Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2024

The real difficulty of practicing Discipline

Discipline, often celebrated as the key to success, takes more work to practice consistently, especially when pursuing long-term goals. The struggle lies in the human brain's natural preference for immediate gratification over delayed rewards, a phenomenon rooted in our evolutionary history. In today's world, this challenge is exacerbated by constant distractions, social media, and the fast-paced nature of modern life.                                        For instance, the rise of "dopamine-driven" platforms like TikTok and Instagram provides instant satisfaction, making it harder for individuals to focus on long-term objectives such as fitness, career advancement, or personal growth. The allure of immediate pleasure often overrides the rational understanding that long-term discipline yields better results. The recent phenomenon of “quiet quitting” exemplifies this ...

Sleep improved by working out - Is it a myth?

The idea that exercise enhances sleep is not a myth; it is a well-supported fact backed by scientific research. Regular physical activity has been shown to significantly improve sleep quality and duration.  #SleepHealth #ExerciseBenefits . Exercise helps regulate the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), promote deeper sleep cycles, and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. It also reduces symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnea. One way exercise improves sleep is by reducing stress and anxiety, which can disrupt sleep. Physical activity triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural mood lifters, which help alleviate anxiety and promote a sense of well-being. Additionally, exercise raises the core body temperature, and the subsequent drop in temperature several hours later signals the body that it’s time to sleep. Various studies, including those published in journals like "Sleep Medicine Reviews" and "The American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine," co...

I am Depressed

One day a young married HIV infected person shared with me that she was depressed and wanted to end her life as people around her thought that she was unfaithful to her spouse. The real reason we found out later was that she had undergone multiple surgical procedures in the last 4 years to conceive a baby. Her  Depression was real. The same evening, I met a young working adult who also shared being depressed and wanted to end his life. The reason being his team lead did not like him and spoke sternly to him as he had missed meeting his target consistently for the last 3 days. His Depression was also real.           A little paradoxical as it may sound the reasons may be diverse however the manifestation is real. Being Sad, Unhappy or Depressed especially in young working adults is very a common complaint with phraseology “I am depressed because……… Sometimes the reasons are manageable and sometimes they are not. As a mental health expert,...

The Grass Is Green On The Other Side- Are We Cows!

I felt  kind of strange when I overheard this phrase at an airport where a fellow passenger was giving this advice to someone on the phone that it was better to move on to another job as they were offering a better pay and other benefits like good work life balance. It set me thinking, why we crave for a better condition, better pay, better life style, less stress and more free time to spend with our significant people. Do we really want that or are we doing this because there are herds of people speaking the same, wishing the same, complaining the same, not doing enough to change their present.   Grass (here it refers to work) is of the same color everywhere on this planet (Corporate World), everywhere we would have targets to meet, perform better then the last time , cost less , save more , bring in efficiency. A  Cow in the Indian context is a life saver, because it gives milk and sustains a family. A working   individual to certain extent behaves in a simila...