MindVerse: nurturing souls through words

Introduction    You must have been advised multiple times by people to believe in yourself, love, and value yourself and and always have a healthy self-esteem, and all that is good stuff, but have you ever wondered what self- esteem really is, why is it important, what healthy self-esteem really is and what causes you to have low self-esteem.       What self-esteem really is and what do the experts say    According to psychology, self-esteem is your opinion about yourself i.e. how much you value, respect and believe in your own abilities. It depends on multiple factors including your personality, thoughts, experiences, circumstances, and environment. You only start actively working on or giving attention to it when your other basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, safety, love etc. have been met.    Why is it important and why are we talking about it    Healthy self-esteem impacts each and every aspect of our life,...

I was born in India, in a very humble, middle class joint family of doctors who knew nothing beyond the noble profession of medicine, and you could totally imagine this, given the fact that there were very few white collared jobs present in India during 1980s. So as an obedient and bright daughter, I finished my bachelors in medicine & surgery (MBBS), but by that time the bug of Psychology, mental health and complexities and mysteries of human mind had bitten me hard! So I worked for some time as a resident doctor in Psychiatry, where I realized that mental health stigma is rampant and awareness is scarce. I was always moved by the plight of these patients and their families, not just by the disease itself but by the prejudices and discrimination against them in the society. Therefore to do something about this, I made up my mind to pursue MD Psychiatry as that was the only way I was aware of, at that time to make me eligible to help those who are affected. To accompli...

According to the great philosopher  Aristotle  "Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence".  Well, if our whole lives revolve around happiness, then why is it a hard nut to crack!  You know, if I had asked the question 'what happiness really is' a few years back to my parents or my teachers, they would have laughed at me or get worried that something is really wrong with me! But today scientists and philosophers alike are busy finding the real meaning of happiness, and we still haven't got a solid answer as it is such a subjective concept. For example, something which gives me happiness might not bring joy to you and vice versa! Probably due to this vagueness and complexity, happiness and its meaning has intrigued me as well as many others like me.   Generally we relate ‘happiness’ to things like Money, Power, Pleasure, and Expensive gifts or Vacations. At least that’s what we have been told righ...

  When I was a kid my dad used to make a vision board every year.. I was fascinated with the pictures and amused by his enthusiasm but never understood it's purpose, until I started making one myself.. let me tell you that I hate making resolutions as most of the time I forget about them by February! But when I started making a vision board, I kept sticking to it till the end of the year, and although I could maybe only finish 50% of my goals each year (I am improving slowly), it gave me an immense sense of confidence and pride in myself.. I have found that vision board helps me to: Define my goals clearly Stay motivated Increase my self confidence Gives a visual reminder of my goals everyday Relieve my anxiety about the future I have a lot of fun while creating it But as enjoyable as it may be, it is sometimes hard to stick to it. So here's what you can do for that: Be creative and honest while making it - use motivating photos and affirmations, ...

  I read the book 'Ikigai' by Hector Gracia and Francesca Miralles last month and have been fascinated by this simple concept of Japanese way of long and happy life.. Ikigai means 'the reason for being' or the reason why one wants to get up everyday to face life, and it has its origins from a Japanese island Okinawa, where a lot of centenarians are living a happy and fulfilling life.. According to the book it is the combination of 4 things (if you have them all, you have the 'reason for being'): What you love doing (passion) What the world needs (mission) What you are good at (skill) What you can be paid for (profession) Although when you read the whole book you figure out that the Okinawans find the 'ikigai' in every thing in life (be it interesting or boring) making it happy and fulfilling by just following simple rules everyday..I would say that the 'ikigai' is the goal and the rules are the process to achieve the goal.. so for...

I was always fascinated by the complexities and mysteries of human mind. The minute homo sapiens had cognitive revolution, it started evolving.. but the origin of hundreds of thoughts and emotions it harbors is still a mystery (yes we do know that there is a limbic system which generates them but how and why we don't know).. According to psychology human mind has 3 elements: Emotional mind : driven by feelings and instincts, reacts to its surroundings rather than responding Rational mind : driven by logic and research, forms opinions and biases thereby becoming less flexible Wise mind : a balance of both. It understands emotions and gives a well grounded response to its surroundings rather than a knee jerk reaction.. We have all 3 elements in us but which one of them becomes dominant remains entirely on us.. we can train our mind to become more wise.. Which of these elements is dominant in you?

  Setting a vision and goals to achieve that vision in life is important.. if you have a solid foundation and a plan, possibilities are endless Have a long term vision in life - it should be solely yours, and not influenced by others or to please others. For example, my vision in life is to contribute towards reducing mental illness stigma and teach people the significance of mental health Have medium term goals focused towards achieving your vision - where do you visualize yourself in the next few years in terms of moving towards your vision. For me, I want to be a better communicator, writer and influencer so that I can convey the right information, knowledge and ideas to empower as many people as I possibly can (i.e acquire the right tools for my vision) Have short term goals which move you (however slow or fast it maybe) everyday towards achieving your vision. For me, it's working in the area of mental health as a public health professional, collaborating with eq...