If you are feeling overly anxious, I can understand how it feels

Deep Pain and an empty feeling

Imagine waking up one day and feeling low for no reason. Walking to the bus stop and your mind brings to you all the worries of the world. You know it is all exaggerated but you just can't help it.

Your church buddies don't get it, they think you are turning into some kind of Job and God is testing you. You are not able to concentrate on your job. You just feel horrible.

This is how I felt years ago, I was lecturing and in the middle of the lecture I had to leave. I needed to take a break I just couldn't think. It felt like there was a black hole in the center of my chest. It felt really hopeless. I had to tell my Head of Department about it.

Getting the right kind of Support

Get the support from people who care

She was really kind and she connected me with a Doctor. It was a life changing experience. I was suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

It a treatable disorder, and I so grateful and thankful to my HOD. She was a savior.

It is amazing how sometimes in spite of our Education we fail to take care of ourselves. I wonder why is it so.

Do we think it is a taboo and people will shun us and laugh at us? Is neglecting yourself spiritually sound and sensible? Is it a lack of faith?

What I think about GAD and 2 Pointers

Use Rationality and sensible thinking for Self Care

To me it was like any other disease. We must be rational and sensible. Taking care of ourselves is important if we want to work on our goals and dreams.

Detours are a part of the journey and so are setbacks. We must deal with them and we don't need to do it alone.

I would to share here a lot of tips and strategies, But I will only share 2 Pointers here.

1. Speak to someone who cares

2. Seek medical help

There are people who care for you. But Everyone also has things they are dealing with and so if some fail to get what you are going through it is okay. 

The next point I would like to mention is Professional Help is important. Although you can get some really helpful ideas from various resources getting the right help is key to better health.

I would encourage to take self care seriously and especially mental health.

In Conclusion

Emotional Health and Self Care are important

Taking care of yourself is a journey and an important part of achieving your Goals. We must expect the unexpected at times.

Having a balanced lifestyle is important to you and the people you influence.

Professional Medical Help is important for proper self care. I hope I have been able to enrich you through this post.

Do like and share you ideas on this topic? You can join the discussion on my FB Page.

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Fate and Astrology: How to deal with bad Predictions?

Astrological Charts have not been kind to me. They have scary and depressing predictions about my life.

I must confess that they have also been kind at times. I am semi-sceptical about it, but it kind of rings in your head, 'What-if all this is true?'

One thing I know is beliefs can be so powerful. What we believe about reality and life influences the way we live and think.

Stories we tell ourselves are powerful; beliefs also have an influence over our lives.

I think affirmations and visualization exercises work around these principles. They are not magic, but habits that can be impactful and powerful if done right.

Working with Affirmations and Visualizations

Our Goals need to be Time-bound

I think Affirmations and Visualization are tools that work well with Self-motivation. Like anything, they need to practice well and understand properly.

Just because an Expert or Influencer says it works doesn't automatically guarantee it will work for you.

I personally look at them as tools to help me achieve goals. Goal Setting is very essential to achieve success and without them, I don't see how practising it is sensible.

Another essential element is Time. Goals need to be Time-bound.

Keeping Goals vague and without attaching time to them, could hardly be effective.

It could be you don't believe in yourselves or maybe your goals are big and audacious, If the latter is the problem I think it would essential to put some more belief in yourself. I would also add that you should also connect it with reality.

Working my Reality Vs. My Reality working me

Work to create our own Reality

One thing about history and especially Prehistory is that we have worked our way through various obstacles to get here.

We have been masters in creating the world we live in. So I believe we ought to work to create our own Reality.

Of course, we are not God to be in complete control of all variables. So we control what we can.

Let me try to list some of things we things we can control:

• Time we spend
• Things we do
• Our attention
• Our Investments
• Where we live
• Our Professions and our professional Goals
• Personal Goals
• Thoughts
• Hobbies

Etc. etc.

Fate, Faith and Fears

If Fate were to be true we would still need to do our thing

I am not dogmatic about Astrology or any other pseudoscience being True or False but I know even If Fate were to be true we would still need to do our thing.

We would not stop living, we would still keep our Faith in goodness and selves alive.

Fears are not something bad, it is our biology dealing with the perceived threats. But we have minds that can help us deal with our fears.

We can put it in perspective and not let Fate or our fears dominate us. Sometimes we need to have Faith in Life and be an overcomer.

I think faith can be an abused word, Faith is something we exercise every day when it comes to many things, not just Religion.

I don't think it is a baseless hope; we don't need to rationalize everything and know everything and it also doesn't mean you are going to make the right choices automatically.

Using Hope as a weapon

One thing to learn from movements and Freedom struggles is the power of Hope. Being hopeful is powerful and can drive our actions with passion and love.

Hope presumes a goal or an outcome. It has positive expectations coupled with it (I don't believe Negativity is not useful)

We must stop assuming Failures and Detours are bad. They teach us what not to do, Sometimes failing a certain number of times may be normal or expected.

Fantasy is entertaining but reality can be an eye-opener and encouraging. Being Hopeful is about focusing on what is positive and what can be built.

H.O.P.E. - Have Only Positive Expectations

In Conclusion

To summarize it we can say being Hopeful is about practising how we focus on things.

Do we have to allow things to control us or how we give importance to our actions? How can we be in control and manage our choices effectively?

I believe being Hope is a Strategy and should be used to our Benefit. Thank you for taking the time to follow our Blogs.

Do join the discussion on our Facebook page. See you in the next blog post.

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Short Guide: Letting go of pain when you feel stuck in a Situation

Hey! I missed you guys this week. My son was down with high fever. Thank goodness he is better now.

This week has been crazy, life can get you stuck sometimes. It was an opportunity to use what I preach and write about. 

I practiced a lot of stuff (Self help related, of course). I got back to researching theology and philosophy. I can spend hours studying these topics (Whilst spending time baby sitting etc.)

At some point of time we all feel let down by life or ourselves and it may not even be these things it could be a terrible situation that gets us stuck. 

For me it was my child' s health for others it may be a relationship or something else. How do we deal with these situations?

(Maybe)You can pray these away, but I will share with some powerful ideas I found out.

Here are some points I tried:

Accepting the present situation

Could this situation be an opportunity?

Accepting a situation comes when we are present and aware of what is going on. We don't need to decide the outcome mentally. It can be stressful and we may not make the best of the moment we find ourselves in.

You have options

You choose and don't let the situation dictate your choice

Do you think you are cornered or you have hit a wall? That can be a difficult situation. I have been there, I can share with you how I dealt with the problem.

I try looking at the situation objectively. Taking a note of the possible outcomes. Speaking with a friend or counsellor has personally helped.

Journaling the journey

Journaling is awesome...Write your own story!

I journal using my mobile phone. I have my phone with me all the time. Why not use it to write a note or two. It has really been useful. 

When I want to review or check how I felt at a particular situation I just browse through my notes on phone. It is that simple. If you are concerned about privacy just use an app locker.

Meditate or pray your tensions away

Lol... Ignore the Brand Mantra part

I am not trying to evangelize or anything. I think it is practical and it works. Personally, I just tune my thoughts out and close my eyes, I just lose myself in the moment, just focusing on my breath. 

It is s a relaxing experience. It refreshes me and feel energized. I pray too, it connects me with my higher purpose and puts things into perspective. 

Conclusion 

I believe life happens to all of us and we all face situations that can cripple us. 

But being there for others and yourself is important. Self care is also important to you and it can help others. 

I would like to leave you with this quote from my Twitter Feed.

Choose to percieve your situation differently, limitations are signposts leading you to focus on your strengths.#nolimits #motivation #selfhelp #chriseducator

— Christopher Dias (@Kiss_toff) October 17, 2021

I wish you an awesome week ahead and the very best. Do consider subscribe to our Newsletter... See you guys in the next blog post.

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Source: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1526948128573-703ee1aeb6fa

 Outsourcing is the practice of handing control over certain processes to someone who is outside the company. According to a report from research firm Clutch, around 80% of small businesses plan to outsource in 2021. Outsourcing is becoming more popular because it not only allows many companies to save time and money but also gives them a chance to work with industry experts. It enables them to focus on the parts of the business they love, and leave other parts to more capable professionals.

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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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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