From Deepa's Desk

Today's prompt asks me to list the things that I do daily, as well as the things that I wish I could do every day. It also asks me to reflect on what is holding me back, and what steps I can take in the near future to do the things I wish to do. Here is the list of the things that I do every day: Silence - A good part of my day goes by in remaining silent and listening to the sounds around me. I live in an apartment where there are always some kinds of sounds coming up. The lift moves up and down the whole day and its sound is much familiar to me now. Early morning, the caretaker of the building sweeps the compound of the same. The sound of the broom swishing over the road and dried leaves scraping as they get swept, is something that I have become attuned to ever since I shifted to the new home. Most of the kids in the building attend the same school inside the colony. From many homes, I can hear the sound of harried parents urging their kids to hurry up. It is contrasting really ...

Today's journaling prompt asks me to write about something or someone who made my day better. I thought over this a long time. There have been many instances of serendipity that have pleasantly surprised me and have changed the course of my day. It is difficult to write about just one. I am writing about those events which came to my mind immediately upon reading the prompt. There used to be a flower-vendor from whom I regularly purchased flowers. She had a strong personality and the contrast between her personality and her business often amused me. She used to sell button-roses of different hues. Once I brought some of these, paid her and was about to leave when she called me back and handed me a beautiful rose. When I looked at her in confusion, she told me that the rose was for me and that I should pin it to my hair. This impromptu gesture by her stayed with me for a long time.  Another time, I had ordered a book online and by a wonderful twist of tale, it arrived on my birthday...

When you are in a heightened state of anxiety, what are 10 different phrases that you can say to yourself or to self-soothe? For today's journaling, I have chosen this prompt.  Anxiety comes unbidden and renders us incapable, both physically and mentally. It incapacitates the mind to this extent that we are unable to do anything at that particular moment. Every thought feels incoherent. Under such circumstances, how to calm the mind? Today's prompt asks me to think of some phrases I can repeat to soothe the mind from anxiety. I am sharing some of the phrases that came to my mind while writing this blog: 'I am not the only one going through this.' This statement has helped to ground me during tough situations. A reminder that many people in life have had far worse times than me, and have coped and lived through them, helps me to come out from the crippling barriers of the mind and tells me that human beings have the innate ability to rise above tough times and to overco...

Off late, I find myself hounded by some questions. How to find a sense of stability and security in a life that is terribly unpredictable and fleeting? When there are no guarantees in life, how do I keep faith, and to what should I hold on to as an anchor? How do I stay confident when I know that any time, anything can happen that will rock my world? I have tried to find answers to the above questions. I read articles on faith and about life. I listened to inspirational speeches and talks about living life in the best possible way. I tried various techniques like Yoga, exercising and meditation to calm the mind and to bring it to the present. Nothing has worked out in my favour. Till now. As I started writing this blog, I found the answer to the questions.  You see, I started writing this blog to give an outlet to the mind, to voice out these questions that bring in melancholic evenings. As a part of journaling, I chose to write on this topic today, hoping that I would feel better....

As I remind my kid for the umpteenth time to set aside the mobile and devote some time for studies, and as he gets irritated, a wry thought crosses my mind. How and when did I become so uncool?!  I have always tried to stay poised, as much as I can. It has not always been a success, but the moments of calm and poise have outnumbered the moments of panic, at least till now. But off late, I find myself often getting panicky or anxious. While a cough, in the younger days, used to be just a cough and nothing else, now it makes me search for dire diseases in the internet. While the prospect of travel used to bring in excitement and a good sense of anticipation in the past, now it adds to the anxiety, reminding of all the tasks and responsibilities to be dealt with the travel. While meeting new people and clicking with them instantly, used to be something natural, now a simple message that I send to someone makes me wonder whether there was anything hurtful or wrong about the message. Ho...