4 Effective Ways To Practice Gratitude During The COVID Pandemic

_{*Disclosure* Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link & make a purchase, I’ll receive some commission- at no extra cost to you, which helps me cover the costs for this blog.}

How many of us introspect or decide to be grateful for the things we have received? How many things in our life do we take for granted?

I certainly am guilty of taking the good stuff in my life for granted and complaining about the things I lack. I have done it for the longest time, especially when I was unaware of the power of gratitude.

Gratitude is powerful. Much more powerful than we realize. It has the power to change your mood & uplift your mind. Gratitude has the power to heal.

Gratitude doesn’t mean that we become delusional or brush away our problems. Being grateful means being aware of negativity & still choosing positivity. Gratitude means being grateful despite our problems.

To keep ourselves positive during the current COVID pandemic, practicing gratitude is essential. Whenever we feel that we are slipping into an abyss of negativity, depression, anxiety or dissatisfaction, gratitude is our anchor.

Here are 4 effective ways to practice Gratitude:

1.Gratitude Journal

This is by far the most talked about method of counting your blessings or expressing gratitude. Maintaining a gratitude journal and writing about the things you are grateful for can be of a great help.

Sit comfortably in a quiet place or close to a window to get a view of the outside world. Light some candles or turn on your favorite music. Close your eyes for a few minutes and mentally run through everything in your life that you are thankful for.

It could be your family, friends, your pet or even material items like your cozy home, your car, the latest gadget in the kitchen, the places you have visited, the cuisines you have tasted, the books that you have enjoyed… it could be a seemingly trivial thing or a big milestone in your life.

Your gratitude journal doesn’t have to look like an article from a newspaper or like a book from the printing press. You do not have to bother about the grammar, nor run any spell checks . All you need to do is write and express your gratitude for every single item that has brought joy. The journal is for your eyes only.

You can scribble just a few lines or write multiple pages. You can journal every day or once every week. It doesn’t matter how many lines you write or how often you update your journal.

Gratitude journaling can also be modified as ‘bullet journaling.’ Write down your gratitude list as bullet points. 

2. Gratitude Pot/Jar

You don’t have to run to the store to buy a fancy jar to implement this. A simple mason jar from your kitchen will work! If you like being artistic, you can paint/decorate your jar.

Below is a picture of my gratitude jar that I made a while back. It’s a simple earthen pot that I painted using acrylic colors.

_{Gratitude pot painted by me}

The idea here is to make note of the items that you are grateful for. Take a small piece of paper and jot down what made you happy on that day. Fold the paper and drop it in the pot/ jar. Keep the jar/pot in a place where it will be visible to you. If you want, you can encourage your family members to add their gratitude notes as well.. Take a moment to think what you are grateful for on that day and write it down.

It is best to do this activity at the end of the day so that you have an overview of the entire day.

It could be as simple as- Today am grateful for

• The great coffee/food I had
• The new running shoes.
• The beautiful weather.
• The “me-time” after ages.

You can try this gratitude pot/jar activity for a period of 40/90 days or for an entire year. At the end of this period you can empty your pot and read all your notes. It feels great to re-live the happy moments & remember that you have so much to be grateful for.

3. Volunteer for a cause

I think any gratitude practice is incomplete without helping someone or volunteering for a cause. While donating to charity is also good enough, volunteering for a cause like opting to help the less fortunate in your own way (other than donating money) is the best way to practice gratitude.

I have personally experienced this when I taught Dance Movement Therapy for free to senior citizens at an NGO in Singapore over a period of 6 months.

The feeling of giving back to society is amazing & unmatched. When we help those who are in need, we have a realization of all the wonderful things we have. The unfortunate help us realize how fortunate we are. Volunteering also helps us become more empathetic to other people’s troubles & needs.

During this trying time, if possible, you can volunteer to help the poor & sick people; and/or the migrant labourers in your city/country by giving them food/groceries or helping them in other ways.

The possibilites of helping others during this time are endless & the happiness you get from helping others & the gratitude you feel when you realize how much you already have, is incomparable.

4. Gratitude meditation

Gratitude Meditation is a form of mediation where we focus on gratitude for what we are thankful for. There are numerous guided gratitude meditation videos available on YouTube. If you are beginner in meditation, I suggest short (10 min or less) videos.

Gratitude meditation is an extremely powerful tool, combining the benefits of meditation & the feeling of contentment you get when you are grateful.

It is definitely a great mood booster! 🙂

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I hope you liked these 4 methods of practicing gratitude. When we intentionally practice gratitude, it is extremely powerful.

I know it is tough to practice gratitude especially when you are having a bad day or when we are faced with diffcult times like these. That is precisely the reason to practice it even more.

When we intentionally practice gratitude during a bad day/time, we become naturally more hopeful, happier & more resilient.

Practicing gratitude is like lighting a candle in a dark room. It will keep you warm, fuzzy & happy.

Do you practice gratitude? Have you used any of the methods listed here? I would love hear more about your gratitude practices. Please share it with me in the comments section below! 🙂

5 Health Benefits Of Fasting; How Does It Help?

_{*Disclosure* Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link & make a purchase, I’ll receive some commission- at no extra cost to you, which helps me cover the costs for this blog.}

Hi guys, it’s May already! Time flies and we are through with 5 months of the year. Feels unreal, doesn’t it?

Anyway, I think now is a perfect time to write about fasting and it benefits. With all of us staying at home, it is quite easy to get carried away and binge-eat.

I personally have been watching my food portions during this circuit-breaker period in Singapore (lockdown/stay at home whatever you call it). Other than that, like always, I fast once a week, on Mondays. It was around 4 years back that I started fasting a day a week, on a regular basis. Initially I ate food allowed for the vrat/upwas but I didn’t feel a lot of difference. When I began fasting by limiting my food intake to minimal (usually fruits/dry fruits & lots of water), I began to see the benefits.

Fasting is a concept which has been practiced for centuries in India in the form of vrat/upwas and on special occasions. It is also practiced in other religions & cultures across the globe.

Fasting may or may not be done for religious purposes, but it can certainly be done for health reasons.

There are various types of fasting and intermittent fasting has gained a lot of traction in today’s world with a lot of people opting for it. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. There are many different types of intermittent fasting, such as the 12 hour intermittent fasting or the 16:8 or 5:2 methods.

Irrespective of the type of fasting, the benefits attached to it are innumerable.

Here are 5 benefits of fasting:

1. Fasting improves your immune system

Fasting improves the immune system because it reduces free radical damage, regulates inflammatory conditions in the body and starves off cancer cell formation.

In nature, when animals get sick they stop eating and instead focus on resting. This is a primal instinct to reduce stress on their internal system so their body can fight off infection.

Our immunity improves if there is a faster regeneration of cells, which happens when you fast.

According to one study, a three day fast can lead to the regeneration of the entire immune system and the production of totally brand new white blood cells which have a stronger ability to fight disease.

How cool is that?

2. Fasting aids weight loss & improves metabolism.

Fasting can be a great way to lose weight as many studies have shown that fasting allows the body to burn through fat cells more effectively than just regular dieting.

Fasting allows the body to use fat as it’s primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates. Many athletes use fasting as means to hitting low body fat percentages for competitions.

Fasting also gives our digestive system a rest, and this can energise our metabolism to burn calories more efficiently. If our digestion is poor, this can effect our ability to metabolise food and burn fat. Fasts can regulate our digestion and promote healthy bowel movements, thus improving our metabolic function.

3. Fasting Can Reduce Insulin Resistance, Lowering Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes has become incredibly common in recent times with unhealthy lifestyles & high amount of sugar intake in people due to improper diet and over consumption of processed food.

The main feature of Type 2 Diabetes is high blood sugar levels in the context of insulin resistance.

Anything that reduces insulin resistance should help lower blood sugar levels and protect against type 2 diabetes. Interestingly, fasting has been shown to have major benefits for insulin resistance and lead to an impressive reduction in blood sugar levels.

Thus, because fasting is extremely beneficial in reducing insulin resistance & increasing insulin sensitivity, which can be of much significance in lowering blood sugar levels, it thereby proves to be helpful in reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

4. Fasting Helps Clear The Skin And Prevent Acne

Fasting can help clear the skin because with the body temporarily freed from digestion, it’s able to focus its regenerative energies on other systems.

Not eating anything for a while has shown to help the body clean up the toxins and regulate the functioning of other organs of the body like liver, kidneys and other parts.

Since the digestive system gets detoxified and bowel function improves, the skin also benefits from it and flushes out the toxins it has accumulated thus becoming clearer and healthier.

5. Fasting Improves Your Brain Function

Fasting has shown to improve brain function because it boosts the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF.)

BDNF activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons, and triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health. This protein also protects your brain cells from changes associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Ageing of brain cells can slow down, thus increasing mental alertness & awareness which helps to improve brain function.

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These were a few health benefits of fasting. There are numerous benefits of fasting apart from the 5 listed here. Fasting is known to improve heart health, reduce risk of cancer and also helps in regulate hormones. The list of it’s benefits is very long.

It doesn’t matter what type of fasting you practice; intermittent or not, any form of fasting is beneficial.

I personally have experienced feeling mentally alert and more active when I fast. My ‘fast day’ is usually more productive and more creative than the rest. I feel quite energetic as well.

Fasting should be done carefully and it does not mean starving yourself. Also, prolonged period of fasting is counter-intuitive and can cause more harm than good.

Fasting should only be done once or twice a week with regular meal days in between.

Anyone with diagnosed medical conditions and on specific medications should avoid fasting. Fasting should also be avoided by underweight people, people with eating disorders and by pregnant or lactating women.

Fasting can also feel initially tough to those who have never done it before and any extreme form of fasting should be avoided. The body takes time to adjust itself to fasting and it is important to be gentle with your body.

Tht said, I hope you found the article useful and I hope you do give some form of fasting a try, keeping in mind your health & body capability too! 🙂

51 Self-Care Ideas To Deal With a Bad Day (2020)

_{*Disclosure* Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link & make a purchase, I’ll receive some commission- at no extra cost to you, which helps me cover the costs for this blog.}

Today, as the month of April comes to an end, I am sharing with all of you 51 ways of self-care and self-love that will give you a much needed boost a this time. We all have our bad days and good days and these self-care ideas are sure to help you cope whenever you are having a tough time.

2020 is proving to be quite a challenging year and the year of upheavals. So it is quite natural to have bad days and feel low during such a time.

Before I share with all of you these easy and fun ways of self love & care, I want to write something on this topic.

What is Self-Love/Self-Care?

Self- love means doing what is best for yourself. It does NOT mean being too proud or having a superiority complex. Infact, it’s the opposite.

Self-love keeps you humble because you know your own pluses and minuses and acknowledge that you are imperfect. Those who are vain do not love themselves since they seek validation from others & have not yet come to terms with their own imperfections. Those who are self-assured and love themselves, don’t really need any external validation.

The most important thing I have realized is that self love doesn’t mean having no self-accountability and making excuses for yourself. Making excuses also means you don’t love yourself enough to do what is needed. While it is very important to be kind to yourself and compassionate with yourself, it is also important to differentiate between being kind to yourself and making excuses Examples: I’m gonna skip my class/session/work/ meditation/workout today because I don’t feel like it. I’m going to buy myself those expensive shoes even though I know I should save that money, etc. Guys, this is not self- love. I learnt this after making some mistakes, but I have realized that self-love means inclusion of self-accountability as well.

Self love & self accountability go together. Self love and self care mean doing what you NEED and NOT just doing what you WANT. Self love & care mean knowing and doing what is best for yourself, even when it may seem tough to do at the moment. In order to know what is best for you, you need to start self-introspecting. You have to become your own best friend.

For me, self love means being honest with yourself, acknowledging the fact that you are not perfect and striving to improve yourself.

On that note, I am sharing with all of you 51 Simple Ways of Self-Care, to help you during a bad day at home.

Here’s the list:

1. Brew and drink a cup of your favourite beverage
2. Refresh your morning routine
3. Wake up early
4. Watch the sunrise
5. Have a healthy & satisfying breakfast
6. Write down or say a few positive affirmations.
7. Write 10 things you are grateful for
8. Take a detox bath
9. Try a new face mask
10. Breathe deeply
11. Do Yoga
12. Sleep well
13. Exercise often
14. Stretch yourself to relieve tension
15. Meditate daily
16. Order/make your favorite dessert
17. Write 5 things you love about yourself
18. Make a bucket list or vision board
19. De-clutter 10 items
20. Read a personal growth book
21. Skip watching & reading the news
22. Do something that makes you laugh
23. Do a kind deed for others/ help someone/donate to charity
24. Stop comparing yourself with others
25. Watch your favorite show
26. Have a video chat with family & friends
27. Give yourself (or get) a manicure or pedicure at home
28. Give yourself a head massage
29. Light your favorite candle
30. Listen to your favorite podcast
31. Cook your favorite meal
32. Do a digital detox
33. Watch funny YouTube Clips
34. Draw, paint, colour or doodle something
35. Take regular small interval breaks from work
36. Don’t criticise or belittle yourself
37. Dress up as if you are going outside
38. Click some pretty photos of yourself
39. Listen to your favorite music
40. Hug someone/ Tell someone you love them
41. Drink a full glass of water & stay hydrated
42. Read inspirational quotes
43. Watch a motivational Ted Talk
44. Wear your favourite perfume
45. Turn your phone off for a few hours
46. Do a Brain Dump
47. Plan your upcoming week
48. Leave some room for imperfection in your life.
49. Dance like crazy
50. Block/ unfollow people and social media accounts who bring down your self-confidence/ make you feel negative
51. Set an attainable challenge for yourself for the next day

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So here was my list of 51 self-care ideas. Do let me know if you try any of these and feel better!

Take Care of yourself everyone and focus on loving yourself and taking care of your mental and physical health during these crazy Coronavirus Pandemic times.

See you all in my next post,

Till the,

Dream. Imagine. Be Crazy. Be You.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates

Hi guys, it’s Day 4 of our 10 Days, 10 Posts event.

I am sharing another recipe with all of you- Chocolate Covered Dates, stuffed with Peanut Butter.

Trust me, it sounds fancy, tastes amazing and yet is extremely simple to make. Infact, it is so simple, that I debated whether to share this recipe on the blog or not, because it is hardly any work at all. I finally decided to share it because they tasted so delicious! My husband who is my biggest critic, was quite surprised when he ate these dates and said they taste like some exotic chocolate!

Also, it doesn’t require any great skill in cooking/baking and everybody can make it!

The best part about these is that the dates add natural sweetness and you don’t really need to add white sugar. The only sugar which will be present is from the chocolate you use. You can use a darker and semi-sweet chocolate. If you are vegan like me, you can use a vegan chocolate bar or vegan chocolate chips.

Thus, this is a very uncomplicated, nutritious, mouthwatering and easy to prepare snack/dessert, perfect for those post lunch afternoons or as a quick bite with your cup of tea/coffee. It caters to all your hunger pangs & cravings!

So let’s go ahead and have a look at the recipe!

Ingredients:

1. 10-12 pitted dates
2. 2-4 tsps peanut butter
3. Melted chocolate 1 cup
4. Cocoa powder 1/2 tsp (optional)
5. Coconut flakes for topping (optional)
6. Granola or chopped almonds for topping (optional)

Procedure:

1. Take the pitted dates & make sure their slit is open
2. With a spoon fill the dates with peanut butter. Make sure not to overfill, else, the chocolate will not stick to the dates.
3. Take chocolate-chips or any plain chocolate bar and melt the chocolate in a microwave bowl. You can use 1-2 chocolate bars depending on their size. I used 3-4 tbsps of chocolate chips. I didn’t really measure, I just melted enough chocolate chips to fill 1 cup / small bowl.
4. To enhance the chocolate flavour even more, you can add the cocoa powder, if you wish to. It’s a completely optional step.
5. Dip the dates in the melted chocolate. Make sure they are covered from all sides with chocolate.
6. Remove the chocolate covered dates immediately after dipping and coating & place them on another plate.
7. Sprinkle them with any toppings of your choice like chopped almonds/ granola/coconut flakes. I used dried coconut & grated it into flakes and topped them. I also added some bits of granola from my breakfast cereal.
8. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours and serve.

That’s it! You are done!

Variation: You can even replace the peanut butter and place cashews or almonds inside the dates and then cover it with chocolate.

Do give these a try and let me know!

Catch you all in the next post.

Till then,

Dream, Imagine, Be Crazy, Be You.

5 Simple Life-Hacks to Boost Immunity during Coronavirus Pandemic.

Hello everyone! I am back with Day 2 of our 10 day posts event.

In case you missed my last post, read it Here.

Today,I shall be taking up the topic of health & wellness & shall be writing about our immune system and why do we need to boost our immunity.

With the coronavirus outbreak gripping the world, much brouhaha has erupted about health & immunity.

In this post, I aim to write 5 simple things which you can do to boost your immunity levels and keep yourself safe during this tough time.

WHAT IS OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?

Let’s start with the fundamentals.

The immune system is the most complex system in our body. It is made of tissues, cells and organs.

The main parts of the immune system are:
1. white blood cells
2. antibodies
3. complement system
4. lymphatic system
5. spleen
6. bone marrow
7. thymus.

WHAT DOES OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM DO?

Our immune system looks out for us and fights against any invaders which enter our body. It is essentially like a soldier, warding off attacks on our system and it is our best line of defence against many illnesses.

For example, if you inhale a virus through your nose, your immune system targets that virus and either stops it in its tracks or primes you to recover. It takes time to get over an infection, and sometimes you need medicine to help; but the immune system is the cornerstone of prevention and recovery.

Hence, your immune system plays a vital role in staying safe during a global pandemic.

Apart from practising social distancing, it is essential to keep your immune system strong, so as to keep coronavirus or any other disease at bay.

There are several factors which can either weaken or strengthen our immunity.

Today, I shall be sharing 5 simple ways to strengthen the immune system and keep your health in good shape.

1. INCREASE YOUR WATER INTAKE

Drinking water to stay hydrated has a big impact on your immunity. The fluids in the body, help the systems in your body to function to their optimal level.

Drinking enough water throughout the day flushes out toxins, thereby preventing their build-up which could have a negative impact on your health.

Drinking water can also give you better digestion, which is an important factor for your health because it breaks down food into nutrients, vitamins & minerals that your body needs to stay healthy & maintain immunity.

Water also helps your blood deliver oxygen to your orgrans to help them function properly. Your muscle fibers & organs need water to function efficiently.

Thus, drinking enough water will help boost immunity.

2. REDUCE OR ELIMINATE SUGAR FROM YOUR DIET

Excess sugar in the diet is bad for your health. Not just for factors like gaining weight, but it is also known to weaken immunity.

An excess of sugar in the diet has serious consequences on your health.

In fact, sugar is an immunosuppresant.

Did you know? Consuming as little as 3.5 ounces of sugar can suppress the immune system by upto 50%

This is one of the major reasons why people who are diabetics (having high blood sugar levels) are more susceptible to diseases & infections. The primary reason being a weakened immune system. This is one of the biggest reasons for many medical issues today; as the consumption of sugar has increased,strength of the immune system has decreased.

Of course, it is practically impossible to avoid sugar completely all the time, but we can make certain changes in our diet such as replacing sugar with jaggery, coconut sugar, maple syrup, stevia, honey, etc and limiting it’s intake as much as we can.

3. EXERCISE

Exercising a few times a week can help to improve our overall health. When we exercise, our heart gets stronger and can pump more blood throughout the body. Our lungs also improve their ability to distribute oxygen to our ograns.

Just getting up and moving around and doing a few stretches and exercises can help in strengthening our immunity. Our lymphatic system gets a boost as movement helps in increasing the lymphatic flow, thereby making exercise an important tool for boosting immunity.

One need not exercise to the point of stressing oneself, since stress weakens the immune system. Just simple exercises & movements are enough.

4. INCORPORATE HERBS/SPICES

Now the average Indian diet is full of spices, but irrespective of where you come from, it is necessary to know the importance of spices & herbs in the diet.

Turmeric, pepper, ginger,lemon and holy basil (tulsi) are excellent for boosting immunity.

Citing a few examples:-

-Research says that the curcumin in turmeric may be a therapeutic agent in the fight against diseases like cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic uveitis & pancreatitis. Turmeric is an excellent immunity booster & in India, it was added to warm milk and given to children to drink, thousands of years before the ‘Turmeric Latte’ became fashionable.

-Ginger has been used in 5000 years old ancient Ayurvedic medicine as a way to cleanse the body & digestive system and boost immunity due to it’s anti-inflammatory & antioxidant properties and has been a cure for common cold & cough in many households.

-Holy Basil (Tulsi) has a strong spiritual significance in Indian culture, and is known as a miraculous Ayurvedic immunity booster. Therefore, it also gets its name “the Holy Basil”. It has purifying properties that help in fighting respiratory diseases, fever and any kind of infections by building one’s natural immunity. Include this as a diet supplement to beat infections & boost immunity.

Thus, the key to boosting immunity lies in our day to day habits & it doesn’t take much to add certain immunoboosters in the diet.

5. PRACTICE GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE

This is basic and it is what every single health professional out there is telling you, including me.

Health & Hygiene go together, so your first line of defense is to practice good hygiene habits. This can help infections stop even before they start, especially now.

Washing hands several time a day for minimum 20 seconds, especially beofre preparing food and after using the bathroom. Making sure that you get the soap in between each of your fingers & under your nails as best as you can and drying your hands with a clean towel. This is a very basic yet extremely significant step to stop spread of any virus or infection. Also, please bathe daily, no matter how ridiculously unimportant or basic it sounds. It goes a long way in maintaining good hygiene.

Wearing masks when you need to go outside for groceries or if you need to use the public transport, cleaning & covering any open wounds on your body and making sure you tend to any wound right away so that they are not exposed to germs are great ways to maintain good hygiene.

While cooking, please ensure that you wash your fruits and vegetable thoroughly and store food in a clean place.

Mainting hygiene in all aspects of your daily life is a great way to strengthen and protect the immune system and prevent any attacks on it.

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Thus, the key to boosting immunity lies in our day to day habits & it doesn’t take much to follow certain tips which help in long term strengthening of our immune system & aid in keeping us healthy.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post.

See you tomorrow on the blog with a different topic!

Till then,

Dream, Imagine, Be Crazy, Be You.