Tag: Mental Health
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The Siren
Darkness filled the room with silence, the only sound available to me. My juvenile body felt a heavy weight. The rush of worry was loud and blaring like a fire engine. What could this feeling be? How did it appear out of nowhere? I didn’t have the answers to my questions or the words for ... -
Calm Myself, Calm My Child
I grew up in a household with a lot of yelling. My dad shouted at me. My siblings and I screamed at each other. We were raised with loud words as our primary method of communication during conflict. Our family had no tools to maintain calm. This made us feel scared. We feared our dad ... -
Why Embracing the Crooked Path Can Lead to Success
Life would be simple if every task was a straight line from A to B. The paths ahead are clear, with no forks or decisions to be made about the direction to follow. Alas, reality is more complex. More often, every problem involves multiple solutions and requires us to make complicated decisions. Success does not ... -
Beloved Brother Gone-Part 2
The visit to Ottawa ended. Nothing had been resolved. It was clear Sudhir needed to continue under supervised care, and he was sick of it. As he put it, I am wasting here. Returning to the airport, I stopped to say goodbye. I walked upstairs to check out his room. We uttered words of getting ... -
Beloved Brother Gone-Part 1
In the hushed, soft-lit room, Sudhir lies in a pine coffin draped with a white cloth. Munna, my younger sister, and I arrange white gladiolas on either end with peace lilies along the length. Deep red roses lie in the middle. Mummy enters with Juji (my youngest sister). The priest prepares the thali for the ... -
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Nurturing Spiritual Growth by Caring for the Mind and Body
I am a Christian. After years of life in a sheltered church environment, I dove out into the world to find people in different spiritual spaces. Most of what I found was enlightening, encouraging, and helped increase my closeness to God. But along the way, I found a problematic doctrine that weaponized the bible against ... -
Anxiety is a Liar: Discover the Truth and Set Yourself Free
Anxiety is a friend of mine. Friend may not be the right word; we have a love/hate relationship. Why? Anxiety is a liar. The constant thread of information filing through my brain is anything but reliable. Since my anxiety is here to stay, it is my job to see the truth and speak logic into ... -
Gardening: The Ultimate Stress-Relieving Activity for Better Health
Spring is here in the great state of Michigan, and I could not be happier. Why? Because it is the official time to go outside and play in the dirt! Whether it’s flowers, bushes, vegetables, or all the above, grounding yourself in nature brings fantastic benefits. Here are a few reasons why gardening can change ... -
Calming the Chaos of the Heavy Mental Load
Every organization needs a leader. Fortune 500 companies have a CEO. My family has me. I am mom—the queen of logistics, the finder of lost objects, and the keeper of the schedules. This amazing title comes with a long list of responsibilities and an endless ticker tape of tasks to do. The mental load of ...