Boost thy Happy Hormones.

Hey you!! Yes You!! Are you one of those gaining patches of white hair or bald patches too early?? Or  counting sheep at night and battling sleepy eyelids during the day, at work?? Or buying clothes a size bigger each time you shop? Or constantly playing host to psychogenic ailments?? Or that upward curve on your lip has been replaced by the downward curves on your forehead? These are signs of “Vitamin ME” deficiency, no time for “Yourself”. To avoid such a deficiency a person has to lead a PROPER life. “PRO” is derived from the word “PRO- fessional” and “PER” is derived from the word “PER-sonal”.  It is a balance between the two. In layman terms, it also means “right”.

Here are few remedies, to increase “Vitamin ME” quotient and increase supply of happy hormones:

       Life is a PIE

Draw an imaginary pie diagram or even better use a pen and paper to do so. Allocate priority to each one in your life. This may also be termed as the “Priority Pie”. For 100% fulfillment in life, time must be spent with each one. Spend time by yourself and with your family each day, do not limit it to the weekend, maybe not for yourself but for them.

This reminds me of an incident quoted in a book authored by Ravi Subramaniam, where he talks about a chap who was disturbed having been chucked out of his job. Hearing this news his little girl was delighted, and was dancing around the house. When asked the reason for her joy, her innocence spoke up “Daddy, now that you are at home, you will have more time to spend with me.” The father was moved by her words, what he perceived negatively, his daughter saw a positive streak in it. The idea is to reduce those few extra after office hours and devote time to family, friends, pets and most importantly yourself. There is a life waiting to be explored, memories waiting to be created, laughter waiting to be shared, hobbies waiting to be touched and your loved ones waiting for you.

      Maintain a book of Life

Each individual has a different life, each life has a different story. You don't need to be an author to write a story or publish it for the world to read. Dedicate a book to yourself, write your own story, write your personal goals, things on your bucket list, your happy moments, your achievements, your generous deeds, your fear fighting moments, out of world experiences and all other experiences that added value to your life. Stick pictures, make it more interesting. While you are young, this book will boost you to gather as many experiences, and when you are old or your memory begins to fade, flipping those pages will make you feel “Yes !! life was well lived.”

      Travel to offbeat places/travel solo

Education is not limited only to your class rooms, learning does not stop within your office walls. Travel, is a form of education or learning that happens beyond four walls. Apart from relaxation and enjoyment, travel makes you unravel different cultures, acquaint oneself with new people, learn different dialect, garner wonderful experiences and try different cuisines. Travel with an open mind and heart, to come back enriched and enlightened. Travel to offbeat places, small or big does not matter. Go for a trip with an objective of learning something new or discovering yourself. Travel solo atleast once in your life (maybe alone with an organized group), maybe even a weekend trip will do. It's a self confidence booster, and you would surely not need  anyone to rely on, for that short break.

Follow YOLO (You Only Live Once)

Life is not a game of Mario, we don't know how many lives we have. This life is all we know of, it maybe uncertain but that should not stop you from taking risks, doing stuff out of your comfort zone and living life to the fullest. Live a life where you do what you love. Don't let time slip by, it ain't coming back.  Make every minute matter.

Being Humane

Most importantly happiness is felt and personal growth occurs when you use your skills to educate or spend time with people who may not be as blessed as you are. No better way to lead a purposeful life. Just how lighting one candle spreads light, doing one act of kindness will emit happiness.

So, toil, burn the midnight oil, but every once in a while. There is life outside, waiting to be lived. Be limitless, don’t limit your life to just one thing, when there are so many things on your bucket list, and which you conveniently push for someday, only to regret someday that you did not do those.   

                                                                                                                  -  Ashwini Joshi