Random musings, personal thoughts and much more

A book that has been on my TBR list since I was 7-8 years old. This book was prominently displayed on a shelf for years in my household. The face on the cover page would make me pause in contemplation. Is he really a Yogi? My younger self only knew Yogi as a practitioner of Yoga. What could he write in a such a voluminous book? But, I did realise that the topic was far too advanced for my tiny self. Years passed and the yearning to read this book stayed with me. After starting college, I realized that I do not have a penchant for reading non-fiction book. The likes of Sherlock Holmes, Sidney Sheldon and Harry Potter enthralled me. I put this book on the back burner for an indefinite time. Later, I joined a book club and a library. What a world of opportunities it opened for me! I started to read beyond my comfort zone. I got access to books beyond the free PDFs. At that point, I still couldn’t develop the skill to sit through a non-fiction book. I would get stuck at 30-70% completion a...

Here are some example prompts people can use to start therapy sessions with AI chatbots: 🧠 For General Emotional Check-Ins "I’ve been feeling really off lately and I don’t know why. Can we talk?" "I feel overwhelmed. Can you help me figure out what’s going on?" "Can I just vent for a bit? I don’t feel like myself today." “Hello, I am here to get assistance from you as a therapist. Can you assist me?” 💬 For Stress or Anxiety "I’ve been anxious a lot this week. Can you help me calm down?" "I have a constant feeling of worry. Can we talk through it?" "Can you guide me through a grounding or breathing exercise?" “I’m feeling overwhelmed with anxiety. Can you help me identify coping strategies?” “Help me work through my anxiety by discussing coping strategies.” “I need help managing stress from work. What are some techniques I can use? ❤️ For Relationship Struggles "I'm having problems communica...

    I remember walking from my hotel to the office five years ago. I could not stop smiling at the things I was seeing. I also could not stop feeling the anxiety in the pit of my stomach. It was my first day of office, my first day of adult life. I took the first step towards being an independent woman.      I had big dreams when I left Nagpur. None of my dreams came true. Some dreams shattered like glass, for others I got more than I asked for. One day, I was full of hope that I will change the world. The next day, I would be in self-doubt about even making it past the probation period. That was 5 years ago.      Today, as I write this, I am amazed at my journey. And, honestly, a little tearful. I have a hard time recognizing myself in photos from years ago. I can recall exactly what I used to think. I cringe at my naivety. I am also proud of everything that I have done so far. I would not change anything that led to me this point, including...

I was born a theist. As with most Indian families, I too was taught to worship God from the time I can remember. Around the age of 14, I had a fight with God, to put it simply .  I became a passive theist. I would do and follow what my family asked me to, but my heart was somewhere else. While I did not believe in God, my family did and I believed my family. I would go to temples and marvel at the beauty of the idol. Not for a moment believing that this piece of stone can give me real happiness. I would spend time keenly observing the varied decorations and features of the idol. Yet as soon as I would step away from the sanctum, I would not remember anything from the last few minutes. This is a peculiar mystery that I have no clue about.  Going to a temple has never been my first instinct. Though, when I knew I was going to get my car, I decided to take it to a nearby temple for Pooja. Today, was a big day for me. While the car was an achievement, an even bigger on...

The most adventurous thing I ever did was travel to a small island in West Africa. Since it was a business trip, everything was company-sponsored. What more could a person ask for! Except there were so many struggles hidden behind the scenes. The scariest one was traveling alone without knowing the local language. What if I end up at the wrong place? The second scariest one was going offshore in a helicopter. While "Kabhi Khushi, Kabhi Gham" might have given you fantasies, the reality is far from it. It is noisy. And when you see the pilots operating the controls, you question their credentials. If the chopper goes down, the survival training won't help you fend off the sharks.   While I was happy to get a chance to go offshore, I was also filled with dread about how things could go wrong. Sometimes, I was glad that I had life insurance, in case things did go south. “Every cloud has a silver lining”. This is a common phrase that you often hear when things are not goin...

A person grows every year, month, week, and day, yet there are few birthdays that are milestones. Turning 25 is one such milestone and I don't understand why. I turned 25 on Sunday and there is no difference from Saturday to Monday. Yet, when I look back at the 25 years of my existence, I am awed at how far I came. The ups and downs aside, I have met so many amazing people who have made a vast difference in my life. I have achieved a lot and I continue to grow. I am learning new things about myself every day and I am enjoying it. I am scared of so many things yet I still do it. The biggest lesson I have learned in all these years is to live life in the moment. It is never about the past or the future, always about the present. You are alive and well today, that is all that matters. The experiences that I had so far made me introspect and question my choices in life.  Happy? Fulfilling? Rich? Famous? No. I want a satisfying life. Be it job, partner, financials, or personal, I want t...