Sunshine in Chaos

“Live each day as your last” might worry you more today than motivate you to live at your best. Almost every day, we hear our country breaking its own record in the Covid-19 tally. People have lost their loved ones and are struggling to find hope. Evidence suggests that India might have to go through more Covid-19 waves (after this one gradually slows down) if the vaccination drive remains anaemic. So how do we get ourselves back up from trauma as this virus doesn’t seem to go easy on us?

Joy of giving

Scientists have discovered that our brain is hardwired for giving. You might come across this thought that “How am I in a position to help others when I need it the most?” But trust me, when we give our endorphins kick in giving us a natural high feeling & our cortisol levels also drop (icing on the cake). Scientists actually call it the “helper’s high.” 

Last week our division had our first review of our mini-project by professors. I was apprehensive about it since it was my first ever solo engineering project. Some friends of mine (with their hope) asked me how to prepare for the review since it was their first time too. I helped them with whatever knowledge I had (even though I was worried about my situation) and it gave me immense pleasure. Whenever you are in a position to help someone, just do it and be glad. Because God is answering someone's prayers through you. Don’t think about the scale of your “help”: it might be giving a juice packet to your security guard or helping your mom in household chores or helping your domestic help register for vaccination if she isn’t aware of the process or giving a patient ear to a friend who has lost a loved one. Giving fills your Karma bank with positivity that doesn’t let you dwindle in the storm. In these troubling times, be a Sonu Sood to someone! 😊

Gratitude

Whenever you feel that “only bad things happen to you” or the “whole world is against you”, just breathe and dwell on the thought that at that very moment, from the perspective of many, you have a lot! You might be anguished about not getting to step out of home for many months but at the same moment, some people couldn’t even arrange a proper funeral for their family member. You might be complaining about the crumbling health infrastructure but at the same moment, there will be many struggling for ways to fill their O2 cylinder. Last year I saw many people saying on social media that “2020 is the worst year” before it had even finished. When we label a situation, person, day, month or year we give little room to our mind to look for any positivity. Our mind then processes our feelings & doesn’t let us see positive. I am not asking you to be Panglossian, but practising gratitude. Refrain from labelling things and have hope that things will get better.

Never regret a day in your life. Good days give happiness, bad days give experiences, worst days give lessons, and best days give memories. ~Richard Feynman

Hope & B+ve

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. ~Shawshank Redemption

There is something inside you which the virus can’t kill & that’s your hope. Spread the contagious virus of HOPE. We need it. This too shall pass (Waqt hai, guzar jayega). Medicines only work if you have hope. Don’t think that the world will end or will you even live tomorrow? Just breathe & make each day count. Be a light of hope in people’s lives. Don’t get panicked or let fear overtake you. 

Fear doesn’t prevent death. It prevents life. ~Buddha

Anger

Many have rightly demanded accountability from the political class which prematurely declared victory against the virus. Demanding accountability from your leaders is the way to keep them under “checks & balances.” Of course, none could have predicted the sheer scale & speed of 2nd wave but we surely could have better prepared rather than organizing political rallies or encouraging religious congregations. Some have expressed a lot of anger also on politicians, the private sector, black marketers etc. We often think that complaining helps us process our anger but research confirms that even people who report better after venting are still more aggressive. Today our country needs empathy so invest your precious bank of energy in helping, rather than blaming. After all the public has its own share also in taking the blame by not adhering to Covid appropriate behaviour. However, don’t forget this anger. We get to exercise our vote every 5 years, so this time vote wisely according to “issues” that matter and not according to who has a larger fanbase or who a great orator or just because he/she belongs to the same caste or religion as you do.

People you can rely on during a crisis are leaders in disguise. ~Kunal Shah

I would recommend everyone to create new habits to increase their immunity during crisis: Meditation, Reading, Writing, Exercise (breathing ones also). Maintenance of the body is better than going for its repair. Spend time with nature. I pray for the safety of you and your loved ones. Stay Happy & Lively!