“Culture , Arts and Spirituality have shaped me and my Self Care practices.

While we do our jobs very well, take care of our families unconditionally, we fail to be authentic to ourselves. As a leadership coach, I often help leaders rediscover the power and possibilities of Self Care.

While I refresh, renew and reflect on my Self Care Approaches, I believe that my active support network/system does not hesitate to speak up, when work keeps me busy or I focus too much on others around me. They have helped me keep up my self care practices.

How can you build a fearless network that supports you beyond just work and family?

How can you practice self care beyond just yourself? Are you busy walking past someone who is sacrificing their self care for you?

WAKE UP!

I don’t know when I picked up this habit or #skill of whistling. During the childhood days, when I was listening to some popular songs in the radio, I used to whistle along with the song then and there, but not in full. It was during my college days, one of my friends Sathya Ramasamy observed my casual whistling and encouraged me to whistle a full song. That’s when I realized that I had this special skill. I started practicing whenever I got some free time. Over a period of time it became fluent and whistling became part of me.

Later, I went on to do a couple of stage performances also, whistling a full song. This gave me a lot of pride as not many has this skill. In fact, I have recorded more than hundreds of songs by whistling. I used to enjoy this “Me” time.

But in the last few years, due to work and other commitments, I didn’t find time for recording any new song. On #introspection , I realized that I have been spending maximum time for others and not much time was spent for #myself. The “Me” time was missing completely. I was missing something, which used to give me a lot of #confidence, #pride and a sense of #satisfaction .

Last week I decided to record a song and did it successfully. Thanks for this introspection, I have got back my rhythm. Here is one of my old sample whistle recordings. A song from a popular movie of Rajesh Khanna which came 50 years back – Aradhana.

Living in a dynamic, constantly changing AI (Technology) driven world, we are tackling everyday with longer lists and becoming accustomed to expecting the unexpected. From days starting with catching up on social media reels to juggling various roles and fulfilling priorities that are urgent, time just runs.

Art and paintings have always been my passion more than a hobby. I have worked on paintings for people and have always received great feedback and praises. But in midst of juggling everyday roles and chores, this passion has always taken a last place. Last week while I was working on a painting during the weekend, I questioned my passion for art. That is when I actually figured out that had put my passion on a backseat and never took effort to fulfill my happiness.

Last week was about giving time for my paintings and taking the next step of sending them out to a gallery. The sheer joy that came out of this was unbelievable and I did this for myself.

Most 24 hours pass by in a flash. And when I sit to reflect, my time is mostly spent doing things for others. I’m not complaining. I’m grateful for having the opportunity to serve my family, do good work and everything that I do on a daily basis. But as this wheel keeps spinning, there comes a point when you question the purpose of it all. And I’ve finally figured out that I reach that point when I haven’t consciously spent some time doing something for myself, and myself only.

Recently I’ve gone back to my sketching book. And completing a sketch gave me a sense of quick fulfillment that no other activity was giving me. I then went one step ahead and carved out some time to color it. It was the first time I was buying color pencils for myself (and not my son). It felt great creating something from scratch and then bringing life to it using colors. I’m no artist but this activity put ‘me’ back in my life. 

Every day was a vibrant symphony of excitement, filled to the brim with commitments to family and work. Like a juggler, I was twirling numerous responsibilities in the air, a dance that was exhilarating yet exhausting. The routines of my life were thrilling, but I realized I was missing a critical element in the whirl of life – myself.

While my commitments to my family and work were irreplaceable, I found that I had been neglecting something equally important, my own wellbeing. The reflection hit me like a beam of sunlight piercing through the morning fog. I had been so engrossed in fulfilling my duties for others that I had forgotten to spend time on myself.

With a conscious effort, I decided to shift the focus back to myself. I made a choice to dedicate an exclusive 15 days for my own wellbeing, a decision that felt both liberating and daunting. It was an opportunity to reconnect with myself, to tune in to my needs and desires, to nourish my body and spirit.

One area I had been neglecting the most was my health and wellness. I had not been prioritizing physical activities or any type of sport. My eating habits, too, had taken a detour from the path of health. The realization was a wake-up call, a call to tend to the temple that is my body.
 
To transform my awareness into action, I committed to using the 15 days to immerse myself in a health camp. It was a conscious decision to focus on physical activity and healthy eating habits.

The thought was intimidating, but the promise of self-improvement propelled me forward. Each day in the camp was a step towards a healthier me. I embraced yoga, felt the exhilaration of walking under the open sky, and indulged in nourishing food. It was a journey of self-discovery, of finding the harmony between my mind, body, and spirit.
 
The results were astounding. The 15 days of self-focus brought me a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm. I was brimming with vitality, my spirit rejuvenated. The commitment to my health and wellness had brought about a transformation that was tangible and exhilarating.
 
In the end, taking the time to pause and reflect had been a gift to myself. It reminded me of the importance of tending to my own needs, of nurturing my own wellbeing amidst the busyness of life. The experience taught
me that taking care of myself is not a luxury, but a necessity.
 
The self-focus and wellness, I discovered an energy formerly unknown, an infectious enthusiasm

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”

It has been the most challenging year of my life. I lost my father, my mother met with an accident, and there were many other unforeseen responsibilities. As the going got tough, my priority list kept getting longer and longer. All I did was run around for things related to the house and my parents, and complete tasks that no one else could take care of while working on my full-time job. Until one day, I had to stop because I couldn’t run or walk anymore. I had suffered a ligament injury.

That’s when my therapist asked — Are you sure you are not pouring from an empty cup?

It got me thinking. I thought about all those days when I had zero energy left and still I continued without a pause because someone needed something. There was no time for a pause. On the insistence of a friend and my therapist, I finally started guided meditation to wrest my health and life back from the rat race. And I felt better and lighter.

Honestly, I never believed in meditation because I thought it was all about shutting everything out. Only recently, I discovered that it is all about pausing mindfully and accepting whatever comes and goes without judgment and reaction. For someone like me, this meant slowing down and staring at the trees, sometimes visualising a better future and sometimes just feeling the air around me.

Either way, I was glad that I paused to take care of myself for a few minutes. Something every professional should do. Everyday. Not just when things get tough.