
“I trust myself and the universe.”
Trust is an essential component of a peaceful and restful sleep. By repeating this affirmation, you are reminding yourself that you have the strength and resilience to face any challenges that may come your way. You are also trusting that the universe has a plan for you, and that everything will work out in the end.
“I release all negative thoughts and emotions.”
Let go of any negative thoughts or emotions that may be keeping you up at night. By releasing these thoughts and emotions, you are creating space for positivity and peace to enter your life.
“I am worthy of love and happiness.”
Repeat this affirmation to yourself, focusing on your self-worth and self-esteem. By reminding yourself that you are worthy of love and happiness, you are promoting a positive self-image and reinforcing positive beliefs about yourself.
“I am open to receiving abundance and prosperity.”
This affirmation can help you manifest abundance and prosperity in your life. By focusing on your ability to receive abundance, you are shifting your mindset from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality, which can help you attract more positivity and success into your life.
“I trust my body to heal and restore itself.”
This affirmation can be particularly helpful if you are struggling with physical health issues. By reminding yourself that your body has the ability to heal and restore itself, you are promoting a positive outlook on your health and well-being.
Conclusion
Incorporating night affirmations into your bedtime routine can reduce stress and anxiety, promote relaxation and well-being, and improve your overall quality of life. Try incorporating some of these night affirmations into your bedtime routine and see how they can help improve your sleep quality and overall well-being. Check out our other self-care blog posts.
Namaskar or the Surya Namaskar, this form of exercise was introduced in ancient times to salute the sun, which plays an integral part in supporting life on this planet. Since the sun is the source of energy, this yoga asana is a powerful way to awaken your body, mind and soul.
If you are too busy to exercise or practise yoga, simply perform this namaskar exercise that is equivalent to a workout session and yoga practice. The benefits of namaskar are many as it is believed to activate each part of the body, including the mind.
The Surya namaskar comprises 12 poses, each holding a special significance and benefit to the body.
The prayer pose: This pose can be done in an upright position by holding your hands in a prayer form as you inhale and exhale deeply. This position relaxes the nervous system, helps maintain the body balance and aids in relieving stress and anxiety.
The raised arms pose: This position requires lifting your hands while joining your palms and bending slightly backwards while keeping your feet close and your back straight. This pose stretches and tones the abdominal muscles, aids digestion, reduces back pain and lowers asthma.
Standing forward bend pose: This position requires you to touch your heels with your fingers without bending your knees and spine. This pose helps cure insomnia, headache, anxiety and stress.
The lunge pose: This position requires you to bend your knees slightly and rest your palms on the floor, in line with your feet. Your right knee should be on the right of your chest, while your left leg should be stretched out at the back. This pose increases lung capacity and relieves indigestion and constipation.
Plank pose: This pose needs no introduction. All you need to do is position yourself in a plank pose while keeping your elbows and knees straight. This pose keeps your mind calm and improves posture.
Eight limbed pose: Bring your knees on the floor, rest your chin on the floor, your hips raised slightly, your posterior in the air and your arms on the side of your chest. This pose increases flexibility and relieves stress.
The cobra pose: Lie flat on the ground, and with the support of your arms, raise your body in the air, like a cobra, with your pelvic region touching the ground. This pose improves flexibility and mood.
Downward facing dog: As you’re standing straight, try bending forward without bending your knees and back and touching the ground with your palms. This pose calms the nerves, relieves menopause symptoms and increases blood circulation.
High lunge pose: This pose is similar to the lunge pose, with a better stretch and aids digestion and relieves constipation.
Standing forward bend: Once again, you come back in the standing forward turn pose as you reach towards the final steps of this exercise.
Raised arms pose: Get back into the extended arms pose again while practising deep breathing.
Prayer pose: Conclude this namaskar by positioning yourself in the first pose, which is the prayer pose.
Now that you know the benefits of the namaskar, you can start doing it every morning to feel rejuvenated throughout the day.
Being stressed or anxious is not a rare feeling to have nowadays. They have been there since time immemorial but even since the pandemic broke out, the frequency and strength of stress have only increased. According to a study conducted by a Delhi-based preventive healthcare platform The Center of Healing (TCOH), 74% of Indians are suffering from stress and 88% from anxiety issues since COVID-19 hit India. Everyone’s mental health has indeed gone for a toss but the severity of rising issues of anxiety, be it moderate or extreme, is genuinely alarming. That is why I wanted to share some of the stress relief activities that are not only approved by me as an anxious person but also are backed by science.
Stress: What is it like?
Stress, as I would describe it, is a continuous feeling of exhaustion both mental and physical caused when one is overwhelmed with or cannot deal with emotional pressures. It is your body’s and your mind’s way of responding to the emotional strain.
We often use the term ‘stress‘ in the most casual ways to describe how we feel but in this way, we only trivialize the most serious aspects of it and the effects it causes to those who have it. Stress can be of two major types- Acute and Chronic. The former is when you are feeling pressurized emotionally and unable to express yourself daily and the latter is when you are living in a stressful situation with the suppressed feeling for a long time.
The chemical changes caused by stress result in some involuntary consequences including an increase in blood pressure, blood sugar and heart rate. The most common effects are nervousness, shaking, exhaustion, inability to sleep often turned into insomnia, mood swings, instability of emotions and sometimes stress can affect your hormones, if you are a woman then your menstrual cycles could get affected. Sometimes severe hair fall and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) could also be the results of being stressed.
The reason for Stress
To address stress, we need to precisely scrutinize the reasons behind it. It could be caused by a traumatic experience or just a result of a flawed lifestyle. It could be personal or work-related or both. It could also possibly be a repercussion of being in a toxic environment where you overburden yourself with irresolute emotions. Even being burnt out could be a reason too. For an instance, the reason that I am stressed all the time or I should say most of the time is because I am a very self-critical person. I judge myself way too much that sometimes I suffer from imposter syndrome. This leads to overtaxing myself and eventually being stressed and anxious.
Stress and Anxiety: How are They Related?
Coming to anxiety, well, being stressed doesn’t necessarily mean you are anxious too. Stress may or may not result in anxiety but if you have anxiety then it can assume that you are stress-ridden. Basically, all I am trying to say here is that stress and anxiety both are related to each other but it doesn’t establish a pattern of one of them being the result or reason of the other.
Anxiety, as described in Google, is an “Intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Fast heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating and feeling tired may occur.” Basically, it is a fear or apprehension about what’s about to happen. Although indescribable you can compare it with nervousness or restlessness. It can happen before a big event or while taking an important decision or while thinking about you being heard by several people. In my case, it happens before a big day, or when I am too much behind my schedule, I keep judging and doubting myself. Being anxious means you have definitely been hit by stress.
Reasons to Choose Natural Ways to De-stress
Stress is not exactly as grave as it may sound. It is a part of our lives and almost all of us deal with it. In the present-day scenario, stress is inevitable as it comes along the chaotic lifestyle we have chosen for ourselves. We have the ability to treat stress ourselves in the early stage when the severity of it is mild to moderate.
There are many medical therapies, anti-depressants, stress-relievers available in the market which not only harms your body internally in the long run but also makes you dependant on the medicines. Even if it is a mild mood swing you’ll be reaching for medicines as you know they are going to work in a jiffy. But, that is totally not how you should treat stress. Some simple changes in the lifestyle and a few adopted practices can make your life simpler and happier. No medicines can make you internally happy which is the only guaranteed treatment for a stress-ridden person.
Science-backed Stress Relief Activities You Must Try
The reason why people often turn away from natural de-stress techniques is that A) they don’t have much idea, B) they are sceptical of the results, and C) they think natural remedies take too long to show effects. Busting the myths around natural stress-relievers, I am going to share in this post 13 Stress Relief Activities that are backed by science.
1. Practice Mindfulness
In simple words, mindfulness is the process of being fully aware of what you are doing and feeling. It is synonymous with being present in the moment and living each second being exclusively attentive to and focused on things that you’re doing. Believe me, it is as easy as it sounds. One gets hang of it when practised.
According to Mayo Clinic, “Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.” As true as it is, I believe we can practise mindfulness in each activity that we do on a day to day basis. For example- mindful eating where you are completely focused on the food you eat and not in the surroundings like the people who share the table with you or the TV show that you’re watching while eating, mindful journaling- where you genuinely pay attention to your thoughts and ideas without being critical or judgemental of them.
We attain ultimate peace when our mind, body and soul are aligned correctly. Mindfulness is a process that ensures they are aligned. It awakens our senses and makes us realise the importance of each moment, each breath we take, each work we do.
The next three points are how I practise mindfulness which you can try too!
Chant a Mantra or Prayer
India is a land of spirituality. The Indians have been practising chanting mantras and hymns from the bygone era. Indian culture has a lot to do with creating a healthy lifestyle and positive atmosphere which leads to eternal peace. Thus we can assume that the idea of chanting mantras had more reasons than just a religious practice. Chanting is one of the most powerful mindfulness exercises. Not only does it create a positive aura around you but also it works best in accordance with the Law of Attraction.
It is scientifically proven that repetitive motions or sounds can soothe anxiety, plus, it distracts you from the environmental interruptions and negativity.
Meditation- One of the Most Popular Stress Relief Activities
The benefits of meditation are known to all. It helps us cope with stress and anxiety by calming down our senses. Meditation is the most popular and most celebrated way of practising mindfulness. It opens the window of self-exploration as it allows the mind to be focused on what is been happening within us and not on the external world. Meditation allows us to delve deeper into our soul and thus receiving the vibrations that are hidden inside us. That is why meditation is considered one of the most rewarding methods to ensure physical and mental well-being.
You definitely don’t need to be an expert to start meditation. There are many tutorials on meditation all over the internet but what works best for me is to close your eyes and think of the happy times, or of a person who makes you happy, or of any god your worship. You won’t be able to focus in the first but soon you will get the hang of it. Make sure you are meditating in an open space in the quietest hour of the day, preferably in the early morning.
Conscious Breathing
Many of us do breathing exercises or ‘Pranayama’ but have you ever heard of breathing consciously? Well, if not then keep reading. The term conscious breathing is quite self-explanatory. It means being completely aware of your breathing and taking control of it. Deep conscious breathing calms us down, reduces blood pressure, and relieves stress. It helps us balance our physical and mental health.
Inhaling and holding your breath for 20secs and then exhaling slowly is the key to deep breathing.
2. Keep a Gratitude Journal
Being grateful allows us to work on ourselves and improve. Counting your blessings every now and then and keeping a gratitude journal has been beneficial by many including me. Every morning, listing down the things I am grateful for helps me get mental peace as I know how lucky I am and what has been given to me by the universe and how should I use them to improve myself. A gratitude journal is just a place where you jot down your gratitudes.
It is proven to improve your mental health, give you a boost of self-esteem, bring positivity, help relieve stress and calm you down. Regular practice of gratitude journaling will fill you with immense happiness and appreciativeness.
3. Doing Morning Pages
This is a term that might sound a little alien to many. I myself have started practising morning pages very recently. I got the idea from Lavendaire’s video. As I started doing it I actually started loving the process. Basically, morning pages is a writing one or, as Lavendaire mentioned in her blog, three pages every morning. The writing should be spontaneous and not at all planned. In the morning pages, you dump all that has been going on in your head, all that has been making you hold back or making your heart heavy in a journal. It makes your mind a lot lighter and gives you vision and clarity in life. This is basically purposeless writing where you just empty your heart out on a piece of paper.
Morning pages might seem hard to do at first but you must not stop writing no matter how ridiculous it may read. Remember, you are writing for yourself and not for others to read. As you keep writing, you’ll get the hang of it and then you’ll start to notice the change in your overall mental health.
You may start by writing the quote you saw the other day, or about how your yesterday went, to-do lists, prayers, gratitude, books you’re enjoying reading, TV shows or web series you loved etc. Basically, anything and everything. I’ll recommend you to watch the video on the Lavendaire channel. She has discussed this in detail.
4. Include Yoga in Daily Routine
According to Wikipedia, “Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated in ancient India, aimed at controlling and stilling the mind, and recognizing the detached ‘witness consciousness as untouched by the activities of the mind and mundane suffering.” Yoga is a century-old method of stretch your body scientifically which is practised to target many physical and mental problems and at the same time relaxing the mind and soul.
Practising yoga every day for at least 15-20 minutes will help you increase your fitness, calm you down, reduce neck tensions, relieve soreness, and rejuvenate you. Regular practising Yoga will increase vitality, give clarity to your thoughts so that you have a clear vision of life.
5. Spend Time in the Sun
A lot of us have to spend most of our time confined in a small space for work. Even when we are not working we hardly go out in nature. But, that is essential to keep up the balance and harmony between you and nature. We are made from nature and it is obvious that nature has all the essentials to make us content and happy in-store. Such a thing is Vitamin D. We have learnt in school about Vitamin D and how we can get it only from the Sun. Not only does it strengthens your bones or regulates your immunity but also helps with the neuromuscular functions which enable you to fight stress, anxiety, hypertension, sleeping disorders, depression and other psychiatric problems.
Spending time in the Sun, definitely not in the scorching heat but the mild Sun during the early period of the day with help you absorb the necessary Vitamin D thus taking care of any deficiency. It will automatically uplift your mood, make you feel lighter and give you a good night’s sleep.
6. Meet the People you Love
Our body works under different mysterious substances that are commonly called hormones. Not only do they regulate our bodily functions but also our emotions. Such a hormone is Cortisol. This hormone helps control many internal concerns like blood sugar levels, blood pressure, metabolism, inflammations etc. There is an increase in the cortisol levels when a person is going through a tough mental state for example anxiety. It is scientifically established that there is a significant reduction in cortisol levels when we meet our loved ones.
Another such hormone is Dopamine which is popularly known as the ‘happy hormone’. When spiked it makes you feel happy and content. Any pleasurable experience, delightful emotion can spike up the dopamine level which in return gives you the feeling of comfort which eventually becomes a stress-reliever.
7. Stay Away from Social Media
In the current scenario when most of us are homebound, our exposure to social media as well as screentime, in general, has been increased dangerously. Too much addiction to the digital space eventually escalates the chaos of the mind and lessens the enthusiasm that is essential for a peaceful life. Days started with a small scroll through the social media handles vs the days started without that seem significantly less peaceful and productive. It overwhelms our minds and weighs down our thoughts. Also, this consumes a lot of our time and positive energy making us procrastinate.
Staying away from social media or what we call it these days, social media detox, once in a while, provides us with clarity in life, makes us focused and help us getting all our work done in a timely and organized manner. Excessive screentime can cause stress, loss of sleep and headaches. It is recommended to turn away from the screen at least an hour before bedtime.
8. Laugh a little Harder
When comes to relieve stress naturally, there is no better medicine than a dose of laughter. A hearty laugh has many benefits like stimulating the organs like the heart and the lungs, stretching your muscles, boosting endorphins released by the brain which helps us deal with stress and anxiety.
I get my daily dose of laughter by watching funny animal videos on the internet.
9. Listening to Music
Those who are easily affected by overthinking and are overwhelmed with emotions know what music can do to pacify the senses. The right choice of music can help you calm and soothe yourself which could be considered one of the best stress relief activities.
Here is a playlist created by me that has songs that are meticulously handpicked for stress relief. I consider it to be one of the best Spotify playlists for anxiety.
10. Surround Yourself with Plants
Houseplants are not just to have a pretty corner in the house or to purify the air, they are anti-depressants too. You can lower your stress level just by looking at them. Research shows houseplants can reduce stress by 40 per cent which is insane. It is more of a mental thing than a physical one. Living amidst plants tricks our mind to believe we are living a slower, simpler life close to nature which instantly calms us down.
Some of the indoor plants you can consider having in your home or in your office are- Aloe Vera, Jade plant, Areca Palm, Peace Lily, Syngonium, Snake Plant etc. These are some of the houseplants that cleanse the air and detoxify the space they are in.
11. Start Eating Healthy
Eating a healthy diet does not only ensures your physical health but also your mental health. To fight the adverse effects of stress and anxiety i.e. increased heart rate and blood pressure, a nutritious diet plays a huge role. Stress negatively impacts the functioning of the brain and the signals it sends. The brain needs nutrients to work properly and those nutrients are derived only from a good diet.
Usually eating junk food creates a subliminal guilty feeling which indirectly affects your already amplified stress level. Eating homemade clean food makes you feel good about yourself as if you are taking care of your body. This sense of satisfaction helps reduce the stress level. The increased blood pressure caused by stress can also be treated with food that helps regulate the blood flow in the body.
Daily consumption of greens, leafy vegetables, fruits and nuts are helpful for health. Also, nutrients like omega-3 and vitamin E are should be kept in your diet. Fibrous food like cereals and vegetables and yoghurt also take care of the gut and psyche.
12. Take a Stroll in the Nature
There is nothing like nature therapy to de-stress or unwind. A quick stroll in the park or a hike through the jungle help reduces the stress level. This light cardio does not only work for your physical health but also helps release endorphins which makes you feel better, reduces pain and help achieve a positive attitude. It also helps in lowering the level of cortisol also known as the stress hormone.
A walk in nature allows you to breathe properly, increases the intake of pure oxygen and at the same time helps you distract your mind from your otherwise chaotic life. So, like many other stress relief activities mentioned here, it is also beneficial for both the mind and the body.
13. Aroma Therapy
Fragrances play an important role in relieving stress in our day to day life. The significance of aroma in human psychological and physical health is increasing day by day and that is the reason why there is a considerable increase in the use of essential oils in medicinal as well as in cosmetic industries. The aromatic essential oils can reduce your cortisol levels, relax your senses and help you sleep well. Here are a few of the essential oils that help you calm yourselves-
To treat insomnia or for relaxing- Lavender and Chamomile,
To lift up your mood- Lemon Essential Oil
To stimulate the mind and the body- Peppermint, Rosemary
To reduce fatigue, anxiety, agitation and nervousness- Bergamot, Thyme
To treat restlessness and promote good sleep- Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
So, these were the 13 easy stress relief activities that are science-approved and need to be incorporated into your lifestyle straight away. Stress is inescapable, what we can do is to know how we can deal with it and we must make sure we are choosing the natural way to treat our stressed mind.
Don’t forget to let me know what you think about this post. How many of the above-mentioned activities do you follow. Comment with your favourite destressing methods. I’ll be back with another exciting post in a couple of days. Until then, have a great weekend ahead!
Blessed are those who did not have to go through a phase where everything seems to be falling apart, to be drifting away in front of their naked eyes, to be losing themselves but completely unable to do anything about it. Sometimes, people don’t even know what is happening with them because of very little or no awareness and they seem to fall into pieces silently inside themselves. As I am writing this, even I am finding it extremely hard to put the feelings into words. That, my friend, is Anxiety and what I have written here is probably 0.5% of what people actually have to go through in anxiety.
In 2017, I was going through anxiety and now that I am recalling the time, I know the reasons behind them. It is so essential to know what are the things that are making you anxious and face them and fight them with utmost confidence. Now, I did not need to write all these in this post because that would be completely irrelevant but whenever I am talking about my anxiety issues, I find myself obliged to let you know what I feel about it so that everyone out there feels that they are not lonely. Anyhoo, let’s continue with this post.
When I was going through anxiety, I found a few things that made me feel a little better. One of them was an introduction to Indie music. I was browsing aimlessly through YouTube and I found a video containing a playlist of aesthetic music. Being a sucker for everything aesthetic, I immediately played the video and the very first song I listened to was Sometimes by Goth Babe. That song was so soothing it left me with a sense of tranquility and contentment. Then my YT homepage was full of suggestions and recommendations of indie pops and I was consuming each one of them like crazy. I did not stop there and kept exploring lo-fi songs, reverbed songs, and whatnot. Basically, that was a time I was longing to drift away from the reality and thoughts that were weighing me down. Personally, I feel the above-mentioned types of music give you that freedom to achieve quietude. They give you a break from reality which in turn makes you feel at peace for the time being.
It’s been a year since I created a playlist on Spotify to calm down my restless days and sleepless nights. Exactly a year ago, I created my very first Spotify playlist and named it CALM. What else could be more appropriate! Today, I am going to share that with you, with people who are feeling stressed, burnt out, and/or anxious. The playlist includes songs that have a slow tempo and relaxing beats. Most of them are vintage and aesthetic that best suits my preference.
As I mentioned earlier, my very first encounter with western Indie music was with the song that is listed on top of my Spotify playlist. Then it grew long and long. I still add songs that are appropriate for the list. So, this playlist is updated regularly. If I had to choose two bands I have been enjoying listening to, that would be Goth Babe and Cigarettes After Sex. I have started liking Prateek Kuhad’s songs as well. There are still so many songs to explore and add to my favouite playlist. I hope it heals you too like it did to me.
Have you listened to any of the songs from my Spotify Playlist? Let me know your thoughts when you do!
As you are reading this post, I have just turned 30 somewhere under the blue sky. To be very honest, I have been thinking about this day since my early 20s. Turning 30 is like turning my mom’s age when she had two school-going kids! Most of the 90s girls can relate to this weird feeling where turning 30 has always seemed to feel like a distant dream and at the same time, it has been too tempting to step into this new milestone in life. Anyway, to sum up, I would say that I am a little nervous yet very excited to enter this new phase in my life. After all, you age like a fine wine and also someone told me 30 is the new 20!
Like every other person in this world, these thirty years of my life has taught me so many things- good, bad, ugly that gradually and eventually helped me grow as a human being and made me who I am today. These events have taught me not to regret anything in life rather make your failures your opportunities to start afresh in life. Today, in this post, I will tell you 30 things I have learned before I turned 30. This post might get a little lengthy but I promise I won’t make it boring!
To me, ageing is like an upgradation. With every year, you upgrade your inner and outer self, your mental state and your life’s vision by adding or eliminating things, vibes and people depending how much value these things are adding to your life. 30 is the age when you are almost aware of the fact that it’s more practical to stop clinging onto things or persons that no longer serve you and there is nothing wrong in that. The only way we age, at least for me, is all in our mind. For instance, mentally, I feel I am still in my early twenties or maybe late teens. That’s why I never dreaded turning 30 though it surely feels crazy to realise how time flew and landed me here.
Anyway, let’s start the part you are here for! Thirty years is enough to learn almost 90% of our life lessons. Some might have been hard for you and some might have been delightful but overall they all have helped you to grow into this beautiful person that you are now. Here, I am sharing mine-
30 Things I Learnt Before I Turned 30
Love other people but not at the cost of your self-esteem.
Never take any moment of your life for granted.
Live in the moment.
Everything happens when it’s destined to happen. Never force anything.
Family comes first.
Get out of a toxic relationship be it your family member.
Sometimes it is better to silently distance yourself from people rather than get yourself into a conflict.
Count your blessing.
There is nothing like being humble and kind.
People can be qualified yet uneducated.
Find joy in little things.
There is nothing called a right time to start living.
There is no replacement for hard work.
It’s okay to reset and start afresh.
Taking breaks are necessary.
Only invest in something that brings you peace.
Mental peace is the most important.
Never let anyone take your emotions for granted.
It’s okay not to be in everyone’s good books.
Journaling helps overthinkers a lot.
Sunsets are my most favourite thing to watch every day.
The moon/moonlight makes me happy.
Negativity attracts negativity. So, it’s better to distance yourself from negative people and negative thoughts.
When you stop procrastinating, great things happen.
Patience is the key.
Not everyone is qualified to be called a friend.
Pretence irritates me to the core.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Life becomes more beautiful when you embrace it without asking anything in return.
NEVER GIVE UP. Good things happen when you least expect it.
Even though turning 30 is still so far from reality to me, I am going to cherish every moment of this new phase in my life, make memories, be hopeful and grateful and lastly, I will always stay young at heart. Looking forward to the journey ahead ❤️️
Productiveness is not something that can be acquired by following a set of rules. Productiveness is a state of mind that can only be achieved if you genuinely feel productive. In this post, I will share with you how to be more productive every day. These points are something I personally follow or you can say I feel productive when I follow these.
Be a Morning Person
I know, I know! It’s easier said than done. But trust me, you can. I’ll tell you a trick that is 100% effective. Put an alarm next to you and once the alarm rings just get out of the bed and get yourself moving. No social media checks, no pondering, no dozing off again! It has to work. Also, make a list of tasks that you need to do for the day the night before. I am sure the pressure to complete the task won’t let you snooze your alarm clock.
I have always loved waking up early in the morning. The tranquillity and the freshness of the air have always played a major role in bringing out my inner productive person. Also, one of the boons of waking up early is you get plenty of time to finish all your chores. Maybe, you’ll get more time to enjoy your tea or your coffee or to upload more Insta stories!
Start the Day off with Relaxing Music
Last year, when I started facing some anxiety issues (I’ll tell you about it in a separate post), I started using some meditation apps which, to some extent, helped. Soon, I felt like I was not in a state of mind to completely concentrate on some for 15-20 minutes. All these meditation sessions had some amazing relaxing music in the background that made me think that maybe I can listen to this type of music while doing my daily morning routine and it worked! It de-stressed me, made me calmer and soon my restlessness was gone.
“Music is the Medicine of the Mind” – John A. Logan
Before starting a productive day you must enliven your senses. That’s what relaxing music does to you! You can find plenty of them on YouTube.
Plan Your Day Ahead
Let me share a fun fact about me with you. I cannot function without writing everything down in my notebook. I cannot take mental notes. Kudos to you if you can. I like to plan my day ahead, typically the night before, because A. it saves time, B. you already have a plan to follow.
Recently I have found a great app that is the most efficient online planner. The best part about this is that it takes very little space (2.5MB). Earlier, I used to use a physical planner but I found it hard to maintain. Then I went on to plan on Google Calendar, but then again it was not convenient enough for me. Finally, I found Dreamie Planner. This is available on the Android Playstore and it’s completely free. (#notsponspored)
Make a Routine
This helped me a lot in time management and getting better at it every day. A daily routine can help you be more productive every day. Making a routine and getting accustomed to it helps a lot in achieving daily goals and in dividing the time evenly. Allot time-frames for each task to some extent that it doesn’t get in the way of your flow or ease of work. Also, keep a recreation gap for you in the routine. Getting a break is also as important as working. In short, make a routine that is more practical and doable than an overtiring one.
Find a Cozy & Peaceful Corner
Your workspace plays a very important role in setting your mood for a productive and creative time of work. It acts as a mood board that inspires you and helps you stay focused. The main issue I used to have when I started taking my work seriously is to lose focus and get disorganised at times. A peaceful corner really adds up to the overall mood. Even if you are a student, try studying in a peaceful spot. That helps a lot.
I like to decorate my little workspace/desk with things that inspire my work and my goals. Do whatever suits your needs- add cute or quirky objects, fancy stationery, things that will invite you every day to that space.
Create a Vision Board
Mood boards or vision boards are really helpful if you have issues in focusing on certain things. A vision board is a collage of pictures, quotes or random things that you take inspiration from. A vision board gives you an atmosphere that helps you create and produce content. It’s like the dots that you join with your imagination to acquire valuable content.
Here’s an example of a mood board/vision board-
Vision Board Ideas | Source: Target.com
Set Small Goals for the Day
I don’t know about you but I am the happiest when I am productive. I know being surrounded by work can be really tiring and hectic but hey! isn’t it the purpose of our lives? To be working and make every moment count? At least for me, it is. I have always wanted to be the independent woman that I am slowly becoming. I have always wanted to be my own boss, which I am today. In short, I am living the life I have always wanted to live and in the way I wanted it to be. But you know the drill, no pain no gain! Nothing comes easy in life, everyone has to sacrifice something or the other in the process of becoming themselves. For me, it was my sleep, my laziness, and my sensitiveness. But then, I am in the process of overcoming all these obstacles.
I know how hard it is to cope up with the hell lot of work that bloggers and influencers are supposed to do. It’s very easy to get detached and lose motivation at times. I hope incorporating these little things in your daily routine would make a change. With this, I wrap up #Episode2 of Pep Talk. If you want me to cover any other topic then let me know in the comments. See you soon!
How do you keep yourself productive?
That’s it for today’s post. I hope you found this article helpful. Make sure to share it with your friends and family if you did. Your comments encourage me a lot. So, pour in your thoughts in the comments. Subscribe to our Newsletter so that you get notified whenever there is a new post on the blog! Will talk to you in my next post. Till then, be happy and keep smiling! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter and also Subscribe to my YouTube channel for beauty & fashion related videos and vlogs.
Sometimes, life puts us to the test to see if we are capable enough to help ourselves or not. Sometimes, we have to go through a phase that seems more difficult than you could ever imagine it to be, but at the same time, it is rewarding and something that strengthens your belief that ‘I can do it!’. Today, I am going to talk about something that I always heard people facing but never expected myself to face it. Yes, today I am talking about anxiety (as if the title wasn’t enough!) and how I dealt with it.
Those who haven’t faced anxiety might think it isn’t even an issue, it might seem to them as an ephemeral thing. When anxiety struck me, it took me a couple of months to understand what it actually is and why am I not feeling myself. I never discussed it with many but a few of whom I shared it with thought I was overthinking. See, that’s why is it necessary to spread awareness about mental health!
Today, I’ll tell you my story. I am not a therapist or counselor, I am a sufferer myself who have just partially overcome it. I hope I can help some of you and/or you can help someone who needs help. Exactly a year ago when I thought I am at my creative best, anxiety struck me. The first thing to get affected by it was my blog, my writing, and my creativity. At first, I thought it’s another creative block but soon I was proved wrong. This creative block lasted 10 months and it wasn’t a creative block alone. Even the thought of opening my blog and of writing scared me, made me nervous. Needless to say, I was not at all okay with it. Imagine you love doing something and all of a sudden it becomes a burden for you. You cannot be cool with it, can you? The only thing that kept me going is my boyfriend’s support (at this point, only he was aware of my situation). He made me try and I tried. I forced myself to write a few pending reviews and occasionally one or two Instagram posts and that’s it.
In between all these, I took a couple of days off and went for a vacation thinking it will make everything normal again. Although I enjoyed quite a bit but, when I returned home everything was the same. I used to cry sitting in front of the computer. I lost all my inspiration. The girl who was always occupied in her blog suddenly wanted to run away from everything. This went to the extent where I almost deleted my blog but thank god I didn’t.
In the middle of all these, I finally started my YouTube Channel. It was long due and I thought to start my own channel (Which had been my dream) at this point in time might help me feel myself again. Talking about this, let me tell you doing new things makes me the happiest! The intro video went really well, people really appreciated me a lot and I was encouraged by so many people. Then I shot my second video and it came out to be terrible! Clearly, it did not make an appearance to the Tube. I cried the entire day. I was already broken and this broke me even more. I would like to thank four people from the bottom of my heart and they are my boyfriend Amit, my sister Sohini, Kinkinee (a fellow blogger, my best friend and soul sister) and Kirti (a fellow blogger and an amazing friend). These people help me stand up when I was determined to leave YouTube forever. I cannot express how grateful I am to them. I would have never summoned up the courage to give it a go once again. Now, I love my YouTube channel as much as I love my blog. I cannot imagine my life without them!
Slowly, very slowly, I started feeling better. It wasn’t an overnight thing. Each day felt like a year to me. I never thought I could make it but, I did. I can’t say I’m 100% cured but I have recovered a lot and am still in the process of recovering fully. I’m going to share some of the things that made this happen.
Talk to someone about it even if you don’t want to.
Be with people. Loneliness is your biggest enemy. Spend time with the people you love and who love you back.
Eliminate people who are spreading negativity around you.
Take a break from work and engage in the activities you haven’t done in a while.
Travel.
Go out more often. Being in the same place will make you more conscious of the situation that you actually need to avoid.
Read real-life stories of people who have suffered anxiety issues.
These are the primary steps you need to try but, if the problem persists, seek a therapist without wasting time. It’s important.
As I said, I have recovered 99%. I am only scared of getting back to that same spot. For me, it wasn’t as bad as some stories I had heard. I did not need any medical or therapeutical help. I am loving m job again. I have started planning contents for the next couple of months and I am feeling so proud of myself. One thing I must tell you all. I did not write this post to gain any kind of sympathy from anyone. Sharing this with you feels really good and comforting. It somehow releases all my stress. Plus, you guys have become a very important part of my life- my virtual family. The sole reason to write my experience down is to help anyone who is in need of that. I hope this post serves the purpose.
With this post, I am starting a new series on my blog called Pep Talk. Let me know how you like the idea and which topics you want me to cover next. There are many new things coming soon on this blog. I am sure you’re going to like it.
Do share your thoughts with me.
That was it for today’s post. I hope you found this post helpful. Make sure to share it with your family and friends if you did. Pour in your thoughts in the comments. Your comments encourage me a lot! Do subscribe to our Newsletter so that you get notified whenever there is a new post on the blog. Will talk to you in my next post. Till then, be safe & keep smiling! Follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for regular updates and also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel!
