Grieving is something we all may have to encounter at some point

One of the two things constant in Life is Death and the second is Change. I think this is attributed to Buddha, I found this idea quite profound.

I have lost loved ones to death and it is a painful experience. You wonder (at the moment) if there is some way to restore them. It is painful to see them being buried or cremated. But it is a part of life.

It's everywhere in Nature, Death and New Birth. How does one cope with losing someone dear? I don't know if there is a special 5 step formula, but I do know the pain is real.

If you are one of those people who is experiencing this unfortunate situation. I wish you hope and strength, I am sorry for your loss.

I have collected some ideas that may serve you. They may help you cope and guide you through these difficult times.

Before writing and researching this article, I have dwelt on this topic many times.

Grief and Loss: An important Life event?

As we grow older this is a reality we find ourselves in. The possibility of us transitioning into the afterlife and our loved ones going through the same.

These pointers will focus on those who are left behind. Those who are bearing the pain of this huge loss.

I have spoken to a few friends and email subscribers, I am going to share some of the ideas I have got. Suggestions here are meant to help you cope and not serve as an alternative to Professional Medical Help.

Life can be difficult, community support and the right kind of Medical Support can be really productive. (Speaking as a recipient of good Medical support myself, Helping yourself is wise when you need it)

Some strategies to consider during grieving times:

I hope I don't personally find this odd when I am grieving. I used the word strategy, I think it can be an extremely painful situation to be in.

I have lost loved ones and I still miss them to this day. Some have been lost to illness, accidents and old age. But It feels painful whatever be the reason.

It is a part of life, a Life event we all must experience. But the ones left can be a lot of heartaches and memories.

It's normal to miss them

People express the pain in different ways. It's completely normal to miss a loved one. It may be missing a friend or a relative, missing a loved one always hurts.

You may feel a lot of things emotionally and physically while your grieving. It's normal to feel and experience these kinds of changes.

It's okay to express grief

While your grieving there is no set time limit or rules that govern the entire process. It's a heartfelt response to a personal loss.

You should not punish yourself or blame yourself for expressing your loss. Get the healthy support of friends or family members.

If possible join a support group or speak with a counsellor.

If you are physically hurt it is not considered wrong to seek help. Similarly ignoring professional help during tough situations is unnecessary. It is proper and right to seek professional help.

I would say it is wise too. A lot of times we become victims of wrong thinking patterns during difficult times. Professionals can give us strategies and effective help to deal with troubling situations.

It's fine to seek company or community

It's okay to delay making important decisions

Difficult questions may not come when we would like them to. So when making important decisions try to delay (if possible) to a time when you are in a better mental space.

I can't tell you how important this one is. But a better mental space is important while making Life-changing decisions.

It's fine if we commemorate them

It's okay to celebrate Life events associated with them. If people think otherwise it's okay.

I believe treasuring memories and appreciating people who made a difference in our lives is important.

It helps us express our appreciation and the wonderful moments we shared with them.

In Conclusion

I don't know how you process the afterlife and all its mysteries. But I am sure our Loved ones will always live in our memories and in our hearts. 

Maybe there are things we thought we could do with them, but we must also remember the joyful moments you shared. You can share that joy with your near and dear ones.

Reaching out to people and creating new memories with people. We all move towards the same destination. I think it makes a difference to make a small difference.

I may not share the intensity of your pain, but as a Human, I can see how painful it is. Wish you strength and courage, May God bless you!

Further Reading

Coping with Grief and Loss by Helpguide

Coping with Grief and Loss by Psychological Health care

Can Money buy love? A Short reflection

Kickstart your next side hustle

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Can Money buy love?

I recently shared an interesting quote by Brazilian playwright Nelson Rodrigues. What do you think about it?

I had mixed reactions reading about it. When you read about love from a psychological point of view. It brings out the sacredness of love and how it relates to the sacred aspect of our lives.

The other element it looks at is the emotional life that love seeks to fulfil. According to an article in Psychology Today, love cannot be bought but only the occasions and situations that help us find it can be enhanced.

I think these are some important questions we ask ourselves. Maybe there are situations that compel us to reflect on life in this way.

On the other hand, however, we may try to rose coloured love, but there are practical aspects to a relationship we cannot ignore.

Love thrives in situations and so does our relationships. If care and attention are important for a good relationship so is the practical parts of it.

I think as we learn from the good and bad parts of our relationships we grow and learn new things. There may be many guides and articles on the science of a healthy marriage or partnership, but I think giving our best and learning actively about the other person is important.

I think sometimes we tend to fit things in a framework. This may suck the freedom and life of the other person.

The other problem is this hopeless political game of power. Yes, Power struggles can be real in a relationship.

There could be many more problems, Some are practical problems like Time or money. 

I think anything worth the while has its struggles.

I hope you found this short reflection useful. Please share this article and subscribe to our Facebook page. 

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Authenticity and your Personal Brand

Comment and Share your opinions on Personal Branding. 

What is a Personal Brand?

Authenticity as a Part of Branding

Faking it may be useful but when done badly it can backfire

7 Powerful elements of Building Authenticity:

Any Questions regarding Personal Branding?

Please share any queries or questions you have on Personal branding.

Honesty:

Honesty works

Understanding People:

Understand others by understanding yourself

Communication:

Marketing can be as simple as speaking to someone

Clarity:

Check this article, Click here

What are you doing? What are you about? You need to be clear about how are you relevant to the people you are serving. This requires clarity. 

Let me explain it with an example If you are a working professional. People who need your product/service would want to know how it serves them. 

If you can guide and help them with understanding to meet these needs. You become relevant. 

Relevance adds to the building of authenticity, but it all starts with Clarity. Being clear about what you do and who it benefits.

Personality:

Uniqueness:

You are Unique and believing that is a Choice

Consistency:

Things can be Difficult, Don't give up

In Conclusion

References:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/11/22/15-critical-elements-of-authentic-brand-communication/?sh=2b4c292328b8

https://digitalwellbeing.org/new-brand-authenticity-scale-released-how-authentic-are-you/

https://www.chiefmarketer.com/the-art-of-authenticity-in-branding/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263442915_Brand_Authenticity_Towards_a_Deeper_Understanding_of_Its_Conceptualization_and_Measurement

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Women who inspire me

Influencers in our lives

Our Personal Influencers: our loved ones

We all have a circle of influence. It may be big or small. But it is important.

I once read while studying about EQ (Emotional Quotient) on the importance of choosing at least 15 people to have in our lives.

Among those 15 people, Women of course share a huge role in my life.

I see people who share lives with us and mentor us as Real Influencers we have. They may not be perfect but they are there to guide us.

My First Influencer

When I see people face family pressure for choosing a different religious or spiritual path. I think it should not be like that.

The first person we know (for most of us) is our Mother. My mother has been a huge influence on my life.

She would never influence the way we thought about things. We all (The Dias's) have a kind of free spirit.

I seem to like the only conservative at home. My mom has been very accommodating. As a person, I have been exploring spirituality for years.

My Mom supports that and has never confronted me and treated me like a pariah. There has rarely been a confrontation on this point. Maybe a concern, but absolute freedom. I love my mom for that.

When I see people face family pressure for choosing a different religious or spiritual path. I think it should not be like that. The family should continue to love and support the person.

It's not that my Mom endorses my religious or spiritual views but she dialogues and tries to hear me. That's so encouraging and I love my Mother for it.

One of the Reasons I love Entrepreneurship

When I look back I remember her and it encourages me to give my best. 

My Grandmother was an entrepreneur. She started a Small Business in Mumbai. She was a student when she came to Mumbai.

She has always been someone I look up to for inspiration. I am sure wherever she is, She is wishing the best for me.

She would take me to Church every day. I would play as a child in Church, lol it was so awesome. She would feed me fruits and tell me Biblical stories and stories about our Family.

She would share her experiences and the difficulties she faced. It was one of the best days of my life.

When I look back I remember her and it encourages me to give my best. It shows me the value of working hard and being resourceful. She showed me the importance of mentoring and sharing life with people.

My Better Half

I have been married for the last 6 years. Wow, it been a long time for me. 

My wife is one of the people who know me quite well. She is my closest friend, partner and thoughtful critic (I hope she doesn't kill me for saying this).

We all need someone to keep us grounded. She as a person has been a constant support. She has shown me a different side to life.

She is not so dogmatic about life and passionate about Teaching. During the pandemic, she would stretch herself to give her best to her students whilst being with child. She would just give her best to her work (and for me that is truly inspirational).

The Long list

My Sister, my Aunties, my close friends, and a whole host of colleagues and students have been there for me and I am ever grateful.

This blog would never end and they have been a source of inspiration and help when I needed it. 

Does this mean I have no issues with any of the above? Not at all. The problem is we fail to realize our idols are Humans too. We put them on pedestals and when they falter we demote them.

I must say all of the 3 women I mentioned are as human as Human can be. But there is a value that people and life can bring. We must acknowledge that.

In Conclusion

Women are loved and they have added tremendous value to our lives. Down the ages, they have been a source of Joy and tremendous progress.

I always wanted to say this. I think this is the power of blogging that even a video can't capture. The ability to just express freely. Once again Happy Women's Day!

In the comments section please share about the women who have inspired you.

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Do you encourage yourself? Funny thought, right!

Why Affirmation?

What are Affirmations? Please explain. 

Affirmations are positive statements

Being Grateful and How it matters

Woo woo and the known

Reasonable Use of know facts

Affirmations are not inherently magical

My Top Affirmations for Gratitude

1. I am filled with thanksgiving.
2. I am grateful and thankful.
3. I am grateful for a good sleep, job etc. (add the Benefit you enjoy) 
4. I am grateful for all of my successes.
5. I am grateful for all of my mistakes and failures.
6. Thank you for this New day.
7. Today I will have an attitude of gratitude.
8. I am grateful for everything in my life.
9. Today I will have an attitude of success.
   
10. I am grateful for all resources I have.

In Conclusion

References

Study on Affirmation

Positive Affirmation by Actualized.org

Reasons to Practice Gratefulness

Power Ideas on Experience your Daily Miracles

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Besides the bad side of Work Culture, there are positive sides to it. One thing this current situation has taken from us is this one thing that I loved about 9 to 5 jobs, that is taking a break.

Imagine a Software that monitors you every 5 minutes that's horrible. Coffee breaks was one of the important moments in my work life.

I really enjoyed it, it was like a short vacation but only for a couple of minutes. Nice and hot coffee with myself or sometimes a colleague. It was simply phenomenal.

Vacations and Short Breaks

Vacations can be short

The joy of small things can be something really big. I think even during this situation when most of us work from home, we need to remind ourselves that we need to take some timeout.

Please don't think this is unproductive time. You are human, sometimes creativity and problem solving require you to do things differently. Taking a break can be one of them.

So does every break need to be a vacation that is 3 days long to a small coffee break. I think it depends.

It depends on factors like work life balance, your mental health and how you balance personal relationships.

Evaluating these areas of your life can be an important step. Next step would be trying to see the importance of dealing with negative stress.

Work Stress and living

Every Work has it's share of Stress

Every work comes with it's share of stress. We need to strategize ways to deal with it. Just because you are working from home. It does not mean you are balancing you work and life.

Check this article from The Hindu that talks about the stress of working from home.

It does not mean you have no stress. Taking short breaks can be a nice way to deal with stress.

Now the important question. What does one do on a short break?

Here are some ideas you could use:

1. Have some Coffee (Lol :))
2. Have some Tea
3. Take a short walk
4. Sprint 
5. Do a stretch
6. Meditate
7. Pray
8. Repeat your affirmations
9. Evaluate your day
10. Plan for the Next day
11. Write an article or a blog related to your work
12. Research on a topic that interests you
13. Message your loved one
14. Tweet
15. Don't Check social media
16. Read some scripture or any book or person that inspires you

The art is in how you understand your needs and respond to it. Years ago, when I decided to shift from yo-yo diets to dealing with my personal problems. I took a break and it really helped me see the important things in my life.

Even nowadays as a Self employed Educator and Blogger, I see the importance of short breaks. It has helped me tremendously.

Conclusion

Productivity is important as it is the value we add to this world. Being productive with the other faculties we have and our own personal life is equally important.

Take sometime out and refresh yourself. You deserve it. I hope you liked this post.

Please do comment how you spend your coffee break, I will meet you in the next Blog. Ciao!

Have a Happy Learning Day! Jai Hind! [full-width]