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10 Ideas to Improve the Health and Wellness of Your Employees

Discover the best ways to promote health and wellness among employees with these expert tips on improving productivity, engagement, and wellbeing at the workplace.

Emotional Cues to Look For When Hiring an Employee

Smart employers look for more than a great resume; they look at emotional intelligence. Here are 12 cues you should be looking at when interviewing a candidate.

What is ‘Pandemic Brain’ and How Has it Affected Workers?

Learn about ‘pandemic brain’ and its impact on corporate workers. Manah discusses how the pandemic brain is affecting the mental and physical health of employees.

Managing Introverted and Shy Employees at the Workplace

Leaders sometimes have the wrong idea about managing introverted employees. Here’s what you should know about dealing with introverts in the workplace.

The Top Physical Symptoms of Work Stress and How to Deal with Them

Work Stress: Causes, Physical Symptoms and Management

How to Stop Using Alcohol to Deal with Work Pressure

Stress is a regular part of any work environment. However, reaching for alcohol is not the way to tackle stress. Read on to find out how to manage this problem.

Tips To Avoid Distractions at Work and Stay Focused on "The Moment"

Looking for ways to stay focused on avoid distractions and get stuff done at work? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

A Guide to Improving Employee Satisfaction in 2022

Learning how to improve employee satisfaction is crucial in a time when workers are quitting more than ever before. Let’s see some great ways to do that

How to Get Employees to Participate in Wellbeing Initiatives

Low participation and utilisation is the bane of workplace wellbeing initiatives. Use these strategies to fix this problem for good.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Tips for Employees: Self Care Hacks

Are the daily stresses of work wearing you down? Follow these mental health self-care tips to bounce back!

How to Encourage Your Team to Stay Healthy through Another Grueling Summer

Summer can be an energy drain for busy office workers. Here are some workplace wellness tips for summer that you can share with your colleagues.

How to be a Good Mentor at Work

Are you looking for ways to be a good mentor to someone at work? Here are some easy stepwise tips to follow.

Check Out Manah’s April Blog Round-up!

A compilation of all the workplace wellbeing content you enjoyed in the past month.

Tips For Working Moms to Have Better Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance may seem a distant dream for many working moms. Here are some tips that may help!

How to Lead in the Age of Employee Activism

Responding to employee activism at the workplace is not an easy task for any business leader. Here are some ideas on how to avoid common leadership pitfalls.

How to Deal with a Professional Setback

Dealing with setbacks at work can be one of the most difficult things to experience and can also have a negative effect on personal and professional life.

10 Personal Productivity Hacks for Busy Office Workers

Taking a strategic view of your productivity can help you get more done. Get started by implementing these simple productivity hacks.

Why Being Polite in the Workplace is Underrated (and Misunderstood)

We'd like to think that efficiency is more important than politeness, but the fact is that this lost art should be trending now more than ever.

How to Run a Successful Anti-Addiction Campaign at Your Workplace

Employers need to acknowledge addiction as a workplace health risk and support employees dealing with it. Here’s a guide.

Why Employees Resign, and Retention Tips To Hold Them Back

High staff turnover is a major cost for organisations and can also lead to continuity and motivation issues for those staying back. Use these tips to stem employee resignations and hold back your valued employees.

Simple Steps to Find Purpose In Your Existing Job

Finding your purpose at work makes you more committed and excited and improves your performance. Learn how you can find purpose in your current job.

PTSD in the Workplace: How to Support Someone Dealing with It

Workplace PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder is lesser-known, but it does exist. Here’s how to recognise the symptoms of PTSD at work and support those in need.

Improve Your Workplace Culture With These 10 Tips and Ideas

The best ideas for improving workplace culture. Manah shares the 10 best tips for improving organisational work culture in companies.

Entrepreneur Mental Health: Tips and Advice for Startup Founders

Entrepreneurs are a highly stressed group. Here are some wellbeing tips for founders who are low on time for self-care.

Supporting Maternal Mental Health and Wellbeing

The Manah Wellness team recently underwent training on how to support pregnant women and new mothers in their emotional journey

10 Workplace Wellness and Fitness Competition Ideas For 2022

Workplace wellness challenges are all the rage. But if you’re wondering how to begin your first challenge, here are some ideas to get you started.

5 Principles of Providing Emotional First Aid at the Workplace

Follow these ‘emotional first aid’ principles to reach out to a distressed co-worker and sensitively guide him or her towards the appropriate channels for getting mental health support

How Entrepreneurs Can Identify And Overcome Anxiety: 10 Actionable Tips

Learn how to overcome anxiety and fear. Manah shares 10 practical tips for entrepreneurs to fight anxiety and improve mental health.

How to Groom Future Leaders for Your Organisation

Developing the next generation of leaders should be an ongoing activity. Here’s how to build a pipeline of capable leaders at your firm

10 Tips to Eliminate Workplace Misconduct

Workplace misconduct, if left unchecked, can cost organisations money and their reputation. Follow these strategies to prevent and address workplace misconduct

Check Out Manah’s March Blog Round-up!

A quick glance at all the stories we published during the month of March.

Improving Internal Communication at Workplace: A How-to Guide for Employers

Workplaces thrive on smooth and constant communication, and organisations that recognise this fact can break silo-isation and enable teams to work collaboratively and cohesively. Use these tips to improve internal communication at your business.

How to Address the Common Signs of Job Dissatisfaction among Employees

Here are the common symptoms and root causes of job dissatisfaction and some solutions for meaningfully addressing them to improve job satisfaction at your workplace.

How to Say Goodbye to an Employee Leaving the Company

When a valued employee decides to leave the organisation, it’s important for the manager and team to bid them farewell the right way. Here are some tips.

Should Your Company Offer ‘Unlimited Paid Time Off’ to Employees?

Here’s a look at the pros and cons of unlimited paid time off – one of the latest trends sweeping the modern workplace.

How to replace workplace negativity with positivity

Negativity can arise due to job dissatisfaction, a lack of appreciation, or simply basic indifference to your colleagues. Here are the common signs of workplace negativity and some ways to build a culture of positivity.

8 Workplace Wellness Initiatives You Can Launch in 2022: Download the Free Guide!

Download this free HR guide that will help you map out and plan your business's workplace wellbeing strategy for 2022.

Employee Retention Strategies to Lower Attrition in 2022

Tracking the workforce attrition rate is an important part of employee retention. However, ‘attrition’ is different from ‘turnover’, and companies need to learn the difference

Virtual Employee Engagement Activities and Ideas for 2022

Use these simple strategies to get your remote staff more mentally and emotionally connected to their work and workplace.

How to Track Employee Performance: An Expert HR Guide

Your organisation’s performance management system is closely linked to your employees’ satisfaction and engagement levels. Here’s how to get it right.

How to Build an Ethical Workplace

Strong ethics are key to becoming a profitable brand and sought-after employer. Read on to know how to drive home the importance of business ethics at your workplace.

Common Myths about Work-life Balance

The benefits of work-life balance are often extolled. However, the concept itself is quite subjective. Here are some of the common myths about work-life balance.

Workplace Bullying: Definition, Causes, and Remedies

Common reasons for workplace bullying, and how you can deal with it.

Check These Unconscious Biases to Become a More Efficient Decision-Maker

The decisions we take at work are often influenced by our perceptions of others and the world around us. Here’s how to take more mature decisions by eliminating unconscious bias in the workplace.

Check Out Manah’s February Blog Round-up!

A glimpse of our employee wellbeing content from the month of February.

Is a 4-day workweek good for employee wellbeing?

The 4-day workweek could, one day, become a common standard within different industries and countries. But how would it impact employee wellbeing and productivity?

The Top 10 Signs of Bad Managers

Being a bad manager isn’t ONLY about being temperamental or a bully. Here are 10 signs that betray bad managerial qualities.

Performance Anxiety at Work: Meaning, Causes and Treatments

Here’s how you can deal with performance anxiety at work by understanding the triggers and responding appropriately.

Workplace Violence and How to Prevent It

Violence at the workplace can take many forms: bullying, harassment, theft, or abuse. Here’s how to identify, prevent, and mitigate workplace violence at all levels.

11 People Management Skills Every Manager Should Master in 2022

Make the transition from manager to leader by cultivating people management skills related to communication, patience, trust, respect, openness to feedback, and more.

Manah Team Completes Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention

Gatekeepers play a valuable role in preventing deaths by suicides by providing timely and appropriate counsel and action.

Self-compassion: Basics and Best Practices

Most of us believe in being kind to others. Why, then, are we so critical of ourselves? Here are the advantages of practicing self-compassion.

Mastery and autonomy: A Beginner’s Guide

Having the independence to live according to your own standards is associated with greater happiness, emotional wellbeing, and overall life satisfaction. Here’s how to achieve greater mastery and autonomy in your life.

Wellbeing: Basics and Best Practices

Use this simple, actionable guide to find out your current state of wellbeing and be at your best every day.

Stress: Beginner’s Guide and FAQs

Sustained stress over a prolonged period of time can lead to various health issues and psychological disorders. Here are some easy ways to manage stress in your life.

Mindfulness: Myths, FAQs, and more

Read on to find out how mindfulness reduces stress, improves clarity and memory, and has all-round benefits for your health and relationships

Mental Balance: Aspects, Barriers, and More

Just as balance is vital in other aspects of wellbeing – like our diets, our work, and our relationships – mental balance is also a key determinant of our wellbeing

Happiness: A Quick How-to Guide

Check out this easy guide on how to invite genuine and lasting happiness into your life.

10 In-Office Games for Team Building

Team-building can be easy if you know how to go about it. One way is to create in-office games that everyone can participate in.

How to Keep Your Employees Happy and Engaged: Detailed Guide

Studies show that engaged employees tend to be more productive and loyal and go the extra mile for their employers. Here’s a simple guide to improve the engagement levels of your workforce.

10 Work-Life Balance Tips Managers Can Use to Improve Their Mental Health

Use these simple tips to maximise your me-time as well as your peace of mind!

What is Quality in Mental Healthcare?

Organisations are becoming more quality-conscious about the mental healthcare services they pay for. Here’s how Manah Wellness has kept quality at the forefront of its services from day one by ensuring dignity, confidentiality and accessibility at every step.

10 Ideas to Promote Safety in the Workplace

The pandemic has made physical safety our number one priority at work, but many other threats are less evident. Here are some tips you can follow to improve the physical and emotional safety of your workplace.

How to Find the Right Mentor and Work With Them for Best Results

Always wanted a mentor but didn’t know where to start? Here’s an easy guide to find and retain a mentor who can help you achieve your professional growth goals.

Free Office Reopening Checklist for HR Managers: Download Now

Download a free office reopening checklist that covers everything you should know before getting your colleagues back to work. Exclusively curated by Manah Wellness.

How to Give Feedback to Employees for Triggering Change

Managers are required to give their teams feedback. But in order to work, feedback might be consistent, considerate and forward-looking. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Manah Wellness Trains 100 Wellbeing Ambassadors and Champions to Support Workplace Mental Health

The 100 Wellbeing Ambassadors and Champions have been trained for Manah Wellness’s clients across India and Southeast Asia.

How to Build a Positive Workplace Culture

A culture of positivity at the workplace fosters an environment of empathy, collaboration and creativity. The driving force behind it is putting your employees first!

The Dangers of Hustle Culture for Workplace Health

Hustle culture is a creeping danger to workplace wellbeing. Here are some tips to help employees and leaders identify whether they are becoming victims of toxic hustle culture.

How to Improve Teamwork at the Workplace: 2022 Guide

Strong teamwork skills are essential for organisations to ensure high productivity, engagement and loyalty. Here’s an easy guide to get your team on the same page in 2022.

9 Employee Motivation Strategies and Rewards to Win 2022

High levels of employee motivation result in more creative and productive teams. Here are some strategies managers can use to keep team morale high in 2022.

How Would You Rate Your Workplace Negotiation Skills?

Regardless of your title or role, having strong workplace negotiation skills can come in handy. Read on for some pointers.

Signs Your Future Employer May Have a Toxic Workplace

Watch out for these warning signs during the interview process to avoid inadvertently becoming part of a toxic work environment.

Why Good Leaders Take Good Care of Themselves

These emotional and physical wellbeing tips for leaders will help them function at their optimal best by transforming their self-care routine.

Warning Signs of Poor Mental Health and What to Do About Them

Use these simple and effective techniques to take better care of your mental health.

5 Simple but Relaxing Hobbies for Remote Workers

Try out some of these hobbies to banish the work-from-home blues and feel healthier, happier, and more creative.

How To Prevent Work Stress From Affecting Your Family and Relationships

Try out these work stress management tips for better work-life balance.

Should you disclose your mental health issues to your employer?

The content of our thoughts and the working of our minds are our deepest secrets. But what if a health condition or illness impacts your productivity, focus levels or relationships at work? In that case, speaking to a boss or colleague might be the best thing to do. Just keep

7 Tips for Implementing Your Corporate Wellbeing Strategy

Use these tips to design and implement the optimal workplace wellbeing strategy.

“The Pandemic Is an Opportunity to Be a More Humane Leader”

In conversation with Mohana MD, Head HR, Standard Chartered Bangalore Hub, GBS

Social, Mental, and Emotional Skills that Make You Indispensable to Your Employer

Emotional skills are critical if you want to stay productive in today's fast-paced workplace.

Self-care Lessons from the World’s Top CEOs

Learn the secrets that help top leaders solve problems and increase their focus.

Budget-friendly Ways to Invest in Your Team’s Health

Implementing workplace health initiatives does not always require deep pockets. Here are some ways to fix work culture and improve team health and wellbeing on a limited budget.

Virtual Onboarding Best Practices to Make New Hires Feel Welcome

Use these virtual onboarding tips and ideas to absorb your new remotely-located employees seamlessly and efficiently.

How to Unlock the Benefits of Mindfulness at Work

Get more work done and tap into your energy and efficiency reserves with these mindfulness and meditation techniques.

Dealing With an Emotional Breakdown at Work

How to identify the signs of a breakdown, and what to do about it

The 15 Qualities Of Good Managers

These skill-sets are important for leaders in any domain or sphere of life.

10 Fun Employee Engagement Activities and Ideas: 2022 Edition

Do you want to transform the work culture of your organisation in 2022? We bring you ten fun and interesting ways to do just that.

Leadership and the Art of Dealing With Stress

Being a leader is tough. Here are some strategies to manage stress.

How to Improve Team Morale and Bonding in the Hybrid Workplace

Strategies to improve workplace connection, engagement, loyalty, and collaboration among your distributed employees.

5 Things to Keep in Mind as Companies Get Back to Office

Here are some post-COVID-19 office reopening guidelines and tips to keep in mind as your organisation transitions back to a physical or hybrid workplace.

Simple and Effective Yoga Poses You Can Do at Your Desk

Beat stress and burnout with these highly effective desk yoga poses for office workers and students that combine exercise, breathing, and meditation techniques.

4 Tips to Improve your Communication Game at Work

Facing difficulty communicating at work? Here are some tips for you.

Workplace Stress and Depression: Signs, Causes, and Management

A guide to how workplace stress starts and builds up, and how you can address it before it get worse.

The Importance of Psychological Safety at Work

When organisations allow employees to bring their real selves to work every day, it improves productivity, creativity, and workplace culture and mental health, among other benefits.

The Definitive Guide to Employee Wellbeing

Dos And Don’ts for Dealing with a Colleague With a Mental Health Condition

Offering understanding, flexibility, and support can go a long way in helping the person effectively manage or even overcome their mental health issue.

How to Send the Right Workplace Wellness Message to Your Team

Hint: be approachable, listen closely, communicate clearly.

4 Signs of Deteriorating Mental Health in Your Employees and Teams

Want to help your employees? Look out for these signs.

How to Handle the Emotional Fallout of a Failed or Failing Venture

'Bouncing back' is easier said than done. Here's what to do.

How To Practice Kindness at Work

The Three Tenets of Kindness at Work

How to Prevent Work Disagreements from Turning into Conflicts

We walk you through some conflict management techniques that will help you as a leader or manager.

The Subtle Ways in Which Work-From-Home Culture Can Drain Your Emotional Health

Is your emotional health deteriorating due to work-from-home culture? Here are some suggestions to keep tabs on your emotional health.

A Great Pre-work Morning Routine to Kickstart Your Day

Many of us take our morning routine for granted. We wake up filled with boundless reserves of energy and positivity. But then, we pick up our smartphones and slide down some or the other rabbit hole, swiping and scrolling away the precious minutes that follow. Ultimately, you end up running

Experts and Influencers On How Mental Healthcare Access in India Can Become Fairer

Mental healthcare in India is broken. Here are some ideas that could fix it

The Importance of Humane Leadership in the Post-COVID Workplace

On World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2021, Manah Wellness is bringing together experts to discuss how inequalities in mental healthcare access can be corrected. Register for the free event here: http://www.manahwellness.com/wmhd The need for humane leadership has become paramount in 2022 due to COVID-19 forced

Why do Minorities Experience Higher Stress at Work?

On World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2021, Manah Wellness is bringing together experts to discuss how inequalities in mental healthcare access can be corrected. Register for the free event here: http://www.manahwellness.com/wmhd Many employers pride themselves on their commitment to diversity and inclusion. But workplaces are

Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Leaders

The COVID 19 pandemic was a wake-up call for leaders. Here are some key lessons from the COVID 19 pandemic that you need to take note of.

Productivity Tips and Hacks for Working Effectively from Home

The tools and techniques for enhancing work from home productivity have never been discussed as widely as they are today. Mandatory work-from-home rules have introduced us to all kinds of distractions and concentration-sappers. From sore backs caused by uncomfortable chairs to the constant seduction of Netflix, we’re surrounded by

Combating Anxieties over the Newly-Reopened Workplace

Office re-openings might stoke anxiety in employees returning to the office, as they contemplate the risks of using public transport and sharing desks, canteens or restrooms with other workers. Here’s how employers can allay those fears and help people transition safely back to work.

Bicycling: On Tomorrows

A purple ribbon fell to the ground. I watched a child topple over from their tricycle. Before I could reach out, their parent walked over to help them get off the ground. The child began looking at their bruised elbows, dejected. One of the wheels of the tricycle spun to

Rewriting our headlines

I have observed that a warm drink and the newspaper is a morning ritual in many households. I skim through the headlines as reading on my phone has grown on me. Last year's headlines could not have been imagined. As these papers are archived, I wonder how the children of

Being Enough

I look around me as the team goes over their introductions. I begin to notice institutes, grades, internships, faces, and the people fade into the background. I check in with myself to understand the way I feel. I notice a sense of enough-hood crop up. Enough-hood, I think about the

Nightmares

Do you have nightmares? I am not talking about dreams, a nightmare is the evil twin that wakes you up at 3 am. Dreams are usually pleasant, even silly on some occasions. Nightmares make kids scream, and adults weep. I have had nightmares since I was a little kid. It

Inward Love: A to-do list trick

Square boxes and a task listed on its side. I look down at my phone and brace myself for the day that follows. I hold a gentle space for how I feel overwhelmed at the tasks ahead. I try to invite curiosity for today, curiosity allows me to feel the

Band Aid

Joe washed the onions and started chopping them at his usual rapid pace. He kept stealing glances at the TV in the corner. Chef Marco was explaining what went into making a delectable stew. Joe wanted to make sure everything tasted perfect, these were important guests after all. The phone

On Teachers and Mentors: Beyond the Classroom

Teacher's Day, a reminder blinks on my phone. I spend a few moments reflecting on how we would celebrate our teachers in school, with acts of gratitude. We curated plays, poems and worked on handmade cards. The essence being, 'Thank you for this, this classroom and all that you do

Loving: In Simple Recognition

The most moving message I have received from someone reads, "Thank you for existing. Sending you love today." I noticed how I am mindful of expressing gratitude when I receive acts of love and kindness. This message stunned in its simple expression of "I love you for being. You do

Growth requires Stillness

I carefully place seeds in a pot of soil, leaving it by the window sill. I look at the pot for the days that follow and notice how I can only see earthy soil. No visible signs of growth or sprouting. I recall vividly how my 6th-grade science teacher spoke

Kites: Shaking and Vulnerability

She pulled at the kite, shook it, and then leaned back. The kite sprawled out against the cottony sky fluttered in the wind and found a smooth breeze to sail on. I write this piece as I look through my journals describing a mental picture of a teenager flying kites

Whole Days

Antara: Have a nice day, Eli! E: Have a day, A! A chuckles. A: An odd way to phrase it, don’t you think E? E: Maybe I want you to be okay with your day, even if it isn’t as ‘nice’? A: That’s an interesting proposition. E:

If it ain't broke....

Joe walked into the bar and headed to the cashier. Only two tables were occupied. A month ago, by this time, the place would be full. John was waiting for him near the cashier desk. John-“You are late, and your restaurant is empty, care to explain?” Joe-“I have

Don't Clip My Wings

To clip one’s wings means restricting one’s freedom, power, or full potential. A reference to the practice of clipping a bird’s wings to prevent it from flying. It’s unfortunate that more often than not, the people who are closest to us are the ones who end

Kinder Conversations with our Bodies

Cara asks her Dad. C: Would you be thin, if you could, Dad? C gently nudges at his belly. D looks at his toddler and wonders how to approach this conversation. D: Do you like your body, C? C looks down at her clothes. C looks up at Dad: I

Take Me To Church

Do you believe in God? Do you believe there is a supreme entity at the center of the universe that connects everything? Irrespective of what your answer and beliefs are, the impact that religion and spirituality have on our day to day lives can’t be overlooked. Religion and science

Plant Parenting: Communities Matter

Yellowing leaves are not a great sign, I was never great with plants and an honest confession to the internet will not change that, unfortunately. I look at my plants on the window sill and my heart goes out to them. I named them, I tried to nourish them, rattled

Lemon Juice: On Loving

A jug full of lemon juice. I grew up being greeted with lemon juice after hot school days. Pondicherry, a coastal town made for unusually warm summers and winter days were lukewarm. I always looked at the jug on the table and wondered how much was left, how many glasses

Meeting Ourselves: How do I feel now?

I begin this by acknowledging that all of us may share a different relationship with yoga or any form of exercise. Our bodies may allow for a certain range of movement, and we are allowed to respect, offer kindness to our bodies, in all their capacities. I am acutely aware

On Groups: Valuing Ourselves

For those of us who watched movies set in schools and colleges, we learnt of groups and the cliches that come with them, early on. A group sometimes has a shared identity. It could be their interest in sports, environment, policy, or any niche that presents itself. I think about

Bodies: Through the Other

“This does not fit!” I gasp in horror at how clothes that perfectly fit a few months, seem to have shrunk. ‘Shrunk’, I wrap my arms over my body and wonder. I found myself reluctantly trying on a larger one and my face contorted with worry. I wonder how I

Sour Grapes

I remember reading this story about a fox who tries to eat grapes from a vine but can’t reach them. He walks away, proclaiming that ‘the grapes are sour’. The moral of the story is that we often hate what we can’t have. Foxes are supposed to be

Conversations through Masks

Muffled words echo through them. I try to listen, and politely ask them to repeat themselves a little louder. A few years ago, if you had told me I would have to listen to people wearing masks throughout the day, I would have laughed. I recall working with mice at

Occam's Razor

Occam’s Razor- An injunction not to make more assumptions than you absolutely need/ the simplest explanation is usually the best one. Joe works as an accountant with an MNC. For the last six months, maintaining a healthy work/life balance has become a difficult affair for him. As a

Homes: Piecing Together Parts

Hostel rooms, dorms, paying guest accommodations, elicit an odd sense of nostalgia. Having walked into, stayed with, spent months in and been invited to all of these places, I am struck at how each room or flat I walk into is nothing like another. The room with posters, walls with

Intersectionality: We Are Many

White sheet of paper, I sit down and look at it. I begin to think about how so much of life is constructed and sometimes, shaped out by my identity. Parts of my identity, I had the privilege to construct, to choose and parts were lent to me. I draw

Four Simple and Effective Wellbeing Initiatives for Employees Any Company Can Adopt

Last week, we worked with the leadership of FMC (APAC Region) to curate a conversation around emotional health at workplace and how leaders can build emotionally healthy workplaces. FMC is an agricultural sciences company with operations in over 50 countries, and about 40% of employees are in the APAC region.

Physical Health versus Mental Health

‘A stitch in time saves nine’. It has taken some decades for people to let this wisdom sink as far as their health is concerned. Till 1960s and 70s, fitness was not a popular and common term. Having a healthy weight, a functioning life with no ailment was a matter

Hakuna Matata

Hakuna Matata is a phrase in Swahili.  It literally translates to ‘no worries’ or ‘there are no troubles’. Timon and Pumba are two characters in the Disney epic, The Lion King. They have adopted this phrase as their life philosophy and are not concerned with anything that’s happening around

Sherbet Lemon

How many meals do you have in a day? 2, 3, 4? All of that’s normal. Some people even have 5 meals in a day. As long as you are doing some physical activity and your calorie count doesn’t exceed requisite level, you’ll be healthy. But what

Reality vs Wonderland

“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality” -The Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland) While I was growing up, I didn’t like my reality. So I opted to stay in a wonderland of my own creation. My musings distracted me from all that was going on around

Memory

The average human mind has the capacity to store up to 2.5 million GB of data. The irony is that more often than not it chooses to save embarrassing moments where we are making a fool of ourselves. The lecture you attended gets deleted and the incident outside of

Paths and Possibilities

People in rectangles. A newlywed couple, baby wraps, first days at school, defending a Ph.D. thesis, cooking a meal for the first time, vehicle’s birthday, a cat snuggled up, aging parents in the glow of their anniversary cake, celebrating oneself, a day off, an after-therapy selfie, the view

The Light Bulb Moments

It was the time of 'Month End' and all the cubicles in the Finance Centre were buzzing with activity.  We were just a couple of months into managing the financial process on our own, post the transition to our Center.   The Month End close would determine how we performed during

Fitness; a lifestyle

''Do your squats!" "Run those miles" "Lift that weight" ‌‌Yeah, that's some workout hype right there. Its definitely cool and exciting to have these fitness victories. What's more? Fitness isn't limited to great shape, instead its how much strength the body gains. ‌‌When the pandemic started, life seemed like it

The Devil's Workshop

You must have heard the phrase- ‘An empty mind is the devil’s workshop’. While I was growing up, my mother used this phrase a lot. She didn’t like the fact that I had little interest in academics and would try to keep me busy with activities. Over time,

Compassion over Comprehension

“I don’t understand why.” I find this line running through my head. As I type this, I wonder if you have had thoughts on similar lines before. You find yourself wondering “Why would they do/believe in that? Why do they choose to be in a certain way?”, I

Joy Minus Validation

Wildly moving my limbs, I try to follow a dance workout routine. I allow myself to admit that I will never be someone who dances at a party nor will I receive compliments for how amazingly beautiful that routine was. I chuckle, as I type this. Do you find yourself

An Allowance: 'I don't know'

Blank space, I am trying to find the right words. The ‘right words’, I wonder. I listen to someone describe a rough day. I pause, I want to let them know they’ll get through this and it will be okay. How do I do this? I think about how

Deep Listening

The voices are loud. Whose voices? My own. I go over my mistakes, I try to hold my stance. I can hear a friend defending their position. We're at an impasse, disagreement of sorts. And so it continues, sentences volleyed back and forth. Some sentences are accusatory, some as disguised

A Table: On Safe Spaces

D’s daughter, H came home unusually quiet. H was out cycling with her friends, D noticed H fidgeting with her toys. D began to play with H, and H happily chose to engage. D chose to talk to H over dinner, a time where H is receptive to conversation.

Knowing Fear Intimately

Blue shimmery rectangles of water. Pools frightened B, sprinklers did too. 7-year old B, wears a pink polka-dotted swimsuit and walked to the steps of the swimming pool. B tries to ignore her mother in the stands. A kind woman approaches B from the water and holds her hands out.

The Price is Right

I know most of the people reading this article are either mental health professionals or students. But in case you are neither, let me ask you a question. How much do you think a trip to the therapist costs? If you know the answer, good for you. If you don’

NO COMPLAINT DAY

‘NO COMPLAINT DAY’ a practice I got introduced to during the personal development coaching was an experience worth reckoning. ‘ No complaint’ meant REFRAINING from making a statement that something was not satisfactory or could not be accepted. The challenge was to earmark a day when we would NOT pick on

All Eyes On Me

You walk into a room and everybody starts staring at you. You try to find a reflective surface so that you can check whether you look okay. You can hear them murmuring amongst themselves and are sure that somebody just said your name. You can feel them looking at you

Connecting with a Larger purpose

A friend of mine sent a story a few days ago. Something about this intrigued me. A king had a huge army that consisted of men, horses, and elephants. A particular elephant was his favorite. It was his trained accomplice in the war field. It complimented the King’s valor

Routine

I wake up in the morning on rare occasions . I believe my job has been responsible for this to a great extent as I have mostly done the same shift (Afternoon) over and over again. By the time I wake up, half the day is over and whatever is left

Self Help

Have you ever read a self-help book in your life? You know, the kind of books which claim that they will change your life and how you look at the world. By the time you are done reading the book you will be able to live your life the way

The Mindfulness Gap

Viktor Frankl, Nazi holocaust survivor, psychiatrist, philosopher, author and founder of logotherapy has said, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” This space between stimulus and response that he talks

Pushing Back: Ball in a Pool

“I love the detailing on this, the colors blend so well. Wonderful illustration, D!” A graphic designer, she is listening to her mentor’s feedback on an illustration for a publication. D repeats the words to herself: “wonderful illustration, wonderful illustration, wonderful..” D stops mid-thought: “Was it really? The edges

To Strive or Not To Strive

Humor me; just Google “Strive for Perfection”. You will see one image that says Strive for Perfection in Everything You Do. Then there are articles that say Strive for Progress, Not for Perfection, or Strive for Excellence, Not for Perfection. And then there are articles on Why Striving For Perfection

Teams: On Learning through Relationships

“Groups of 4, please. I hope all of you have a wonderful time building this together!” I remember looking at the three strangers beside me. My earliest memory of working with a team was in elementary school, an exercise to create environment-friendly posters for Environment Day. As a young adult,

Sudoku: On Coping

My grandmother is amused that I would like to share an anecdote about her online, she laughed and agreed. I watch my grandmother solve the Sudoku, a habit she has resolved to commit to religiously over the years. She has watched the news for longer hours over the week. It

An Ode to a Chair: Accessing Emotions

I write this as I think about a chair. A chair, you ask. The chair, I reply definitively. Perhaps this chair was a corner of your bed, a designated space in your room. Spaces where you allow things to pile up, the stack of old clothes, a missing sock, books.

The F-Words in Anxiety

Caught your attention, didn’t I? Well, there is not one, but two F words in anxiety, just not the ones we’d like to utter. These are Fight and Flight. When we encounter potentially anxiety-inducing situations, the body rapidly goes through some changes that make us assess the situation

Pro at Procrastination

The irony of this article is that I wanted to write this sooner but I kept procrastinating. You may not find a bigger procrastinator than me. But here it is now. So, what is procrastination? Procrastination is the act of delaying something important and doing something else, which is not

Do I like this? Offering Kindness to Ourselves

I finish an assignment and wince at the screen of my laptop. Review content, formatting, word limit, references. I run through a mental checklist. 'Turn In', my work will now be graded by a Professor. "Will she approve of this?", comes to me with ease, I chuckle. I wonder how

Unveiling the inferences

My experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD as it is commonly known gave me a totally different perspective on thoughts and feelings. Until then,  any thought that surfaced in my mind meant it was I who thought it- A deliberate action on my part. If I felt a feeling,

Inclusive Introductions

Can introductions create safer spaces? Let us reflect on F's story. F listened in to everyone introduce themselves, quietly nodding and acknowledging the wonderful team he was going to work with. It was F's turn to speak. "Hey everyone! I am F, my pronouns are he/him. I’ve majored

The Self: A Deeper Dive

‌‌I looked at an image in the mirror. It is a human figure of what I am seen as by the people around. But I walked a few steps closer, to the mirror and my self; and I asked: Who am I? ‌‌I like painting, I enjoy travelling, I also

The Hidden Pouch: Holding On

Mid-year cleaning. I find myself sitting amidst a room with books and surprisingly, bags. Laptop cases, old school bags, reusable jute bags, colorful cloth pieces. I hold an old backpack and open it to find notes that date back to a few years ago. I chuckle as I notice a

100 Days of Happiness

Years ago, there was a challenge on Twitter called 100 days of happiness. The objective was to click a picture of something that makes one happy for 100 days and tweet about it. I decided to take it up and started clicking pictures of things that made me happy. For

Packing Mindfulness into your Lunch

A deadline approaches, a new project, peers who are working to meet targets, a to-do list that looms over you, and a full calendar. You break for lunch. Walk over to your space for lunch and open up your packed lunch or set out your food in front of you.

Overwhelm and Focus

How often are we really present in what we are doing! Does family time go without checking notifications or responding to messages on phone? Does work move without getting caught up in surfing random websites? For that matter, does even checking an intended 5 minutes video go without hopping on

A Leaking Roof, Marathons, Exams, and Positive Affirmations

"I am the best” Vs “I can’t do this” “Today is going to be a good day” Vs “Today looks like a bad day” “I am my own superhero” Vs “I am useless” Spot poll - how many of us think that the statements on the right side of

A Primer on Apologizing

How do we approach apologizing? We have all had to admit our shortcomings and hold space for another, too. Apologizing, on the contrary, does not create a binary of right and wrong, it fosters space for understanding. Perhaps, apologies can strengthen our relationships. V and R are friends. V forgets

The Secret Sauce

Often people feel that life has been unkind to them. In my profession, I come across loads of people who are not happy either with their spouses or with their jobs, or finances or kids or something else. They find something or the other to feel unhappy about, something or

Paramour

I have been in a relationship for over eleven years now. It started right about when I entered college. She tapped me on my shoulder and whispered in my ear sweet nothings about how I didn’t belong there. We hit it off instantly and she would be with me

Gratitude

What is Gratitude? Gratitude is commonly understood as being thankful for what we have, when others don't have it. That is to an extent correct, but it is not a complete definition. Like, if you're going through a tough time with an illness or a financial loss, and I say

Doubt

How many times a day do you doubt yourself? The answer can be anything on the scale of zero to all the time. How you answer this question says a lot about who you are as a person. Say zero, and you can be perceived as over confident. Say all

Motivation: Honoring how we feel

Motivational posters lettered as "Positive vibes only", "Work harder", “Just do it.” stifle how we may feel in the moment. When we hold back on how we truly feel, we tend to pile these feelings inside us. If you kept pushing paperwork to the edge of your desk, you would

EAP is dead. Reimagine emotional wellbeing at workplaces

EAP is dead. Working with over 50 companies as our partners, big and small, one thing is clear. Employee Assistance Programs are dying. What started as a great opportunity to support employee wellbeing has degenerated into bland, reactive service with low utilisation numbers across the world. The EAP model was

How to become a mental health champion in these tough times

When discussing mental health, our society often falls back on its favourite archetypes: the impoverished farmer, the dejected student, the troubled celebrity. However, the pandemic has demolished all these myths once and for all. Months after the UN predicted a long-term upsurge in mental health problems, reports indicate a rise

In the post-covid world, long term well-being depends on community mental health champions

India witnessed the biggest containment experiment in history when its 1.3 billion citizens battened down the hatches in an attempt to flatten the Covid curve. The lockdown may be ending in a few weeks but a new epidemic is emerging. According to a survey conducted by the Indian Psychiatry

4 Indicators to check if your mental health at the workplace initiative is working

What started out as “work from home” has slowly turned into “live at work”. With increasing work hours, lack of boundaries in personal and work spaces, uncertain future all have led to deteriorating mental health for employees. Recent reports suggest that 1 in 6 employees in the corporate world suffered