himalayaswithin

What strategies do you use to maintain your health and well-being?

Lots of little things but mainly the mindset. No matter how your day has been, if you end it right, it won’t carry the baggage to the next day.

And it is purely your choice to end it right. Some days I’ll have time and energy to either introspect or read a book, but some days I’d be exhausted. Yet a switch in mind to choose to shut off is in your hands.

Once you have control over your mental health, physical health falls into place. Because then you aren’t eating unhealthy. You are internally motivated to stay active.

On days when I feel overwhelmed or underwhelmed, I try to use easy distractions like TV, self care like oiling my hair or doing my nails. And force my brain to end the day right.

Everyday won’t be the same and if you are a parent, you might struggle to find any time at all on some days, making staying healthy all the more critical, as well as challenging.

However if you find that switch in yourself, that balance, nothing can stop you from being connected to your core.

Once you are to connect to your core, your anger, your unpleasantness, your demotivation, dissolves.

Describe one habit that brings you joy.

15 mins yoga and pranayam every morning sets me up for the day where I play multiple roles.

I am a mother, a wife, a daughter in law, a manager that requires me to wear and dynamically switch hats during the day.

Spending these 15 mins every day for myself before my little world wakes up, is one habit I absolutely adore.

What brings you peace?

There is no one thing I can point to that is solely responsible for bringing peace to me.

Little things daily that give purpose to my existence brings peace to me.

Little things like 10 mins of yoga in the morning, playing with my kids in the evening, a simple kiss from my loved one, a cuppa tea xx

Not everything happens every day but a combination of these brings peace.

Little things like being on top of laundry and dishwasher also brings peace most days.

Little things like enjoying wine with my loved one brings peace.

And sometimes, doing nothing brings peace.

Last evening, watering my garden with my 5yo brought immense pleasure leading to peace as we walked barefoot on the wet grass.

Every little thing every day that makes me feel the purpose of my existence brings peace to me

What is the last thing you learned?

As a college girl, it was always my dream to learn to ride a motorbike. I loved the way they’d sound. Back in the day, a girl riding motorbikes was looked upon as Bold. I was bold and I wanted the world to see it.

Since my dad gave me a car for myself much sooner than I had expected, I couldn’t ask for a bike. So I waited patiently until my brother got one. Eventually, he did get one but it was much too large for a short girl like me.

I dreamed of getting a bullet for myself one day. But my career didn’t bloom in the early days. I got married and moved countries.

In the UK, getting a car driving license was an achievement. Long time had passed since those college days and I wasn’t that young girl anymore. I had responsibilities. I was answerable.

The dream was gone. Forgotten even.

My husband had the same passion for bikes. He had been doing man-math for a long time about getting one. A couple of years back I encouraged him to get one and he has not regretted it for one minute. My dream yet stayed forgotten.

When I was pregnant with my second child, my husband rekindled that yearning. That dream. One that I had conveniently deleted from the list of my aspirations.

So, the last thing I learned a couple of weeks ago was the basics of riding a motorbike. And now I dream again.

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

I will be resuming work after maternity leave within the next six months.

The biggest challenge I envision will be to raise 2 children, manage work which is highly intense, manage home, manage my relationship and manage personal time & care.

Though one part of me says that I’ll be fine, I fear that I might lose myself more and days/weeks/ months will just keep slipping by.

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

I moved to the UK in August 2015. Landed myself in a job in December 2015, with a joining in Jan 2016. I had a couple of weeks to prepare and move to another city about 200 miles away. 

In those 2 weeks, I shopped for work. Dresses, shoes, etc. I bought myself a pair of block heels, black in colour with a belt that went around the ankle. I loved those shoes, although they weren’t my regular work shoes. I preserved them.

We lived in a rented house for about 8-9 months. Post that, we moved to another rental house. In the midst of all these moves, I had kept some extra luggage at a friend’s house. In this second rental house, I never saw that pair of shoes. I thought perhaps I packed them with the extra luggage stored at my friend’s.

We lived about a year in this second rental house before buying our own home. I finally got all the luggage at one place. I was eager to find my shoes back. And I didn’t.

I unpacked everything. I checked stuff in the garage and extra storage cupboards for about a year after moving into my home. But in vain.

Painfully, I accepted that I lost those shoes.

6 years passed.

Last week, my mum was sorting out some of my old stuff because I am in India and she wants me to clear unwanted things.

I am at my in-laws’ currently so she sent me a picture of these shoes to ask if I still needed them!!!

I can’t wait to go back to my mum’s next week and try them on after all these years!!?!!