Talking about mental health to your kids

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I remember the first time that I heard about mental health was long long after I was a grown woman. I knew there was something called depression, but to me, it meant someone who was sad, or always just felt sad, no matter the situation or surroundings. 

Also, to my very limited knowledge at the time, depression meant that the person was a give-up kind of soul, who only saw the negative in life and chose to stay sad.

How naive and how wrong I was! 

But let me also point out that I was not the only one.

Being an 80s kid, I never really heard anything about mental health, anxiety, depression or stress being mentioned in the house. Let me say it out loud - I know my ma has suffered years of mental health issues, especially PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after she lost her first-born, and also battled lifelong stress and other issues such as depression and anxiety (thanks to many things she had to face from our relatives from my father's side). 

We never spoke about it. I was not aware or equipped enough to spot the signs or understand, my parents didn't know how to say it out loud or what to do about it. In fact, growing up as an 80s kid, I know that it was something to be ashamed of.

If you have any form of mental health needs or issues, be quiet, shush, make sure no one else finds out, deal with it, don't be a loser.

Remember? 

Focus on today.

This is the year 2021, and as I am writing this, my daughters are now 13 (grade 9) and 7 (grade 3), and let me just proudly say, they are both, yes I mean both, aware of mental health issues, needs and what to do about it. 

So it was quite a huge surprise, a good one actually, when I heard one of my younger one's teacher (during online school session) talk about mental health. She was discussing issues such as stress and anxiety, as well as depression, and also talking to them about how to spot the signs, what physical effects it can have on the body, what we can do to improve our mental health, how we can spot it in others, how we can help ourselves and others about it and so on.

I was quite happy.

I have already been talking to my daughters about mental health for quite some time now. My older one knows about it and understands ever since she was about 7 or 8 herself. The younger one knows from ever since she too is about 6 or 7. So you see, the conversation at home has always been very open and embracing.

We have spoken and discussed about mental health, and issues such as depression, anxiety and stress in the same way as we have spoken and discussed about physical health issues such as fever, headache, loosies, cold and cough and so on.

What did it do for my girls? It made the conversation normal and something very easy to talk about. 

So today, if they spot someone who is really low, or someone who is showing signs of anxiety or stress, they, especially the elder one, are able to spot it. Even the younger one understands things about depression and talks about how the person can spend some time in fresh air or close to nature, or do something that will distract them. Of course they both have their own ways of looking at ways that people can cope with mental health issues, and I am glad they are so open about it.

They know this is nothing to be ashamed of. That this is as normal as having a fever, and needs as much care and attention as any health issue would.

As a parent, I feel that to get your kids ready for the world and to equip them to take the best care of their overall health, including mental, emotional and physical health, talking about the importance of mental health is crucial.

You don't need to keep on and on about it, but just make it part of normal conversation, as normal as talking of fever, sardi zuqaam (cold and cough) and so on. So that, if ever they feel the need to look for help, or are feeling low and not able to still express it in words, they will see that you understand, and look for ways to cope and get better, on their own, and with your love and understanding.

Especially now, it is important to focus on our mental health. 

I am glad my girls are so open about it. Even if they don't always say it out loud, especially the teenager as she wants to behave like a 'teen' (!!), she knows that ma always knows and understands. We are a team, and we are in this together.

- Debolina Raja  

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And like I always believe in and say: 

'Heal the world we live in 

Save it for our children' - MJ 

 Happy Parenting!!!! 

 Debolina Raja

Losing My Sanity But Keeping It Together

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Come on, all of us are losing it in some way or the other, isn't it?

Of course most of us are really priviledged, I know I am, especially because we have our bellies full, have a cosy and comfortable home, have our loved ones safe, are able to connect with those we need to in some way....so many reasons to feel blessed and thank the universe for keeping us safe and together.

But with all this good going on, I am still losing my sanity massively.

Of course I don't show it all the time, I pretend to be all okay and positive for the girls and try and be with them as much as I can, after endless hours of house chores (no help for at least the next 2 3 months as of now), and try and cheer them up as much as I can.

I know kids are going through their own anxieties too, in these tough times, whether or not they can really put it out in words.

But once evening starts to hit, I can feel the changes in me.

I lose interest in everything.

I want to be left alone.

I don't want to speak a word.

I feel a heaviness in the limbs.

I feel my mind going numb.

I want to disappear.

I want to go away.

I want to sleep and not get up.

I want to curl and lie down.

I don't feel like responding to the girls.

I don't feel like entertaining them in any way.

I just want to be left alone, alone alone, alone. 

I want to disappear.

And I feel guilty later.

But no matter what I feel, it is impossible to completely remove myself from the girls. I don't really want to either.

A lot of this is also because I am not able to go for my daily 10km walks that used to be my release, my peacemaker, my calm, my soothing me time. 

When nothing helps, when I am in a corner, I end up standing at the window in the middle of the night and looking out at the moon, or the clouds and just keep taking in deep breaths.

This helps me to some extent. 

I do feel guilty.

I do tell myself that I am being a failure, a negative influence, and just not being good.

But I know this is normal.

I am human after all, I have ups and downs, I have emotions, I have a beating heart.

So for now, I will stop punishing myself and I will make sure I learn to vent out my emotions instead of bottling it all in as I always am used to.

And yes, it is absolutely normal to feel this way, so what I also make sure that I do is to tell the girls a zillion times each day how much I love them, how special they are and that there is no one I love more than them.

If you feel this way, I send out a tight hug.

Don't beat up yourself, this is absolutely normal. We are all dealing with a lot and it is fine. 

And if you can, please let me know how you deal with this so that I can try it out too. Will help me a lot! 

Take lots of care of yourself and smile, the hug is coming your way!

- Debolina Raja 

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And like I always believe in and say: 

'Heal the world we live in 

Save it for our children' - MJ 

 Happy Parenting!!!! 

 Debolina Raja

So This is what the kids are doing in lockdown, at home!

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Now that you are here, I would just say that I hope and wish you are doing fine, your loved ones are safe and healthy, and that you are able to manage your mental, physical and emotional health the best you can.

Things have changed of course, and I am no different.

As someone who is now working from home, managing the work from and at home, and also fully involved with two kids, it's all about a new kind of lifestyle.

If you have followed any of my posts or other blogs, you may have realized that I travel a lot, and by lot, I mean at least a big road trip every two months, if not more frequently. From that to being in the house, within the apartment since the 10th of March 2020 (today as I write this is this it's the 27th of May 2020) and I've already told the kids that once the lockdown is officially over, we still won't really go out for at least a month or maybe more.

So there.......

A lot of parents are using this time to get the kids involved in a host of activities, including different types of online classes, courses and whatnot. Which is great.

And what are we doing? Well, nothing really.... Yes, nothing :) Or rather, the kids are doing and learning a lot by doing nothing :D

Going against the tide, I realized that while most other parents I know are engaging kids in tons of activities, what with so much time on hand, I actually chose to do just the opposite for them. Give them nothing structured.

And before you take offence, let me just be clear that all of this is my way of doing it, my way of letting my girls connect and refresh and learn. Since they are mine, I do get to say what to teach them, and I respect how other parents are using this time for their kids. Just wanted to clear that out first.

So what are we really doing?

Well, here's what...

A lot of reading, a lot lot lot

No kidding, but my home is about 75 percent books, and books are stacked everywhere, from bookshelves till the ceiling to bookshelves in every room to here and there and everywhere, there is never a space in the house where the kids don't have immediate access to books.

And in our case, it helps, what with me and both my girls being such avid readers, that not finding at least 2 books at a time makes us anxious! Not sure if that is really a good thing or not, but that's how it is.

And with so much reading, there's a lot of learning that automatically follows. So, the younger one at 6 has her own blog that she started, where she has already started reviewing books she loved. She also has very easily transitioned to reading very big words and understanding the meanings of her own, or finding them out on her own by referring to a dictionary. Not bad, and makes things much simpler, and interesting!

A lot of communication

With me, and with each other. This is one of those times when the girls are really talking to each other a lot, understanding about things from different perspectives, just thinking their thoughts out loud, sharing information, the older one who is about to turn a teen teaching so much to the younger one just through their regular 'sister chit-chat' as they call it.

And of course they do it all the time with me too. Lucky me!

Learning to read and write a new language

This time, I have taken it upon myself to teach them how to read and write Bangla. I do speak, read and write bengali, even though the way I speak it is not really always correct, and reading bangla for me takes up a lottt of time, but yes, I am glad my ma took the effort to teach me the language and thanks to that, I have been able to read some really amazing literature in its original language (the translations are simply pathetic I realized long back!!!). So, even though it takes me a hundred years to read bangla, I do.

And now I have started teaching the girls the same and it's going at a snail pace yes, but it's happening. I will share about this in a different post some day. The biggest reason why I want them to try and learn to read and write bangla is of course to be able to read the books, what else ;)

Becoming independent

With so much to handle, of course the girls are trying to help out in their own small bit and see what all they can do without assistance. From cooking to cleaning up to arranging their own clothes and books and cupboards to making their own beds, watering the plants, giving water to plants and all, they are doing it pretty well.

How this will help? It will eventually help them be independent, where they won't really need to rely on anyone else to help out, which is the best way to be, isn't it?

Understanding the concept of earning and saving

Not all chores are done by choice, and sometimes, bribing comes in handy, albeit in different ways ;) So I have set up a system where at the end of the day, I take a look at what all they have done through the day, and depending on the chores, the final result, the willingness and so on, they are given a small amount of money.

This will eventually go in their savings pool for now, which they are free to use up or continue saving. Already they are learning how to calculate how much to earn for a particular something and how much to save up to achieve a target. Not bad either.

Sleeping relaxing resting

It's okay to sleep and relax and be lazy, and sometimes wake up late, or sleep late than the usual bedtime and wake up time that they have been following till now. My younger one has always slept off by 7pm to wake up at 6:30 for school, while the older one has always slept by 9 to wake up by 5:30 for school.

But that's not really needed now, right?

So instead, they do wake up late, they spend more time playing, doing arts and crafts, reading, relaxing, talking and whatever takes up their interest, and then sleep late. And then wake up late. And continue the cycle. And why not? It is important to be rested and relaxed, especially now. Along with other things, mental health is one aspect that everyone needs to be careful about, including for kids. So as long as they are happy, healthy, active and relaxed, I am happy and fine with some lack of routine related to the bedtime.

Lots of art and craft

The girls have always loved arts and crafts very naturally, and it's been a great boon especially now. From canvas painting to creating small art pieces using whatever leftover art supplies they have at home, to making their entire Monopoly Indian edition board game using the cardboard from a washing powder box and re-using paper for making cards to using pista shells as pawns, they did it all on their own.

And I am proud, for I could never have done that. Will share that pic soon one day.

So you see, the not doing anything bit has really been working great for us till now, and the girls are happy. As am I.

Of course there are days when things are tough and there are fights, sulking, tears, but that is natural and how it should be with kids, and with us too, isn't it?

There's always time for routine and discipline and deadlines and more studies and all that chaos we end up filling our lives with, but for now, it's important to let them just breathe. And that's what I am doing with my girls.

Letting them breathe, spread their wings and fly the way they want, even if we are all locked in.

That's the beauty of the imaginary mind after all :)

Take care, stay safe and make sure you take time out to relax too.

Cheers
Debolina Raja

Thank You To The Best Ma In The World, And All The Beautiful Mothers and Carers; Check out these 3 supermoms too!

  

That's me, if you didn't guess already, and that, as always the patient and caring and loving and quiet one, is Ma. She has not changed a bit even today. Ensuring that her world revolves around her children, that she is always there to listen, that she is always there to take care and be present, no matter what we do or want of her.

Always around and ready to be by our side, even when I am engrossed in my routine or moods, and am just being the horrible daughter that I am. But she is always there, and here, the same, not a change, always the same love, that only seems to increase and grow stronger day by day and every minute.

All of me that I owe entirely to her and baba.

One of the first image or name that comes to mind, usually, when we're out and low, and fighting through our own crisis, is 'Ma'. No doubt then that it is true that whether a mother is working in the home, outside, or managing both, or managing life and those around her in her own way, a mother is always the one who is synonymous with both the happy and amazing, as well as the toughest times in our lives.

No doubt then that a mother is definitely one of the strongest breeds we have, and are truly blessed to have.

Amidst all the rush of life, raising kids while establishing and managing a business can be quite a trick, and here are 5 mom entrepreneurs who  are rocking and running highly successful businesses, while being the magician at home too!

And must say, some of these I wasn't really aware of:   

  

Suchi Mukherjee- Founder & CEO, Limeroad  

  

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Before Suchi Mukherjee moved to India and set up e-commerce fashion website LimeRoad, she was involved in scaling up technology businesses in the UK, being at top roles at eBay, Skype, and Gumtree. LimeRoad was the result of an idea the former investment banker had after the birth of her son Aadit, while being on maternity leave. The concept for a women’s online lifestyle platform, where one could access a vast array of amazing products, soon turned into a challenge of turning entrepreneur with two young children to take care of. From leaving behind her few months old son and daughter Myra in London with her husband, and traveling every month to India for 15 days, it was a tough year for the family.  While she knows that there are many ‘mom things’ she misses out trying to be a successful entrepreneur, being a parent, on the other hand, gives her an enormous corpus of learning on dealing with people. 

  

Neha Bagaria,  Founder & CEO, Jobs For Her   

  

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Neha took a 3.6-year break in her career when she had her children. During this personal journey, she became aware of the various difficulties a woman faces in order to re-enter the workforce. This also opened her eyes to the accomplished and qualified women around her who stopped working for personal reasons such as marriage, motherhood or elderly care, and then never returned to the workforce. Neha started delving into the reasons behind this female brain drain and it became clear that there are many re-entry challenges that need to be addressed in India. These range from requiring flexibility, regaining confidence, retraining, overcoming biases and changing mindsets. It made her determined to enable other women to restart their careers and connect them with whatever they require to do so. Hence, she founded JobsForHer on International Women's Day, March 2015, a dedicated career platform to accelerate women’s careers by enabling them to start, restart, and rise in their careers. From women who have never worked before but bring a world of experience to the table from the life experiences they have been managing, to women who took a break to look after their families, to women who are driven, ambitious, and focused on rising in their careers, JobsForHer is the only platform in India that is committed to their professional success, no matter their life stage.

Rupali Ambegaonkar,CEO, TCW Tea Pvt ltd  

  

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Rupali gave up her flourishing career in the medical profession when she had a daughter. After being a homemaker for five years, she got motivated to start something on her own during her sabbatical. That was when she came up with the idea of the Tea Culture of the World. TCW Pvt Ltd is a contemporary tea brand that brings the exotic and finest whole leaf tea blends from India and around the world. Today, TCW Tea Pvt Ltd has a presence in over 200 stores across top retailers and an ever-growing loyal customer base. Dr. Rupali aims to grow her business in India and overseas.Rupali sacrificed her profession to beget her passion. For taking risks and being a gutsy mom, Rupali Ambegaonkar takes the fourth place in our Mothers’ Day mom entrepreneurs of India list . 

  

One of the toughest and least appreciated roles in the world, it's tough being a mother yes, it comes with its amazing rewards yes, and each day, a mother is not just teaching and imparting values and learning, she is also contributing a large percentage of overall growth to our society, today, and for all the tomorrows to come.

To all mommies out there, to all caregivers, to anyone who is in a caring capacity, whether a mommy or otherwise, I share a big thank you, and a big big hug and a resounding applaud. You're amazing!   

- Debolina Raja

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

 Happy Parenting!!!!

 Debolina Raja

Lockdown with kids at home: Some favourite kids' movies to enjoy on Disney+ Hotstar

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For some time now, I've been going out of my mind trying to figure out how to creatively and smartly make the most of the screen time that has come upon us all with the situation we are in. It's important we all stay home, stay safe and spend the time in ways that won't end up having a negative impact in the long run.

Screen time is one of those things that can be a boon, or turn into a culprit really. If you've got kids at home and want to make them utilize their screen time in safe ways, without the risk of inappropriate content popping up, then you can definitely take a look at the kiddie content on Disney+ Hotstar. 

Disney+ Hotstar has ensured that it becomes the hotspot for children, with its range of kids-safe content

With kids at home for quite some time now and a couple more months to go at least, I am sure there are a lot of interesting ways that parents are trying out to help their little ones make the most of this unexpected break. But sometimes, screen time is something we just can't escape, and why not? 

Why Disney+ Hotstar?

• As long as there is something good in the content that your kids can take away from, I think Disney as a brand is something we all are usually fond of, and feel safe and comfortable with.
• Recently, as Disney took over Hotstar and launched Disney+ Hotstar, some of the most engaging titles for children have been added to the collection to keep young minds hooked and happy.
• The good thing is that you can watch these in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu if you are a Disney+ Hotstar VIP user. You can watch these in English if you are a Disney+ Hotstar Premium user. 
• As a parent or primary caregiver, you can navigate through the kids-safe mode to access age-appropriate content and keep a tab on what the child is viewing – stress-free!

Some must-watch shows and movies for kids on Disney+ Hotstar VIP in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu

Frozen II

Why was Elsa born with magical powers? The answer is calling her and threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven, she’ll set out on a dangerous but remarkable journey.

Up

Balloon salesman, Carl Fredricksen is about to fulfil a lifelong dream of tying thousands of balloons to his house and fly away to the South American wilderness. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip.

Wall E

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, the robot WALL-E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named Eve.

Wreck-it Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet

Video game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz navigate the vast and dynamic world wide web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope’s game, Sugar Rush.

Cars

A hotshot race-car named Lightning McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family

The Lion King

In this reimagining of a classic, The Lion King journeys to the African savanna where a young prince overcomes betrayal and tragedy to assume his rightful place on Pride Rock.

As a parent, please use your own guidelines on what you want your kids to watch and for how long. And don't stress too much mommies and daddies, or the lovely carers. Use this time to be with your young ones and enjoy their love and innocence. 

Sit down together for a family time of going through these beautiful classics and let all the stress melt away :) 

 - Debolina Raja 

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

 Happy Parenting!!!!

- Debolina Raja

At Home With Kids? Check Out These Free Educational Resources for Kids 2-12 from Plus-Plus

As parents, a lot of us are finding ourselves in the new role of primary teachers, especially as children are home and schools and learning institutes are closed.

Here's a great resource that could help kids stay engaged, have fun and learn at the same time is this resource called Plus-Plus! They have a lot of free activities that can help parents make kids stay engaged during this new “stay-at-home” life and teach them valuable lessons without the use of screens:

• Educational web page just launched. Here, you will find printable activity sheets for counting, measuring, and more! There are also lots of instructions on how to build letters, numbers and more with your Plus-Plus pieces.
• App - You can get it in the App Store, Google Play, and in a web-version. Older kids can learn how to build characters, from animals to robots, and toddlers will learn the alphabet, counting, and more!

Plus-Plus 100 Piece Basic Set

• BIG 100 piece set - Basic Colors, including Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Purple and more.
• One simple shape produces endless possibilities - assemble them flat to create a 2-D mosaic or work in 3-D to make more complicated structures. Even curves are possible thanks to the unique design of this deceptively simple shape!
• This BIG size is especially well-suited for preschools and other early learning environments. 
• Ages 18 months up
• On Plus-Plus.us and Amazon 

Plus-Plus 70 Piece Neon Open Play Tube

• 70+ pieces in a reusable, travel-friendly container.
• Vibrant colors will show off kids' creative flat mosaic or 3D designs, as well as stimulate their innovative talents.
• Whether for young kids, tweens or 'kidults', everyone will love using their imaginations with Plus-Plus Tube mixes. 
• Ages 5+
• Available on Plus-Plus.us and Amazon

These resources can be a great way to let your kids have fun while learning and keeping their brains stimulated. Do check it out :)


- Debolina Raja

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

 Happy Parenting!!!!

- Debolina Raja

Chosen As A Top Indian Blogger in 2020 by Edarabia

Award Credits

Wow, and just out of all that gloom around, I suddenly get this sweet news of being chosen as one of the top 20 Indian bloggers for the year 2020.

That when I have almost stopped blogging and rarely do it anymore.

Well, thanks a lot for considering me Edarabia :)

You can check out all the amazing top bloggers right here.

And wherever you are, please be safe, and take care of yourself and your loved ones around you.

Be safe.

- Debolina Raja


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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

Happy Parenting!!!!

- Debolina Raja

Of Course I Get Angry, And Here's How I Fight My Inner Demons

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And so ends the day with my mandatory walk, though today got cut down to 6km instead of 10km as work calls.. and now, its time to get back to some water, not for the challenge, but just for hydration :) #nightwalk #lovewalking #tryingtobefit #me #exercise #refreshed #happy

A post shared by Debolina Raja (@debolinaraja) on Aug 27, 2019 at 9:10am PDT

I'm just another regular human after all, so how can I not get angry? Of course I do, and for those who never realized, I'm one of those extremely short-tempered ones, whose anger can get triggered off by the smallest of things.

There's a reason a lot of people don't know that about me, and that's because I have made a really difficult but big effort to control my temper, and channel it out in a different space.

In the context of this blog, my temper would hit the roof every day, hundreds of times, especially after the second one, as the poor thing was suffering from massive colic pains. And, at the cost of sounding like an insensitive woman, I must admit that I was not at all equipped to handle that. I did have some support at home, but let's just say that things were very difficult, the expectations were too high to be able to match when I too was healing and even as I hated the person I saw in the mirror each day. Too many demons and insecurities were pulling me apart, and it wasn't a time I was proud of.

Then one day, I did something I still haven't forgiven myself for - I let my younger one cry it out, even as I sat and got angry. Ashamed about my behaviour to this day of course.

Till then, I had never really felt the anger in me come out so bad, and in a way that could touch someone who was helpless in the face of it.

I swore to myself that this would be the end of my anger getting the best of me. Of course it isn't magic, I can't stop being angry just like that, but I could definitely manage how it came out and how I reacted.

So what did I do that was so different that helped me then, and helps me even now to better manage my temper and make sure it doesn't affect the girls?

The first step I took was to head out for a walk....
You may call me an escapist, and I guess I am, for I am one of those who just does not like confrontations and will do anything to avoid it all costs. Also, I know that when I am upset or angry, I am at my worst with words, and words pour out that I have no control over. Not the best scenario to defuse the situation then.
So, the next best thing that I could do was to instead head out for a walk.

And maybe, that was what started out my journey towards better health. Each time I would feel that anger coming on, could be due to anyone or any reason, I would try and plug in my playlist and head out for a walk.

There's something just so magical about the free air around me, especially at night, with the moon shining it's silver on me, that makes me feel comforted, loved, understood and embraced. And when you feel all of these, it's a little difficult to stay angry for too long.

In the start, I would spend about 20 to 30 minutes walking, sometimes fast, then slow, then fast again, till I could feel myself getting drained, and the anger draining off with the sweat. By the time I would come back home, the anger would be gone and I would be myself again.

Gradually, this became a habit - not the anger I mean, but the walk! :)

And there I was, someone who couldn't walk even a kilometre without really getting breathless, to walking up to 4 or 5 kilometres with ease.

Today, I walk 10 kms each night, without stopping for a break or water, and usually complete it withing an hour and a half....

The next step - being honest about my feelings
We all think it's easy to fool our little ones, that they won't know, that we are the grown-ups, the smarter ones.
But did you ever give this a thought - what if they always realize what's going on, what we are up to, and just because they don't show it, we end up believing they don't understand anything, and in the process, make a fool of ourselves instead.... ever thought about it?

Our little ones are way smarter than us, and than we were at their age. Sounds like bachpan mein suni hui baat, at least to me it does, but I know it's true in my case. For instance, I still struggle with the many Google documents I have to work on, while the kids find it easy. I am a dumbo at all gadget related things, while for kids, these are toys!!!!

So, one thing I was sure of was that no matter what, if I tell my children to be honest and true to themselves and to others, I too had to be just the same. And that honesty also means being honest about my feelings, about telling them when I am upset or angry and need some space or time to cool off.

And it's fine, trust me. Rather than blasting out at them, directing your anger at someone who does not deserve that treatment, you simply ask for a little time out. If nothing else works, I go inside the bathroom, close the door, and splash my face or head with cool water. Always works for me. And while I'm there, I sometimes also add a dash of lipstick to cheer myself up :) what's the harm ;)

Fighting my inner demons without damaging anyone else is a constant work in progress. I am still at that stage where I have to learn a lot, I have to deal with a lot of issues that haven't been the best, and that I know will keep stressing me out.

But hey, one life, one beautiful lovely life, and definitely not worth it giving it all up to anger. So, while for me, anger is a real and recurring feeling, there's a lot of positive ways to bid adieu to it too......

For all your anger moments, I am already sending out a lot of hugs and positive vibes for whenever you need them.... smile more, love yourself a little more, and tell yourself you are special, coz you are.... and yes, tell it more often to those around you too, who are your world :)

Love....

- Debolina Raja

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

 Happy Parenting!!!!

- Debolina Raja