From Childhood to Young Adult & Now Married - How Creating, Losing and Reconnecting with these Memories Makes Me Wonder about Life

Providing context for the discussion – this was during the middle school era, which now seems like the Middle Ages leading up to my current condition of just having passed the mid-life stage, and eating seemed like something I was born to do. I could eat on a budget, like a king, an African refugee or someone who needs to stuff just to get through the day. The extent of my bhukkadpann notwithstanding, it was evident that I had some room for the overall quality of fare served to me, the ambience and the dining schedule [the lack of it actually]. Invariably, this meant that on some days, I could be as fussy as a post-menopausal cat, not listening to endless calls from my folks to try something they believed was good food.

Don’t Plan Life, Just a Week Can Do!

Plan Shorter. Plan Simpler. Plan the Doable

I have come across lots of blogs about planning your life. However, my success with this strategy is abysmally low. I am not saying that planning your life is a bad choice but to me, it seems like something that consumes too much time and energy and doesn’t serve the purpose. Some people say that they live in the moment. Some choose to structure their entire life in blocks of what they should do and achieve. I believe that the better approach is somewhere in between—planning your life but not more than a week ahead. I had been a chronic life planner all along. Even when I was in school, I was apprehensive about how my practice in Medicine would shape up or by what time I would be able to practice individually.

Just Some Fleeting Thoughts about ‘Could Have Been Better’

I have been constantly cutting out the psychological flab that tends to weigh heavily in my mind. Just like unwanted adipose deposits, these feelings of regret and not getting the chance of redemption can kill your spirit, downright bury it so deep that you find the daily routine too hard. The progress has been good. I have let go, forgotten, forgiven, and embraced most things in my life.

However, every now and then, some momentary thoughts do surface when I hear about someone getting hitched. Yes, marriage-related discussions, no matter how short or long don't make me nostalgic. Instead, a feeling dwells that things could have been done a lot better. In the months following my tying-the-knot moment, I realized that my limited social interactions had taken another bite without my realization…a bite from my pie of happiness.

DIY Anxiety Management: Need that Morning Sense of Calmness

There is one challenge that has been constantly biting me – the inability to dress up in a calm, relaxed manner when getting ready for the daily drive that leads me to the office. Why? I am a self-confessed, highly embraced, chronic anxiety sufferer, and despite my best efforts, the smallest of changes in plans for the day, from a minor change of breakfast menu to running any small errand that might surface at the last moment, I tend to get a bit agitated. During winters, this feeling is somewhat controlled as I don't sweat as much but during summers, the feeling can be excruciatingly bothersome. To explain this better, I will need to divulge more details about my morning routine too, and the stickiness of it that is also a bit of a challenge. The thing is that I need a few minutes of working in the morning to get in the right frame of mind and soldier up for the day to follow. This is not about gaining muscle or fitting into a muscle tee. This is just a means to an end, as it helps me prepare mentally for things that might bother me and those that have already been marked as problems to solve. Whether I am expected to be a peacemaker or a troubleshooter at home or the office, the morning workout helps me be better at it. But working out comes with another challenge - the sweating and the time it takes to snap out of the exercising mode.

Pain Lies in the Mind of the Beholder: Your Pain Can Be An Emotional Manager

This can be a bit tricky to describe and might seem absolutely non-sensible, so please bear with me for a moment. I believe in categorizing life and things that fill-up my wife to manage life. This includes pain, anxiety and grief too. I vouch for pain often being an integral part of helping us live better. I call this subtle pain and though it might seem just a memory to some of you, it plays a very active role in moderating our decisions and behavior. For instance, the subtle pain you experience every time you start a new gymming regimen reminds you that all those times you stopped, to restart again, meant that you would have to go through the initial, conditioning soreness.