Dhruvatara

Homebound 24*7 can be really tricky and boring for students. No school, no play, only staying inside the four walls can be emotionally stressful as well. Especially the fear and anxiety surrounding the disease can lead to strong emotional changes in both the parents as well as the students. So below are few ways to stay emotionally happy and healthy this lockdown. 1. TAKE A BREAK FROM EVERYTHING Too much of anything is not good. Similar is the situation with our life now. With the pandemic outbreak increasing day by day, we have become glued to our TV sets or even our smart phones. Keeping a tab on the news constantly can be upsetting. So, take breaks from watching news or listening to stories related to news. Just sit and relax. Give yourself time.  2. PLAYTIME WITH YOUR FAMILY Believe me Quarantine has come with its own pros and cons. And one of them is it is allowing us to spend quality time with our family as well as with ourselves. Play interactive games. No...

Feeling stuck at this moment is as normal as not having a sleep schedule. This global pandemic successfully altered our very existence and made us reflect limpidly on ourselves. But what happens when it all ends? When the roads are rammed again? When the pandemic of materialism and jealousy are born again? Imagining the ‘normal’ sounds hair-raising as well as salubrious. Amongst this mayhem using spatial intelligence to form mental images which are both jocular and exuberant is a perfect way to cope. When all this ends instead of getting confused and disoriented by change, Here are the things you can do once this global pandemic ends - 1. CONTINUE TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH PEOPLE WHO CARED DURING LOCK DOWN Show your love and gratitude towards the people who cared to check back on you during the hard days! Filter relationships which are not worth it! Remember 'a friend in need is a friend indeed!  2. VENTURE OUT BUT WITH CAUTION FOR SOME MORE TIME Yes, hit that pub, g...

“ It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”                                                                                                       ―  Leon C. Megginson It all started few months back before we came to know about it from the television. Yes, I am talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. It took us sometime to get ourselves be prepared mentally as well as physically for this pandemic. The world has, for long, not witnessed something like this. No medicine, no vaccine to fight against this deadly virus…..the only weapon we have is to stay locked up inside our homes. This prolonged lockdown has weakened us mentally and as each day goes by, the feeling of...

When“I" is replaced by “We" even illness becomes wellness.                                                                                            - Malcolm X (1935-1965) This has been the thought and practice amongst the human species since time immemorial.   From prehistoric era humans have learnt to satisfy their need for gregariousness by being together- by forming groups. However in the present scenario, when the very existence of human race is being threatened by the Covid-19 pandemic, the above statement appears to be conflicting. This is because ‘ social distancing ‘ is the only precaution as has been suggested by the clinical experts. So from the psychological perspective, keeping in view the gregarious nature of human being, ...

It's April and you were probably planning to gear up for the festivities ahead, a visit to the malls, the markets, dresses, gifts, confectioneries, mishtis, parlours and much more. So here's what we can all do to still gear up , enjoy the coming days, do up the house, be safe and happy. 1. Take care of yourself  ️ It might be difficult because you have so much on your to do list. But it all starts with you. So go ahead and it's a good idea to start with your skin first.  A. Don't worry if you don't have your regular brands. Start with a scrub. Take some besan, rice flour, wheat husk, oats powder, (whatever available and all four if possible) , a little lemon juice, malai, honey, sandalwood powder or paste, almond powder and some rose water which can be made by boiling rose petals too. Make a paste of the following ingredients and apply on your face and neck. Scrub off gently with some milk or plain water when dry. Massage your skin with a massage oil or crea...

“My child is so restless that I can hardly manage him all day at home.” “I am at real ease when Esha is at school. At least I can be done with my household chores. After I bring her back from school, I have to be by her back all day. She starts throwing stuffs, shouting, yelling if I make her sit to study.” “At home, Rahul is hooked to my mobile, playing games. Even during studies or during lunch he demands my phone. He is not able to concentrate in anything else.” Well, sitting in the school counsellor’s chair since the last couple of months I have been flooded with such complaints from the parents. Also it’s worth mentioning that most of those children had a history of diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). As professionals, we know the common features of ADHD are: It’s quite a demanding job to deal with their heightened energy levels, especially if they are locked down at home for so many days. Here are some ways to manage those li...

We all realise, these are the times of difficulties faced not only by you, but the entire planet to be precise! To comment on the current situation I would use statistics and state that the total number of people affected with corona virus (COVID - 19) currently are 12,76,302 worldwide.  Due to this pandemic, several countries all over the world have locked down their respective nations. The Government have strictly asked all citizens to practice social distancing and self-isolation to break the chain effect. The easier these words are to pronounce the more difficult it is to perform them. We in this generation are stiffly attached to the external world than the internal world, hence this sudden shift or change may induce feelings of  Hence instead of looking at the glass half empty, I’m going to make you look at it as half full. Here are the three most relevant strengths of staying indoors: CONNECT WITH YOURSELF - Probably the best time you’ll eve...

“When I discover who I am, I will be free”  - Ralph Ellison When was the last time you sat on your balcony with a cup of your favourite black coffee, wandering how beautifully your money plant is growing so fast and green? When was the last time you sat with your parents along with that old family photo album? When was the last time you played home cricket or dolls house together with your child? Well, while we are together fighting the time of COVID - 19, a time of panic, fear, doubts and social distancing, a time of complete lock down and no office work to do, can we make this time useful in any other way? Well, what about rediscovering ourselves? In this era of extremely busy schedules and long working hours, keeping in mind that we have got a few days off, why don’t we sit a bit, relax and do what we really wanted to do but never had time? Why don’t we just get to know ourselves on this quarantine? Here are some ways… START WITH YOUR FAVORITE HO...

We are social beings --- the need to belong, to be accepted, loved and respected is so important for us. However the current situation demands that we isolate ourselves and remain confined in our homes with our families and connect to the outer world through audio / visual media. Thank god for technology but it can get impersonal too. We miss meeting the people we relax and enjoy with. Our chats over coffee, watching movies together, our walks and even going to work. We miss our routine what we have so long been accustomed to.  I would like to share some simple ways to handle this phase: Firstly we need to keep reminding ourselves that this is a temporary period, a passing phase . Very soon we will get back to our routine and look back at this period in terms of lessons learnt, possibly the patience that we have developed which was earlier not there and the challenges we faced that might have changed us forever. Also aren’t we the blessed ones as there are so ma...