Cuddling your pet increases oxytocin, the love & happiness hormone. It also reduces levels of cortisol which is responsible for stress, depression and anxiety. A reduced level of cortisol helps us to be healthier, happier and more relaxed.
Thanks Vivi for participating in our Mental Wellness/ Positivity initiative. You too can participate using the hashtag #positivitywithempowerednsakhi
It is widely known that walking is an excellent activity to boost your heart health and mental health. There are many studies conducted that advocate green exercise – walking in a natural environment. However, did you know when you combine walking near a waterbody, you increase those benefits? New research suggests that completing short bouts of walking near natural water features, like lakes, rivers, and fountains, positively affects people’s mood, alleviating stress and boosting vitality. Being a Sydney Sider, I always marvel at the numerous options this city and state offer. Be it visiting a local park, national park, bushwalking near waterfalls, there are plenty of places to explore in each of our local areas.
Make it a goal this year to visit parks with waterbodies you have not explored previously. Make a photo journal of your explorations, and start a new tradition with your family.
I sometimes share photos of my favourite walking path, the one I frequently visit when my work permits. I particularly love this area (near Glebe rowing club) because it provides the freedom to take my fur baby and allows him to walk off-leash.
So gift yourself a walk with your family near a waterbody to keep yourself and your family’s energy and spirit going.
While you are there, don’t forget to take a picture and tag #positivitywithempowerednsakhi
Thanks Rupa for participating in our Mental Wellness/ Positivity initiative. You too can participate using the hashtag #positivitywithempowerednsakhi
You know, when the kids throw a tantrum, you get a flat tire, or when a family member gets sick, it can be easy to lose your mind or to stay stuck in worry.
If it’s easy for you, here are some tips for dealing with distress in a more productive, less reactive way:
Bring yourself to the here and now, observe your thoughts, your feelings, your breath.
Give yourself self encouraging, self soothing thoughts. Here’s a few:
This too shall pass. It’s okay to feel like this sometimes. I can take all the time I need. I can choose to think something different.
3. Create a relaxation plan for yourself. Try incorporating all the senses, think of something to soothe your sense of smell, vision, hearing, taste, and touch. Think of things that help you feel connected or energized.
Feel free to participate in our Mental Wellness/ Positivity initiative. #positivitywithempowerednsakhi
Simple 5 deep breaths in the morning can change your life. Physical and Emotional Benefits of Breath Meditation:
Reduces stress; Lowers your heart rate; Lowers your blood pressure; Improves diabetic symptoms; Reduces depression; Better manages chronic pain; Better regulates your body’s reaction to stress and fatigue; Reduces the possibility of burnout for caregivers.
Feel free to participate in our Mental Wellness/ Positivity initiative. #positivitywithempowerednsakhi
Our tip for today is visit Art Galleries & Museums if they are open in your country and if it is safe to do so. Besides making you feel positive, visiting Art Galleries & Museums have many other benefits too. Art is said to inspire our visual imagination and give us an opportunity to explore our own creativity. You can be mindful of what you are thinking and feeling when you view art and use your awareness to become more visual. Also Museums and Art galleries make us look at the outside world differently. Artists and sculptors use everyday objects to change our perspective of the outside world.
They also inspire new ideas. After all, every piece of art started with an idea. In addition, they improve our knowledge of history and geography. Artists often reference other eras and historical events, and a visit to an art gallery exposes our memory to information about historical periods. Visiting them will let you get a glimpse of history. Museums are not only an ideal way to learn about human history, but also the cultures of different countries. And art often depicts different parts of the world and Art galleries exhibit art by international artists. Seeing art made by our own culture as well as the cultures of others, can help contextualise our place in the world and how the human experience has changed.
Museums and Art Galleries of course offer serenity, relaxation and stress relief too. By staring silently at beautiful pieces and contemplating their meaning, you can reflect on your own life and find peace and tranquility. For some, visiting museums and art galleries can be a spiritual experience.
So if you are looking for an unique and exciting experience, visit Museums and Art Galleries. Take your children too if possible, to expose them to art at a young age and boost their imagination and creativity.
We are sharing photos from our recent visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, located in Sydney, Australia.
If you would like to contribute Mental Wellness/ Positivity tips with photos feel free to email us at empoweredbwb@gmail.com or editor@sakhi.online or post on Instagram and tag us @empoweredbeautieswithbrains & @sakhi.online and use the hashtag #PositivityWithEmpoweredNSakhi If selected we will feature your tips. If you would like to donate towards our positivity sessions for women, feel free to contact us as well.
We are starting a Mental Wellness/ Positivity series in collaboration with Sakhi magazine (https://sakhi.online) and will be sharing mental health hacks and tips to feel better/ more positive. Given the current situation of the world – sickness, diseases, deaths, wars, violence etc – most of us need it. While a lot of things are beyond our control, our mindset is definitely in our control and we can do some simple things to keep ourselves uplifted and boost our mental health. Stay tuned.
If you would like to contribute Mental Wellness/ Positivity tips with photos feel free to email us at empoweredbwb@gmail.com or editor@sakhi.online or post on Instagram and tag us @empoweredbwb & @sakhi.online and use the hashtag #PositivityWithEmpoweredNSakhi If selected we will feature your tips. If you would like to donate towards our positivity sessions for women, feel free to contact us as well.
Meet our featured beauty with brains Rupa Parthasarathy, founder of Mindkshetra (https://www.facebook.com/mindkshetra/). A beautiful person both inside and outside, she has been touching hearts and lives, and painting the world a shade kinder. Here is an interview with her:
Tell us more about yourself – your hobbies, passions, dreams etc.
Mine is a story that partly reveals itself with my distinctive tongue twister of a last name (always a great conversation starter!). At a glance, it’s easy to unravel my backstory of hailing from an Indian background. And within Australia, the story of my family’s journey to this land at some point. While that holds true, mine has also been a story of facing adversities, finding my feet, exploring my identity, and establishing connections. That’s what interests me about life-stories, there’s so much more than just what meets the eye. I have always held a deep love for stories. Hence, I am invested in life stories; I love telling them, sharing them and nurturing them. I am someone who believes in painting this world a shade kinder. I thrive on making meaningful conversations and connections.
I have a soft spot for my parent language (I prefer using the term parent language to mother tongue, as it’s the language of both my parents) – Tamil (my being lights up, in its presence). I also speak Hindi and other Indian regional languages (which, if I hear beyond my home’s boundaries, always make my head turn quicker than a bird and tugs at my heart with familiarity). I am also an optimist, an intrepid learner, a movie/music buff and a person who enjoys watching endless reruns of DIY home renovation shows.
Tell us what inspired you to start Mindkshetra?
I grew up fascinated with all things creative – sketching, music, dancing and storytelling were some of the pursuits I dabbled in and still do. Drawing from this experience, I understand how self-expression can be used to sort through mental chaos, gain clarity, and nurture physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. Art therapy provides me with an approach to facilitate positive change in a person’s (people’s) lives using creative means.
I founded Mindkshetra to create a place where people can experience some mind space. A place where we can nurture mental health from a wellness perspective, rather than only through an illness perspective. Growing up, I experienced that having conversations, even basic things like feeling overwhelmed or anxious, was always relegated either to occur either behind closed doors or mostly dismissed as something that will pass. So I wanted to create a space where discussions about mental health are facilitated openly. Much like how a consistent effort builds physical fitness, I believe it takes conscious effort to nurture mental and emotional wellness. Given, I have witnessed and experienced the healing powers of artmaking, and I teach creativity as a strategy to build and sustain mental health.
What is art therapy, and how does it differ from conventional psychotherapy?
Art therapy is a therapeutic technique that integrates psychotherapy and creative process to enhance physical, mental and emotional well-being. It is based on the idea that tapping into our creativity by engaging in self-expression can help us gain mental clarity, explore our emotions, develop self-awareness and promote our well-being. As the emphasis is on the creative process of self-expression, no unique artistic ability or talent is required. Artmaking in art therapy courses is playful experimentation with self-expression without having any concerns about achieving perfection.
As human beings, we are complex and unique. There are various factors like our upbringing, culture, heritage, genetics, family, to name a few, that play a role in how we process and react to situations. There are times when we cannot express our thoughts, feelings, emotions only by verbalising them. Art-making provides us with an avenue to externalise these internal workings. Self-expression allows us to view them outside of us, gives some much-needed space to reflect and process them.
What services do you offer at Mindkshetra?
Mindkshetra offers individual consultations, creative art-based wellness workshops for kids and young people, creative workshops for parties, celebrations, art therapy courses for adults and creative wellness and personal development coaching for communities and organisations.
At Mindkshetra, our mission is to support life stories using creativity. The practise caters to a wide range of people. These people have experienced life adversities, mental health conditions, or anyone interested in taking care of their mental hygiene or connecting with their intuition.
Our Practice is based on the philosophy that we can author our life stories through self-awareness. We believe in seeing clients as a whole person – not defining them by their diagnosis, based on the philosophy that we can author our life stories.
The purpose of our fashion features, photoshoots & events, is to empower and uplift women through fashion and make them feel confident about themselves. Another purpose is to provide a platform for women in the fashion industry to showcase their talents, skills and products.
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