Love Its Back Again

February 13, 2023 / dinah1995 / Leave a comment

Falling in love is a beautiful feeling. Humans are born to feel emotions, and falling in love has a very different and powerful grasp over all the various sensations you experience in a lifetime. For some weird reason, love is such an emotion where there is hurt and pain together. That teenage love, school crush, and college romance would have all given you feelings and emotions that are beyond explanation. What if I tell you that these feelings grow inside you for not another person but for yourself? You love someone else for yourself more than the partner you choose to be with, and not many people have thought about this. Falling in love is a personal experience – you do it for all the right reasons – to feel the need to be taken care of, heal scars, experience a new feeling, and feel protected and pampered.

The love you show another person is more of a reflection of how you want to be loved. Love is immeasurable. It is an emotion that can grow strong or fade with time. And it is entirely natural. People do not realize that falling out of love is as valid a feeling as falling in love. This has nothing to do with the partner, whether a man or a woman, but the expectations of how YOU want to continue with the partner. If YOU feel that the relationship is not giving YOU the right vibes, you end it. If YOU think that the love you offer gives you happiness and satisfaction, YOU continue the relationship. It was considered rude and perhaps wrong to be selfish in love earlier, leading to relationships lasting longer than they do today. People were made to feel guilty (especially women) and even to feel the need to be selfish in committed relationships.

Times have changed, and life is a hustle daily. Relationships have evolved. How people perceive relationships and commitments is way different than what it was years before. Humans have not rooted anymore. It has drastically changed how society views the whole scene, too – divorcees are not looked down on anymore, for starters. LGBTQ+ communities are accepted more widely today. Single parents exist.

People fall out of love too quickly these days, and in some way, why not? Why are people told to stick on for the sake of family, children, and other commitments that are not bigger than individual lives and feelings? Yes, what can be fixed must be fixed but what if not? To understand this concept better and avoid jumping to conclusions, they must know what it is to love themselves first. Self-love allows you to see things that people often ignore. Self-love aids in making choices that may seem unrealistic to many, but maybe that is what you want, and only you know what you want!

Be where your heart is at peace – even if you don’t have a partner. I feel falling in love, getting married, and having kids have all been so hyped up lately. So many people are just doing things for the sake of it and end up breaking each other’s hearts. It’s time we re-train our mind to love ourselves first. Self-love lays the footing for wholesome connections with others. When we have a positive relationship with ourselves, we are better prepared to have positive relationships with others.

Self-Love makes loving others easier! How?

Improved Self-Esteem
When we love ourselves, we feel good about who we are and what we bring to the table. It helps boost our self-esteem, making it easier for us to value and appreciate others.
Better Boundaries
When we love ourselves, we are more likely to set and maintain healthy boundaries, which can help prevent us from becoming entangled in unhealthy relationships.
Greater Empathy
When we have a strong sense of self, we can better understand and connect with the experiences of others, making it easier to love and support them.
Reduced Judgment
Self-love can help us be less critical of ourselves and, in turn, be less judgmental of others. This can make it easier to approach relationships with an open heart and mind.

Fall in love, be in love, and grow in love; love is what each one needs, but don’t destroy yourself in or for love – it is not worth it. Love is complete only when you know yourself fully. Self-love is meaningful because it lets us have a healthy and positive relationship with ourselves, making it easier to have positive and healthy relationships with others. Only when you love yourself wholly and entirely can you love someone else. So stay true to your love for yourself to love others and to find true love in others.

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Aakanksha Dinah, a passionate writer, orator, communicator focused on establishing a Training institution centered on creativity and innovation. Aakanksha is a true believer in loving the work we do and strongly believes in smart-work, the reason why creativity works better for her. Aakanksha is enormously focused on making a career in professional writing and publishing. She loves writing poems, self-help articles, and essays. An enthusiast when it comes to learning languages and in short, Aakanksha is a wanderer, an explorer, a mom, a dog-mom, a poet, a cook, a writer, and an influencer.

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Celebrating Girly Bonds

February 12, 2023 / Pozicool Raga / Leave a comment

Whoever said that moms and daughters could never get along is either mired by stereotypes over the years, narrated by ancestors, or that they never got along well.

Honestly, my mother and I never got along much because of our differences, but still, there is an unseen bond of caring. As a mother who crossed the 40th-year milestone, I cherish a forever bond with my son. I have read this quote innumerable times, and it also applies to my life: “if you ever feel like giving up, just remember a little girl is watching who wants to be just like you.” I have never seen my mother give up, no matter how complex or challenging situations have been. This quote applies to a daughter as well as a son too. Similarly, whenever I wanted to give up, my son would look at me with his small eyes and tug at me, telling me not to give up!

A mother and a daughter is an age-old bond too. It starts from the cradle and ends in the grave. There can be rocky paths, but together, they do it. Of course, ups and downs in the relationship are there, but they can handle it because there is something extraordinary about a mother and a daughter’s bonding. They can be each other’s shadows as well as sunshine! They even say it is a love-hate relationship as well. But distance has never affected the bond much. Like any other mother-son, father-son, or father-daughter bond, a mother-daughter bond is unique.

In many homes, a daughter is considered her mother’s shadow, though it may not be the case. A daughter always has an identity of her own, and she may share zillions of differences between her and her mother. But there are ways to bridge these differences too.

I am sure you will agree that none of us can be clones of each other – so can a daughter and mother be similar? Well, it all depends on the bond built from childhood. Differences and similarities can also be celebrated, accepting each other for what they are. Many jokes and stereotypes have been narrated or gone viral on mothers and daughters – primarily negative!

the stereotypes – Real and reel

1. Mothers and daughters are rivals and can never get along.
2. Daughters are supposed to be perfect like their moms and are their shadows (attributing Indian soaps)
3. Daughters have to take on maternal roles early on and learn household chores like their mothers.
4. Traditional roles in the household are reserved for mothers and daughters.
5. The emotional well-being of a family rests on mothers and daughters.
6. A mother can spoil a daughter’s family dynamics after marriage.

There are many more. I am sure if you are a daughter or a mother reading this, you will have more such stereotypes and stories to narrate on how a mother and daughter bonding has been perceived by society!

Many of you may even disagree with the above stereotypes as well. In a typical patriarchal society and surroundings, a mother is expected to “discipline her daughter and groom her to be fit for the world.” Often, a mother and daughter move apart too after a certain age because of refusal to meet these expectations and standards. Yet, many mothers and daughters have broken these cliches and maintained outstanding bonds. They are best friends and share every tiny detail of their lives too. Distance has made their hearts grow fonder by the day as well.

10 ways to make Mother-daughter relationship easy

How many of you share a friendly bond with your moms? Even if you don’t, what are the things you have done with your mother during your growing years and even now? Do you have any rituals? Fret not, even if you share nothing in common!

Communication
Good communication is critical in any relationship, and it’s no different between mothers and daughters. Make sure you take the time to listen to each other and respectfully express your thoughts and feelings.
Spend quality time together
Spend time doing things you both enjoy, whether it’s going shopping, cooking, or just spending a quiet afternoon at home.
Please respect each other’s boundaries
Each person has a unique personality, preferences, and lifestyle, so it’s important to respect each other’s choices and boundaries.
Be supportive
Be there for each other through the good and bad times. Offer encouragement and support when needed, and always strive to build each other up.
Acknowledge each other’s accomplishments
Celebrate each other’s successes and show appreciation for one another’s achievements, no matter how big or small.
Seek common ground
Try to find common interests and activities that you both enjoy and participate in these things together.
Apologize and forgive
No relationship is perfect, and misunderstandings and arguments are bound to happen. Be quick to apologize, forgive, and strive to overcome disagreements.
Share your experiences
Share your own experiences and perspectives, and try to learn from each other’s experiences.
Show affection
Regularly show affection, whether it’s through hugs, kisses, or just kind words and gestures.
Keep an open mind
Be open to new ideas and ways of thinking, and be willing to try new things together. This will help keep your relationship fresh and exciting and will help you grow together as individuals.

Mother-daughter Bond & How?

1. Spend time together

Make an effort to spend quality time together, whether going for a walk, trying a new restaurant, or just sitting and chatting over a cup of tea. If you and your mother are foodies, the best way is to explore local traditional cuisines you can enjoy. So go on a food trail! Home is where the heart is, and the kitchen is where the heart and hearth lie. You can choose to cook a dish alongside your mother. Another way is to enroll in a cooking class and learn how to make new dishes.

2. Participate in shared activities

Find common interests and activities that you both enjoy, and try to participate together. It could be anything from cooking or gardening to hiking or playing games. Spending meaningful time together and enjoying endless conversations in a spa may be the perfect recipe for a good time with your mom. Enjoy a relaxing day of pampering and bonding with your mother.

3. Share memories & stories

Share your memories and stories, and listen with interest to your mother’s stories and experiences. Join some relaxing classes for physical and mental wellness together. In addition, it can be an excellent time to learn about family, ancient and traditional practices together and connect well with your mother or daughter.

4. Show appreciation

Regularly show appreciation for your mother and all she does for you. This could be through verbal expressions of gratitude, thoughtful gestures, or just spending quality time together. Visit a local bazaar or market and explore some unique and colourful souvenirs made by artisans. A day out shopping can be loads of fun and off the mundane daily routine!

5. Offer help & support

Offer to help and support your mother, whether with household chores, errands, or just being there to listen. Showing you care about her well-being and happiness can help strengthen your bond.

So, what are you waiting for? Pen your itinerary TODAY and list things you want to do with your mother and vice versa. Signing off with Signe Hammer’s quote that touched my heart, ‘Mothers of daughters are daughters of mothers and have remained in circles joined to circles since time began.’

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She is a quirky writer/photographer/closet poet and singer who has traversed a non-conventional path. As a former entertainment journalist who has worked in print and online media for a decade, Priya loves talking to people and writing their unspoken stories. She is a single parent of a 7-year-old son settled in Tamil Nadu and a Content Consultant/ Communications-PR Manager. She is also an informal mentor to parents in her local parenting network. She dreams of being an author of a book and maybe the scriptwriter of a film someday!

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10 Ways To Encourage Kids To READ

February 10, 2023February 10, 2023 / augustusstanley / Leave a comment

Getting a child excited to read can be easy if you make it fun. Start by incorporating reading into everyday activities. For example, when you’re out on a walk, point out things in the environment and talk about them. Ask your child questions about what they see and encourage them to look it up in a book later. Make trips to the library or bookstore a regular activity, and let your child explore different books and genres. Read to your child often and let them take turns reading back to you. Incorporate stories and characters into everyday life and make up your own stories with them. Finally, find books that your child is interested in. There are many books out there, from novels to comics and magazines, that can appeal to different tastes and interests. When a child finds a book they are interested in, they are more likely to be excited about reading it.

Growing up, my parents allowed my brother and me to have a giant suitcase full of books! Classics like Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, Cinderella through to Marvel to DC. Big books, small books, thin books, fat books, A whole set of encyclopaedia’s. We had enough to keep two little boys engaged for hours. We were happy to get new, used, borrowed, gifted, and circulated books. Some of our readers had folktales, some had dinosaurs, some had animals, and others were comics. We would be buried in books for hours during summer and winter vacations. It was aside from other activities and our regular chores. Sometimes, we would bargain with mom and dad for time to read, wedged right between our evening playtime and dinner.

Unfortunately, with the advancement of technology, reading is becoming a fast-fading skill. Everyone wants to own a tablet or an e-reader. Only a few want to buy a newspaper or a physical copy of a book. At least, that’s my opinion. I sometimes think with time, books may become a thing of the past. I hope not, for the sake of those that want to create a magical escape into the world of world fantasy.

Ten ways to get Kids to read & get them hooked

Start Early:
Begin reading to your child from a young age to instill a love for books and storytelling.
Make it Fun:
Choose books your child finds exciting and make reading fun, not a chore. Begin by reading to your children. Find books your children enjoy and take the time to read them daily.
Set aside Reading Time:
Establish a daily routine for reading, such as before bedtime or after breakfast. Introduce them to the concept of a library. Again, a physical visit will be an eye-opener for them—the world of books.
Encourage Independent Reading:
As your child grows older, encourage them to choose and read books independently.
Read Aloud:
Read books aloud to your child, emphasizing pronunciation, inflection, and expression. Introduce your children to phonemic awareness. For example, read stories aloud, highlighting the individual sounds of each word. Play word games. You can play all kinds of word games with your child, such as hangman, crosswords, and BINGO, to help them learn new words.
Ask Questions:
Engage your child in the reading by asking them questions about the story, characters, and illustrations. Talk about the words and the stories you’re reading. Ask your children questions about the characters, the setting, and the plot. Encourage your child to sound out words. When your child struggles with a word, have them break it down into individual sounds and sound it out.
Use Visual Aids:
Use pictures, illustrations, and other visual aids to help your child understand the story. Introduce sight words. Sight words are words your child can recognize without sounding out the letters. Teach your child the alphabet. Use objects in your home to create a physical alphabet and go through it letter by letter.
Encourage Writing:
Encourage your child to write their own stories or keep a journal, which can improve their reading skills.
Visit the Library:
Take your child to the library and allow them to select books they are interested in. Incorporate writing into your reading lessons. For example, have your child copy words and sentences from the book and practice writing the letters of the alphabet.
Practice, Practice, Practice:
Regular practice is critical to improving reading skills. Please encourage your child to read daily and provide positive reinforcement for their efforts.

Gift your child a book today if you haven’t done so yet! Let them immerse themselves in worlds of magical fantasy as they soak in stories, which will become an excellent thirst for knowledge in the coming years.

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Augustus Manohar Stanley is now serving his life’s calling as a full-time Educator and works in Karnataka. He loves creating short academic videos and is also a music enthusiast.

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Beat Boredom

February 6, 2023 / dinah1995 / Leave a comment

The feeling of Boredom is quite intriguing. You feel unproductive and lazy – unsatisfied, to be precise. Guess what? It is natural for someone to feel Boredom! Well, you might not be enjoying or entirely into whatever you are doing. So you have to figure out what needs to be done about it.

Your job may not be as creative and fun as you expected it to be. Your body and mind are craving some peaceful time. You may need a break from the monotony of your home. Whatever the reason, you can do several things to boost your adrenaline and get yourself back to action.

Take a pause from what you are doing. Make it a habit to give yourself some time off. It is natural to feel exhausted doing the same things repeatedly. Change your patterns, change how you do something, think outside the box, and break that comfort level you have created for yourself.

Make sure you are taking care of yourself. Lack of self-care and self-confidence can also lead to Boredom – simply because you are not feeling the best about yourself to feel good about anything around you. Be glad for a new day each day, and try to build a positive aura around yourself. Take the initiative to be active and take up tasks when you know you can do an excellent job with them.

Stretch and move your body during the day – some physical activity can bring freshness. You can even take short walks, take short breaks, take the stairs at times, and indulge in anything that gives you happiness and contentment.

There are different types of Boredom. Calibrating Boredom is the first type. It is the unpleasant feeling of wanting to do something different but not knowing what. If something interesting comes your way, you might be happy to pursue it. The difficulty is in thinking of alternatives.

Searching for Boredom is the second type, where your experience makes you feel unhappy. You could remain proactive and focused on searching for something to appease restlessness. This was looking out for something fun and exciting to do, perhaps the essence of this Boredom.

Reactant boredom is associated with anger and frustration. You will find yourself twitching and squirming, feeling tense and anxious, and desperately seeking an escape from where you are and what you are doing. It is the most unpleasant kind of Boredom.

Indifferent Boredom is when you appear calm and relaxed rather than irritable and restless. Some people who experience apathetic Boredom do not find it to be an unpleasant experience but a chance to relax, rejuvenate and recoup.

Apathetic Boredom is a more recently discovered kind of Boredom. This is where you would feel helpless, and this type of Boredom could lead to depression. Feelings and emotions of unhappiness are experienced, but you might not be able to do much about the whole situation leading to a vicious cycle of chronic apathy.

Beat Boredom when it tries to put you down and make you feel unproductive. Understand your inner self and identify what you are experiencing. Whatever it is, always be in control of your life. Never let situations and circumstances take over your rational thinking ability; rise above these temporary mood swings and build a persona worth it all…

here are a few tips

Engage in physical activities, like exercising, playing sports, or walking. Get active: Exercise, join a sports team, or walk. Physical activity is a great way to boost your mood and energy levels.
Try something new: Try a new hobby, cuisine, or activity. This can help you learn new things and challenge yourself. Try a new hobby, like painting, cooking, or gardening.
Spend time with friends or family in person or through video calls. Connect with others: Spend time with friends and family, join a social club or volunteer in your community. Interacting with others can help you feel more connected and fulfilled.
Explore new places or travel, even if it’s just to a new part of town. Exploring new places and cultures can be a great way to beat Boredom and broaden your horizons.
Read a book, watch a movie, or listen to music.
Volunteer for a local organization or help someone in need.
Learn a new skill, like a language or a musical instrument.
Get organized and tackle tasks you’ve been putting off.
Meditate or practice mindfulness to relax and refocus your thoughts.
Reflect on your goals and make plans for the future.
Pursue your passions: Identify what you’re passionate about and find ways to pursue it. This could be anything from painting to writing to playing an instrument.
Learn something new: Take a class, read a book, or teach yourself a new skill. Continuously learning and growing can help you feel more engaged and fulfilled.
Take care of yourself: Prioritize self-care by getting enough sleep, eating well, and taking breaks when needed.
Help others: Volunteering, donating, or simply being kind to those around you can be a great way to feel fulfilled and add purpose to your life.
Plan an adventure: Make plans for a future trip, event, or experience you’re excited about. Having something to look forward to can help break up the monotony and add excitement to your life.

Everyone gets bored sometimes, and it’s normal. Just find an activity you enjoy and be creative in keeping yourself occupied. What others want may be different from what you want. So find your niche and make your life unique. Always remember, DO YOU.

——

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A Message From The Dead

February 5, 2023 / msriddhijadhav / Leave a comment

When you want to get away from everything transpiring in your immediate surroundings, the best getaway is getting lost in your phone. Scrolling reels at low volume can mute the chaos of conversations around. That is what I was doing when I received a notification about a message from my father. It read, “Hi,” and about 10 seconds later, attached came a photo. Reading it from the notification bar made me so happy that I almost forgot that he was no longer in this world.

I felt like calling the number right away and asking him where has he been and when is he returning. But as soon as I opened the photo, the excitement was crushed. It was the insurance claim document that I was supposed to mail for the other formalities in order. My mother found it convenient to forward it to me from my dad’s phone. And here I was, not realizing that the conversation with this number had ended. I wonder what my mother was thinking when she typed hi !

Within that 10-second gap between the first and second messages, my trail of thoughts had begun. I had prepared a list of questions to ask my father, even formulating his casual responses to my intervention. An intervention that was never going to happen. All it took was 10 seconds, but the conversation in my head seemed ten detailed minutes long. When you lose someone, you think of many things you could have said to them to comfort them or yourself more.

This message opened so many possibilities to a question I posed myself, “What if I could have one phone call with him?” On other days, I am not very vocal on phone calls, but knowing that this would be the last one, I would want it to go on much longer. This call would go on to blabber things I could never say and seek forgiveness for things I should’ve never said.

Experiencing a loss gives you a perspective on the world and a lot about yourself. Especially if you have never experienced a heavy loss before, it is a ride through a tumult of emotions. These are not just sad and miserable feelings but even bouts of anger on how things could have been different. Of how you could do nothing to save them, although you may have tried everything possible. Could you have should have tried harder?

The two years of the pandemic have seen a grief wave. For those who lost someone to COVID-19, I feel you too. The anger and pain you feel are a lot deeper. Because you probably did not even get the chance to say the last goodbye, feel the touch, or see them one last time. All of this was for the greater good of keeping you and others around you safe. The pinching feeling of not being able to conduct the last rites on them may sometimes keep you wide awake at night. It can get traumatic. It is a situation that hasn’t got a closure. You need to be truly appreciated for how far you have come. If you are reading this far, find this a comforting hug from someone who does not precisely understand what you feel but knows what loss is.

The loss slowly seeps within as you start getting back into a routine. Several people are asking you to distract yourself, get busy, etc. Although they all mean well, give yourself time to be upset. Pent-up emotions barely do any good. Unresolved grief can bring on more grave mental health problems. So wallow, but don’t swallow your feelings, especially the negative ones.

It took one message from my late father’s number to put me in a state of denial. After that, I started to reject the reality of his demise. I held conversations with him that I could never have. I sometimes, to date, think about what, if any, miracle still gives me a chance to communicate with him. What will I say to him, or will I say nothing? I live in these what-ifs, which I can write another essay on.

But to complete this one, I’d frame a reply to that “Hi,” which got me to write this. My response was, “I hope it was painless. Know that we are safe here, and until we meet again, I will meet you in my memories, and together we will live along!”

——

Writer by day, an overthinker by night. I let my thoughts flow through my writing. As a definite misfit, I let my words speak louder than my actions. Welcome to my journey of sailing through emotions and experiences, with words as my paddles.

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Power of Positive Thinking

January 30, 2023 / dinah1995 / Leave a comment

Positive thinking is a mental and emotional balance you need to draw to stay focused and look for results that will benefit you. It is about affirming promising visions and ideas in yourself and anticipating happiness, satisfaction, and success. Positive thinking focuses on optimistic thoughts and sentiments to improve one’s perspective on life. It concerns actively thinking about positive rather than negative thoughts and experiences. By embracing a positive mindset, people can improve their mental and emotional well-being and achieve their goals more effectively. Some ways to practice positive thinking include gratitude journaling, visualisation, and reframing negative thoughts into positive ones.

It is imperative to stay focused, leveraging the law of attraction – allowing the Universe to understand you and grant you all good things that are destined your way. Self-realization and discipline are necessary for the process to be smooth – for you to permit to grasp the slightest desire of your inner self and communicate precisely what you want from the world. May it be something you want for yourself or something you wish for others, the more you believe and attract that energy, the more the chances are for the process to be smoother and perhaps faster.

10 ways towards a positive mindset

Practice gratitude by keeping a journal of things you are thankful for.
Stay occupied and exercise regularly to boost endorphins and improve mood.
Surround yourself with positive people and avoid negativity.
Use positive affirmations to reframe negative thoughts.
Practice mindfulness and focus on the present moment.
Set realistic and achievable goals for yourself.
Take care of your physical health by eating well and getting enough sleep.
Practice forgiveness and let go of grudges.
Engage in activities that you enjoy and that bring you joy.
Cultivate an attitude of optimism and look for the good in every situation.

What you think, speak and act is what you shall attract. What you believe to be true is what is going to be the truth – what you say is what you get – what you think is what you attract – is the simple yet accurate law of the Universe. Therefore, what you understand of yourself is what you make of yourself. The more you earnestly desire for yourself what you shall ultimately attract.

If you keep saying – “I ain’t gonna lose that weight,” – you ain’t! But, if you affirm, “I am going to make myself financially stronger,” you may make it. Hence, BELIEVE in what you want and prove to yourself all the right things. Witness your life change!

——

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Might Of Interpersonal Skills

January 27, 2023 / Naveeta Shokeen / Leave a comment

Why interpersonal skills are essential at work?

Interpersonal communication is conveying thoughts and feelings to another person orally and non-verbally. In both our personal and professional life, it enables us to communicate with and comprehend people. As a result, hiring managers frequently search for candidates with excellent interpersonal skills who will work well with their co-workers and communicate well.

Interpersonal skills, often known as “people skills,” are the “soft talents” used to communicate with and understand others. Interpersonal skills also referred to as “people skills.” When you engage in face-to-face communication with other people regularly, you put these talents to use. The following are some examples of interpersonal

Dependability
Leadership
Motivation
Flexibility
Patience
Empathy
Conflict resolution
Negotiation
Active listening
Team Work
Responsibility

Why interpersonal skills are important?

Interpersonal skills are crucial for effective communication and collaboration with individuals and organizations in both your personal and professional life. People with outstanding interpersonal skills are likelier to establish lasting bonds and get along well with others. They deeply understand friends, family, coworkers, and clients. Working with coworkers that have strong interpersonal skills is frequently enjoyable.

Possessing interpersonal skills also makes it easier to handle issues and make wise choices. To find the most excellent answer or make the best choice for everyone concerned, you might employ interpersonal communication skills and the capacity for understanding others.

Because these people frequently function well in teams and effectively cooperate with their coworkers, many organizations make an effort to select personnel with good interpersonal skills. Because they can connect with and inspire those around them, people with interpersonal skills frequently make influential leaders.

Interpersonal skills that are important at work

Interpersonal communication is essential to functioning as a team and achieving common objectives, even if all interpersonal abilities can be helpful in the job. The following six ways to communicate with others will help you a lot at work.

1. Verbal communication

You can effectively interact with others by speaking confidently and appropriately for the circumstances. For your audience, pick the appropriate phrasing and tone.

For instance, in meetings and presentations, speak formally and professionally. Avoid using sophisticated or technical terminology when attempting to explain anything to someone or when speaking with customers. Instead, when information needs to be clarified, ask questions.

2. Nonverbal communication

As much as your words, posture, demeanour, and gestures can convey, Be mindful of your vocal and nonverbal signals when speaking with co-workers and managers. For example, nodding, smiling, and being at ease indicate that you’re paying attention and participating in the conversation. In light of this, avoid additional postures, gestures, and emotions, including crossed arms, fidgeting, and eye movement.

3. Active listening

Active listening is the capacity to focus entirely on another person’s speech and fully comprehend what is being said. By making vocal and nonverbal reactions, like eye contact, nodding, and smiling, you demonstrate that you are interested in what the speaker is saying. To actively listen, one must also pay attention to speakers’ nonverbal clues. To verify that you were listening and engaged, pose and respond to inquiries.

Effective communication and the avoidance of workplace misunderstandings depend on active listening. It enables you to comprehend the information or guidelines your management or co-workers provided. Colleagues may be inspired to collaborate and exchange ideas as a result.

4. Conflict Resolution

Whether they involve you and a co-worker or other parties, conflicts and disagreements in the workplace can be resolved with your interpersonal communication skills. Negotiation, persuasion, and an understanding of both sides of an issue may be necessary. Try to discover a solution that works for everyone by paying close attention to each party’s words. Positivity and collaboration at work can result from effective dispute-resolution techniques. They can also help you gain the respect and confidence of your co-workers.

5. Empathy

Empathy, referred to as emotional intelligence, is the capacity to comprehend another’ feelings, wants, and viewpoints. When talking, sympathetic people are alert and kind. Empathy at work can boost morale, increase output, and reduce miscommunications between co-workers. In addition, you have a better chance of earning respect and trust of your co-workers if you demonstrate empathy.

6. Teamwork

Employee teams that get along well and communicate well have a better chance of succeeding and attaining shared objectives. Working as a team can increase productivity and help you avoid conflict. Please do this by asking your co-workers for opinions and ideas and offering to assist them when necessary. When team members share their thoughts or advice, pay attention and respond favourably. When working on projects or attending meetings, be upbeat.

How to strengthen interpersonal skills?

Take into account the following advice to enhance your interpersonal abilities:

Determine what needs to be improved.
Observe others to develop emotional self-control
Recognize others and stay focused
Consider your encounters.
Develop your abilities
Attend classes
Find a mentor
A recording of you

Setting goals for improvement and engaging in effective communication are two ways to improve your interpersonal skills. Work on it. Its worth it.

——

“Saral hu Saadharn nhi” (Simplicity is not Ordinary). This phrase encapsulates her entire existence. A woman of few words, a daydreamer, who is certain that there is life beyond stars. An HR professional who began her writing journey when corona knocked on our doors. A Content Writer, Screenplay Writer, and published Author. She is die-hard romantic and that reflects in her quotes, poems and short stories and currently working on her first book. She enjoys cooking, dancing, singing, travelling, and is a huge Bollywood enthusiast. She is a wife, a mother and a friend you can most certainly rely on.

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Handcrafted With Love

January 25, 2023 / Pozicool Raga / 2 Comments

So, are you an aesthete? Aesthete is a word in the American English dictionary which means a person who loves and appreciates works of art and beautiful things – anything handcrafted! Are you someone going out of their way to look for handmade artefacts and curios? Do you travel to see art and craft festivals in other cities? If you say yes to all the questions above, you are an art and craft enthusiast or an aesthete.

It is the gifting season and that time of the year when cities in India start wearing a festive look. Streets adorned with colourful streamers and artists displaying handcrafted products are the highlights of the winter months in almost every state. From December-February (and sometimes even March), nearly every city hosts art and craft festivals or a week dedicated to local artists.

Apart from festivals, online too, stores are selling exclusively handcrafted and customized gifts like stationery, clocks, embroidery, Papier-mâché products, pieces of furniture, metal craft work, cloth puppets, pottery, clay pots, glass products, block print fabrics, ceramics, different types of paintings – glass, oil, pastel, wood, and materials. Antiques form a big part of every house now – wooden/ stone/clay/glass. Aficionados have unique corners reserved in their homes for the same. Thanks to this, a lot of gifting has now become handcrafted, encouraging local artisans to come forward. More people are becoming interested in learning how to make things and gifts.

Many artists and artisans are conducting online and offline workshops during art fairs, festivals, and on market days. Seeing many DIY (Do It Yourself) kits to make your artefacts in stores is also enjoyable. In addition, children are becoming more interested in making their gifts. Isn’t it a thrill to see a smile and a look of surprise on your loved ones’ faces when they open your gift?

Handmade gifts have always retained their charm over the years. It is still special to receive a handmade card or a gift from loved ones vis-a-vis a readymade gift. I know a gift is a gift, and what matters is the giver’s heart and intentions. Still, there is something magical about opening the strings of a box to discover a handmade piece of jewellery or stationery. To date, I cherish handwritten cards and handmade gifts from my loved ones.

I encourage my son to make gifts for his friends rather than buy from the shop. The biggest reason is we all will remember these gifts years later and even the person who gifted us. It is the most beautiful moment to open that treasure box years later to discover scribbles in old books, diaries, small origami boats, planes, and artwork given to us by our childhood friends. I still have handwritten letters from my childhood buddy. We both reminisce about those letters and postcards to date and joyously share them with our children now. Letters are gifts in themselves too. Stones wrapped in toffee wrappers, marbles in small cardboard boxes, cardboard, and paper coins, greeting cards (almost obsolete now!), colourful scrapbooks tied with strings, diaries with old pics pasted in them, old sketches of crushes, phone numbers, zodiac signs hurriedly scribbled in books – make you feel so good!

10 Reasons Why handmade Is Thoughtful

1. Personal touch

It is always a different feeling to be treated exclusively where you have the maker’s signature or print on the gift. The maker is your loved one putting extra effort into making you feel special!

2. Souvenirs for life!

Corporations these days love personalising the gifting to their employees. For example, some online retail stores have tie-up with local artists who make small curios or something that symbolizes the company. These remain lifelong with the company logo embossed in them.

3. Memory building

Each handmade gift will have a memory attached to it. For instance, the facility will always remind you of the occasion, date, and year of gifting. But, of course, you can create a memory box too. Then, years later, you will jog in your memory lane when you open it.

4. Encouraging local artists

If you cannot make something of your own to gift your loved one because of the time crunch, you still have the choice to get a handcrafted gift. Look around your neighbourhood for local artisans and get them to make a customized gift for your loved one.

5. Eco-friendly

Raw materials for handcrafted items are from nature. Hence, they are environment-friendly and safe even for children. For instance, Assam is famous for all its bamboo products like dolls, baskets, toys, mats, shopping bags, and fans. These can be beautiful gifts for anyone.

6. Activates creative juices

It stimulates our brain cells to think out of the box to make different things. It challenges us to do things we usually don’t do.

7. Encourages socializing

Gifting makes sure you meet people and have human contact. Even the most reserved person would find motivation in meeting and gifting their loved ones.

8. Beats blues

Making something with your hands keeps you busy in your mind and helps drive away unwanted and depressive thoughts. It is a good distraction!

9. Children love it

A constructive activity for children to feel good about what they made. Also encouraging minimalism as well as creativity in children. Handmade is always good vis a vis the expensive gifts we buy for birthday parties.

10. Elders cherish it

Older generations have always cherished handmade gifts and even food we cook in the kitchen. Watching them beam with joy and pride if we make something of our own and gift them is a pleasure.

How many of you make gifts for your friends or loved ones? If yes, do share stories behind making gifts. Every handmade gift has a story to tell. Each moment counts, and it adds to all our memories. So, happy gifting ‘coz we all have an artisan in us !

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Follow Priya Rajendran

You Are Already Missing Out

January 24, 2023January 24, 2023 / msriddhijadhav / 1 Comment

Point Of View

This is a point of view. But, unfortunately, the compulsive use of POV on every video I scroll through today has got to me. Is your point of view so basic to fit within five words to seven seconds on a regular video clip with completely unrelated music? Where are your honest thoughts, the thoughts that make you, those that unrest you, and those that completely daze you?

We are mired in the circle of social media validation, and only some of us have managed to set boundaries. You wake up, and instead of detangling some tresses or rubbing your face, you reach for the phone. You unlock it, squint your eyes to scroll all app notifications, and lock it back. What value this adds to your morning routine needs to be clarified. But it is the creeping fear of missing out. The internet further validated this feeling by abbreviating it to FOMO. And since then, there’s no looking back.

You have your tea/coffee, and if the window shows an exceptionally bright day, you must capture it. Now, you place the cup at an angle that gets the sun’s rays and wait for the hot steam to arise to click the perfect ‘Tis a Good Morning’ photo. Before posting it online, do you contemplate whether you should use a filter on it or whether you should post it all?

Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram, are common social media apps that are not addictive as platforms. But the validation we seek from posting everything on these mediums seeps in like a drug, affecting serotonin levels on a likes-to-comments basis. It has got us to share a considerable part of our daily lives online, only waiting for someone to look up to it, like it, comment on it positively, and essentially inflate our egos.

Think about this… When you are on vacation, be it with family, friends, or solo, do you want to capture memories or make them? The unfiltered things we say in conversations, the exuberant laughter when surrounded by our close ones, and the inner jokes we share can’t come to the fore when you have a camera rolling, just waiting for this candidness to be captured. Won’t you agree that you need to put your phone in a pocket, rub your palms, and feel the warmth of a bonfire rather than take a slo-mo video of the flames? These most straightforward actions want us to keep our phones away and the cameras black-taped. No, you won’t miss out on the good times if you live in them. You’d only miss them if you are enjoying them in pretense to show them to other random strangers.

We need to stop mini-vlogging our lives for full validation. If you desire the expression, try talking about ‘how today made you feel?’ And no, it does not have to be happy all the time. Please give me a true Point of View of your learnings and help others through it because we all have days when we feel like packing our bags and leaving for a destination untold.

I observe a lot of creators and their imitators online. While it is the sustenance of a creator to post what they do online, it is a sign of loneliness for the other lot. Is this generation relying on online friendships and their likes to define their own? I believe it is unconscious too.

When Instagram removed the likes count last year, their chief Adam Mosseri said, “The idea is to try and depressurize Instagram, make it less of a competition, give people more space to focus on connecting with people they love, things that inspire them. But it’s focused on young people.” This move got polarizing reactions, but it also gave us insight. Yes, the young ones succumb to this fear of missing out, not being liked/commented on, not looking pretty enough, and eventually being insufficient. So now you can hide your likes and metrics. But can you hide the innate sense to be relevant for the ‘gram?

It also creeps from the loneliness that technology leaves us. We are more connected to the outside world than the ones we live and mingle with. Of course, a rejection or a mean comment from a best friend will hurt! Here’s a random stranger showering hearts and making up for it.

Thankfully, we have some who show the right side of creating content for Instagram. The ‘Instagram vs. Reality’ video trend is something that people enjoy as fun. But look beyond my viewers – Observe how everyone is faking a view and cooperating in queuing to avoid being seen in picturesque frames. Are you doing the same with your life? Are you too conforming to the fear of being unseen if you don’t show people what they like to double tap on?

It is human to fear failure, abandonment, uncertainty, judgment, and death. But the fear of missing out is something that we need to get past. Don’t you realise how this fear makes us be a part of it, and we end up missing out on the true joys of living in the moment anyway?

Go ahead, click pictures, capture videos, make edits, travel, sing, dance, and do what gives you joy. But do it for your validation. Create something that stays valid even after the internet goes off.

On a call with my friend this week, she told me the family got a new car after I said, ‘Woah, woot woot! And Congratulations.’ She kept it a secret from everyone.
Why!!! To create a reel to reveal it. Ok then! So there’s another ‘POV: You got a new car’ reel coming on my feed in a few days.

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Follow Riddhi Jadhav

How I Am To Be Treated

January 23, 2023 / dinah1995 / Leave a comment

No one showed me how I was to be treated. It may be something most women face. For years, we have been completely denying how a woman is to be treated right. It’s a different story that women are less appreciated and most often taken for granted. However, what is more noteworthy is that women tend to forget that certain boundaries need to be drawn, and they deserve to be treated with respect and empathy.

Women brought up in a family where the men treat the women the right way, know what to expect from the men in their lives. However, not all women are fortunate to have such a background. Many women face discrimination because of their gender right from childhood. This is true worldwide, regardless of which state or country you are from.

Men always have been given the upper hand over everything – from jobs to pay to even having fun! However, women are slowly trying to tear through the tight-knit stereotypes of how they are supposed to act and behave. With multiple hurdles to cross, women are steadily setting the lines straight once and for all.

As we speak about women trying to empower and nurture the lost essence of caring for and processing the feminine understandings, they are also allowing and submitting themselves to a mediocre partnership where they are neither treated as they are supposed to be nor are they appreciated for who they are. It happens because of the lack of guidance and mentoring when young. It is scientifically proven that women who have been victims of gender bias when they are young tend to fall for all the wrong men. It’s perhaps seeking out what is missing. The urge to get whatever is possible. This understanding of womanhood, this misunderstanding of who they are and how beautiful they are, throw them depression, anxiety, self-doubt, and lack of confidence.

If only each woman knows what she is capable of and what she deserves, she shall not settle for anything less. It is, therefore, our responsibility as a generation that knows values and what it is to be valued to show the youngsters what to expect and where to draw the line. Not only are the women to be educated on how they ought to be treated, but the men also are to be educated on the same. Men are to be made to realize that women are equally, if not more, capable and efficient in many walks of life, and it’s alright for them to take control. Wouldn’t it be so cool to have someone appreciate and cater to all your emotional and physical needs!? Well, why can’t you be that for yourself!? The more women seek happiness, love, compassion, and care from others, the more they will find it in deficit. Think about it…

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Follow Aakanksha Dinah