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Your Small Contribution Can Make A Big Difference #CauseAChatter

Farmers are living idols in India and are considered as heart and soul of the Indian economy. India is referred to as the “land of farmers” since most of the population is involved in agriculture in some way. Despite contributing a substantial share in the country’s GDP, the condition of farmers are terrible in India. The reasons are many, from weather and climate issue to scale of operation to shortage of farm labours to unsatisfactory realization of prices, to quality of seeds and fertilizers, and the list can go and and on, but do we have any solution for this. Well government has taken many initiatives like Soil Health Card Scheme, Neem Coated Urea, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Interest Subvention Scheme.

Same is the case with arcticians and other small scale entrepreneurs.

However as a common man what are we doing to help them? The question comes in mind, can we really help? Well, the answer is “Yes”, you can. And one such initiative is taken by Rang De which is India’s pioneering and only peer to peer lending platform focused on providing timely and affordable credit to unbanked communities. P2P lending (peer-to-peer lending) is a type of platform that allows participants to borrow and lend sums of money without having to rely on a conventional financial institution to control transactions.

They are the pioneer in social investing, enabling individuals to lend to unbanked farmers, artisans and entrepreneurs and help kickstart, sustain and grow their livelihoods.

The founders of Rang De feels that credit could play a transformative role in ending poverty. And so, with Rang De, they set their sights on addressing affordability and access.

What is their Core

“Our platform is underpinned by technology, people, and human-centered design to make credit affordable for investees (borrowers) and to create a rich social investing experience for our social investors (lenders). A highly differentiated business model helps us maximize impact, drive profitability and growth.”

What makes them unique

“We stand for radical transparency. Everything that our social investors would ever need to know is out there for them. Right from being able to choose their investees, to what happens behind the scenes in the organization.”

The team of Rang De is extremally passionate about this cause and as a citizen of this country I personally feel it is our responsibility to encourage such initiatives and give our helping hand to make India a better place for every citizen.

I believe what Rang De is doing is exceptionally noble and if you feel the same, then do invest in the business of these rural entrepreneurs to raise their families out of poverty, and create jobs in poorer parts of India. You can invest as little as INR 100 or as much as you’d like.

“This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter initiative with Rang De.”

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Don’t Let Others Control Your Life #MentalHealth

Few days back I came across something very fascinating that perturbed me to the core. Have you heard about Alice In the wonderland syndrome? Yes you read it write. Yes, it is about Alice In the wonderland story and to be more precise one of the character Cheshire Cat, who would alternate between visible and invisible while its smile would always remain. Will explain you about this syndrome with a help of an example for a better clarity.

Megha, 32-year-old HR professional, consider herself “the queen of people-pleasures”. why? Well, Megha smiled through all her relationships be it with her parents, bosses, friends and lovers. Mostly HR shares love-hate relationship with the employees but she was admired and appreciated by each and every one in her organization. She cared so much about what others would think and feel about her that she lost a track of herself. It is like you have given the key to your self-esteem to other people’s opinions and each time they can pull that up or down based upon their own whims and fancies. She was tired, exhausted and in complete stress. But was not aware what was causing this and that’s when she decided to go for a therapy.

She was always happy whenever she is surrounded by people who matters to her but now, in therapy, her face was twisted with pain. She hardly remembers anything about her childhood but remember other people quite vividly. She was able to recall when her Mom or Dad seemed happy or sad, enthused or exhausted, cheerful or angry but vaguely about her own emotions.

Do You know WHY?

This is because as a child, she has learned , that the way to feel safe is to do whatever made an angry dad smile or a depressed mom happy and how not to make them angry or depressed. Rather than focusing on her sense of growth, life or capabilities her efforts go into making her home a safe and a happy place to live. As a result, her happiness depends upon how others feel about her. She lost her own identity and that can be very fatal in long run.

When we are too much concern about other people’s desire, like and dislikes and carry it into the adulthood, there is a possibility of developing a weak personality that can be shaken by anyone. Such people can get into prove-show-hide-please personality, where in, you are just trying to please and prove others, show that you are worthy and try hiding unpleasant truths which leads to more and more stress.

Why You Get Into Prove-Show-Hide-Please Personality?

When you put all your efforts to please others and your motivation is only to prove others, you stop believing in yourself. You always wait for other’s validation and acknowledgement. Showing yourself to be worthy does not come from a happy place it comes from your deep-rooted anger and hurt. It is a response to the perception that others don’t believe you and you have to constantly demonstrate your authenticity.

The impulsion to hide something comes from fear, fear of being misunderstood or being unforgiven. You become defensive of being attacked, especially when you make a mistake. You not only live a secret life but you hide your true feelings and true personality not only from others but from yourself too. You want to please others because you want to feel accepted and loved.

Not sure how many of you would agree with me, but most of us to a certain extent link our well-being to the mood of another person, especially in a close relationship. We do it unintentionally or unconsciously and can rationalize living that way for a while, hoping to come back to our own life one day. But if we take it too long in realizing, we might just loose our way forever.

Now Let’s talk about how to deal with it and what actions need to be taken

  • Rate yourself on the scale of 0 to 10, where do you stand when it comes to Prove-Show-Hide-Please personality type. How much energy are you putting in, in order to prove others. If it is 0 it’s none and if 10, it’s all. Similarly, do it for show, hide and please and see where do you stand.
  • If the sum of all four is 20, you are probably living more for others than yourself.
  • Read about Stephen covey theory “circle of concern Vs circle of control”. Remember you cannot control what people think about you but you can definitely have a full control on what you think or do about your life. You have very little power to make others happy and none to keep them happy, so why putting yourself in a situation that can affect you negatively.
  • Speak your mind out by being assertive. Being honest about your feelings can make you come across as a very sorted person, no one will dare to take advantage of you and can keep you at peace with yourself.
  • Monitor your follow through by rating yourself once a month, as in step one.

Don’t forget ” You cannot live for others without losing your self”.

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Steps To Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself #MentalHealth #CauseAChatter

I am a failure, life has been unfair to me, I deserve only bad things in life, these are some of the examples, when a person feels sorry for himself/herself. Self pity feeds on itself. When we reckon a sorrowful image and a lack of faith, things tend to go wrong, which will give you more reasons to feel sorry for yourself. It is a vicious cycle and if it continuous long enough, you run the risk of appearing pathetic and miserable.

But do you think people get trapped in this kind of behavior voluntarily? of course not. Life is not easy , in face it is not meant to be easy. I know this is the last thing one like to here when you are in the midst of self pity. You don’t get what you deserve, relationships ends, and life becomes a struggle. There can be multitude of things that don’t go the way you want them to so it’s quite natural to feel sorry for ourselves.

And when so much is going on in life, its absolutely Ok to have the blues for a while, in fact, it is important to feel the emotion instead of suppressing it. However, it becomes a problem when you get stuck in self pity and it becomes your default action.

But when you get stuck in this kind of feeling it means that you are following the path of nerve learning from your mistakes and at the same time you ate stopping yourself from being empowered.

Do you know if you get trapped in this kind of mind set for a long period of time there is a great amount of possibility of leading thyself into some kind mental health conditions which can be really matter and life threatening.

Even more alarming; recently I have read an article written in The Independent states that says, self pity can be as bad for your heart as smoking 20 cigarettes a day!

Self pity, is not an emotion in itself; it’s a state of mind. It happens when you focus too much on your own problems and believe you are a victim of circumstance. This mental focus leads you to feel negative emotions like sadness, anxiety, hurt, jealousy, hatred and helplessness.

The best part is that their are numerous ways that one can adopt in order to change this mindset. Earlier you work on it, better it is for yourself and for people around you.

When a person tries to see the glass half empty instead of seeing it half full, the glass will get drier and drier. Feeling sorry for oneself has become a common problems which can diffuse only pain. It could be a product of your past, like you being a victim of child abuse, or neglected by parents or it could be a recent tragedy such as the death of loved ones, financial setbacks or it could be something to do with your unchangeable personal characteristics like being fat or ugly. Some people are chronic self pitiers, they just find some new reason to feel sorry for themselves, for such people there sentences start from “If only..”.

I agree this kind of behavior could be comforting for a while and can distract you for sometime but can have negative long term effect, wherein people start avoiding you, you might loose respect and they might not expect much from you. Stuck in the past for too long will not let you create a better future.

So now lets focus on what can you do to overcome this behavior which can be lethal

Set By Step Solution

  • Try to identify what triggers you and learn to recognize when you are feeling sorry for yourself.
  • Be more compassionate towards yourself and express the emotion without the fear of being judged.
  • Convince yourself that it is a waste of time and energy and other are getting benefitted from it and your own people will go through the same pain.
  • Change the inner question from why to what. Instead of why is this happening to me or why did he do that? ask what can I do different to overcome thus situation?
  • Try to perceive things differently, instead of seeing the glass of water half empty, see it as a half full. Our perception creates our reality and by changing our viewpoint, we are able to change any experience.
  • Indulge yourself in some kind of social work, do something for underprivileges people. This can make you aware about your standing in the society and you will know how blessed you are. Remember you can’t feel pride and self pity at the same time
  • Make a list of things you are grateful for…gratitude journal.
  • Join a support group and you will realize you are not alone.

“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belong to you”. ~ LAO TZU

This Post is a part of Blogchatter’s #CauseAChatter Program.

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Saying Yes When You Want To Say No- Is This Affecting You Mentally? #CauseAChatter #MentalHealth

“My unhappiness was the unhappiness of a person who could not say no.” – Dazai Osamu

Many of us have a fear of being judged, rejected or disliked if we share what we really feel. And saying No is one such thing that doesn’t come easily. Probably because we want to please everyone to the point that we feel completely stressed out. Rejection is one of the biggest reasons why people find difficult to say No. They feel if they say No they might disappoint people and might come across as a rude or appear unkind.

I feel one does this as he or she is not sure about herself or himself. It is an indication of low self confidence and self belief. So what one should do? Remember few things :

Saying No doesn’t mean you are a bad person

Value yourself more than anyone else

How important is it to say “Yes”. How many of you doubted your decision after saying yes for something? And then how many of you thought of different ways to get out of it? I am sure most of you. Think about the kind of stress and resentment you must have gone through. Wouldn’t it be must easier to say no in the first place?

I have gone through a feeling of anguish, stress and resentment not just once but many times and realized its not worth it.

If you are able to answer these pointers, things will become much more easier.

But it is not as simple as it sounds. It is quite deep rooted. As a child, saying No to elders considered as inappropriate and impolite. If you said no to your mom, dad, teachers or grandparents you would most certainly considered to be rude , so saying no would be off limits and yes was the polite and likable thing to say. As we grow we become more mature and know what is good or bad and how to react in different situations. Therefore, saying No should not be difficult. But sadly, the impact of things that we learn and experience in our childhood is so strong and deep rooted that we continue believing in things which are not right or relevant.

Therefore, it is important that one value their own opinions over others. If you look for other person’s approval you would never be able to decide anything by yourself and will remain unhappy and unsatisfied.

What happens when you say Yes, when you want to say No

It leads to frustration and stress and makes you an unhappy person.

It might injure your self esteem and pulls down your self confidence.

It might be an end of a promising partnership and a once beautiful friendship.

It might lead to an unsatisfied person who doesn’t not value himself/herself.

You might fail in managing time as you will get into things that are neither important nor urgent.

Being able to say “no” without fear or “yes” without resentment is a common dilemma. Unable to say “no” can actually lead to a toxic relationship and frustration will reach to a breaking point which one could avoid, if one learn to say “no”. When you cannot say “no” without resentment, it’s time to say stop!

Tips that help you in saying no

Realize that not wanting to go along doesn’t make you stubborn, mean or defiant.

Understand that not saying no can be taken as yes and can reinforce the unwanted behavior.

Always be direct , such as ‘no I can’t’ or’ I don’t want to’. Do not leave any ambiguity in your communication.

Do not give reasons for saying no, speak your mind without any hesitation.

Do not lie, that may lead to guilt and can make you feel worse.

Practice saying no with people who will understand you. This will get you feeling a lot more comfortable with saying no.

Do not give excuses like, I will let you know, as this may prolonged the situation and make you feel even more stressed.

Learning to say no will give you a feeling of freedom and empowerment.

“Live your life for you not for anyone else. Don’t let the fear of being judged, rejected or disliked stop you from being yourself” ~Sonya Parker

This Post is a part of Blogchatter’s #CauseAChatter Program.

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Personality Development- Need Of The Hour

Oh! What a personality, I am sure you must have heard this n number of times from people around you or you must have said it yourself many a times. But what exactly does personality means? It’s a collection of traits, behaviors and attitudes that define a person. The word personality comes from the Latin word ‘persona’ which refers to a theatrical mask worn by performers for different roles. But today it means much more than that, attributes that can make a person more especial and unique.

In today’s competitive world, educational qualification is not enough if you want to leave a mark on people’s mind. Therefore, developing personality which is powerful and lead you to the success path is need of the hour.

There are no two individual that are same, they may look the same or have similar experiences but their environment, temperament and character makes them unique. There are different aspects that can develop one’s personality be it social, emotional, physical, spiritual, moral or mental. These various aspects provide us a different view into the process by which an individual’s personality is developed.

The first and the foremost criteria to develop personality is self-awareness. Only when you know who you are and what your capabilities are, you can work on it. According to psychological theory of self-awareness, we are not the sum of our emotions, reactions, and hormones, though these elements have a lot of influence over us. Rather, we are the level of consciousness that observes those things. Being self aware help us know more clearly about our own strengths and weaknesses, our values, our trigger points, our motivational level and our habits. Knowing about all these things helps you to stay positive, encourages growth mindset, boosts self confidences that leads to higher self belief and one can be higher at their emotional quotient.

Strategies to improve Self-Awareness

  • Meditation
  • Selective disclosure so that nothing can go against you
  • Taking feedback from people around you that can help in strengthening your core strengths
  • Journaling, a way of talking to your inner self

Ones a person is self aware and discovered the hidden aspects of themselves then comes working on making your personality distinguishable. Most of the time it’s our inner self that we need to work upon. Self-motivation is the key in developing ones personality.

How To Make Your Personality Vibrant- Tell Yourself

  • You are Unique: As I said earlier no two persons can be same. Do not compare yourself with others. When you compare you lower your self esteem and doesn’t allow yourself to blossom. The creator has created each one of us with a touch of uniqueness and originality. Then why we human waste our time and energy in comparing ourself with others. Accept the way you are.
  • Be Zealous: There will be a situation in life that will not be in our control. There will be times when your expectations will not be met. But despite all the adversities in life. one must never give up their enthusiasm.
  • Be a communicator: Effective communication is the key to success especially in today’s time. Words have a power to make or break relationships. A skillful communicator can win over people and adverse situations. Try to bring clarity in your communication.
  • Stay calm and composed: When a person stays calm and composed, it brings clarity and you can take better decisions. Being decisive is one of the top most quality of any successful person be it in personal or professional live.
  • Learn to let go things:  Letting go is empowering. In doing so, you demonstrate to yourself that you are competent, can make positive decisions, and have your own best interests at heart. Your Personal Productivity Will Skyrocket.
  • Be spontaneous: A person who is impulsive can ever take good decisions and that can lead to disaster. There try to be focused in the present moments as spontaneity is the key to success.
  • Embrace imperfection: People and situation do not always fit into your definition of perfection. Often that makes a person agitated, angry and frustrated, eventually diminishing the strength of their personality. So, learn to find peace amidst the world’s flaws even as you strive to make a change.
  • Stay Positive: Positive people not only happy but they spread happiness too. Tune into this part of yourself again and again with the help of meditation. When you develop a positive attitude, you will start feeling better about yourself. You will treat yourself with more respect and love, and this in turn will boost your confidence levels and inner strength. You will take on new challenges and come out of your self-limiting beliefs
  • Be Approachable: We all like people with whom we can easily get connected and with or whom we can easily talk to. One needs to be warm and friendly and be ready to share and help. Remember when your are helping other, indirectly you are helping yourself, and good deeds always pay off.
  • Develop your own style in work: Each one of us have a certain style in dressing as well the way we carry our tasks. Doing things with style adds zing to your personality and if people can relate to your style it’s like icing on a cake. Remember the secret of doing things with style lies in working with passion and a relaxed mind. So while working on something try not to get distracted.
  • Be assertive: Always speak your mind without hurting other person’s feelings. Don’t give into pressure and face every challenge confidently. Either you will overcome adversity of learn something valuable.

Work on all these factors as strong and attractive personality helps you gain recognition and acceptance from the society as well as people around. Will write about most important personality traits that will bring success in your life in my next post, so stay tuned…………

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Mind-Body Approach To Manage Chronic Pain #MentalHealth #CauseAChatter

Recently I have come across people who are suffering from chronic pain from decade and it is quite heartening to listen to their stories. And that’s when I have decided to understand what chronic pain is and how one can deal with it. And to my surprise the brain and central nervous system play a much more significant role in chronic pain than we once thought.

Let’s first understand what chronic pain is all about?

Pain that lasts beyond 6 months and negatively affects person’s well-being is what chronic pain is all about. So basically the pain that continuous when it should not be and leads to other health conditions like anxiety and depression, resulting in a low health-related quality of life.

I believe most of us will or would have been faced pain in our lives, be it physical or emotional, caused by illness or an unhappy moments. So what you would have done? Many of us must have avoided it which is good as when you experience pain your brain signals you to stop doing whatever is causing the pain, preventing further harm to your body. But remember pain is not meant to last for long but if it does it could be physically and emotionally stressful. Chronic pain changes the levels of stress hormones and neurochemicals within your brain and nervous system that can lead to change in mood, thinking and behavior.

Let’s talk about the impact of Chronic pain in people’s daily life.

People who are suffering from chronic pain are increasing at super sonic speed and so does the number of opioid prescriptions, surgeries, and the doctor’s visit. Economic cost of chronic pain is skyrocketing and the impact on the individual is just as severe. The study shows that, on an average, people suffering from chronic pain earn 37% less than the someone not and are more prone to severe mental health conditions. Chronic pain can disrupts people’s daily life to a great extent. It can affect their ability to function at home and work and that impact people around them in a large way. Participation in social activities and hobbies could be interrupted which could lead to decreased self esteem. There are lot of other problems like fatigue, sleep disruption, lack of focus, loss of appetite and mood fluctuations. All these negative changes in the lifestyle can lead to increase in pain and low confidence and all this can result in depression and anxiety.

What can be done?

There are many therapies that are available, but none of them work in isolation. There is always a combination of two or more therapies that can be adopted to achieve better results and can be more effective.

Talk Therapy: Talk therapy is basically psychological counselling, where you pour your emotions out and will be helped without having the fear of being judged.

Mindfulness: This helps you to calm down, in which ever way works for you. It could be music, smell, art etc.

Cognitive behavioral Therapy: Helps you in facing the fear instead of avoiding it and teaches you to cope up with the pain you are going through. CBT treatment usually involves efforts to change thinking and behavioral patterns. 

Occupational Therapy: This therapy teaches you how to do everyday task differently to reduce the pain which has indirect impact on your pain.

Physical Therapy: Physical therapy involves exercises that stretch and strengthen your body, which can help reduce your pain. Yoga is one of the best form of exercise which works wonderfully well in this scenario.

Medication: Depression affects your brain, so drugs that work in your brain may prove beneficial. Common antidepressants may help ease your symptoms.

Guided Meditation: Meditation is a relaxing techniques  that helps in achieving mental, emotional and physical healing and stress relief.

Touch Therapy: Touch therapy like Reiki uses touch to change energy fields in your body.

How to make sure these therapies really work?

In parallel to medications and therapies, it is highly imperative to make lifestyle changes. Things to avoid and adopt.

  • Avoid alcohol
  • Avoid smoking
  • Avoid unnecessary stress
  • Adopt healthy diet
  • Adopt regular exercising
  • Adopt support group to learn from other people with similar conditions
  • Adopt time management skills
  • Adopt good habits, like positive thinking and sleeping on time.

Lets discuss step by step strategy to come out of endless loop of chronic pain.

Step 1. Identify the clues that your body gives when you are in pain. For example sweaty palms, neck and shoulders tighten etc.

Step 2. Identify your trigger points and try to walk away from that. For example if you don’t like someone try to avoid their company. This step will give you time to move to your next step.

Step 3. Indulge in relaxing therapy that is mind body techniques like deep breathing, splashing cold water on your face or drinking water or do a guided meditation.

Step 4. Once your body and mind calms down identify your feelings and needs. What are you longing for. Is it love, support, compassion from others or it could be as simple as food or sleep.

Step 5. Now this is a crucial step as now it’s a time to take action. If you know what you need, satisfy them and if you know what you want to feel, fulfill those feelings. But do all these in writing so that you can keep yourself accountable.

These steps might work but as they are just steps and not rules you are free to make changes that suits you.

There are many people who are suffering from these chronic pains and not even aware about it. So as a healthy community we need to help each other in understanding this better and empathizing with the sufferers.

This Post is a part of Blogchatter’s #CauseAChatter Program.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

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A quick guide to dress up for the dandiya nights #Fashion #Navratri

The festival of Navratri is here. Apart from the unique preparations for the puja the one thing Navratri is world-famous for is the garba nights. But more than often we find ourselves struggling with our wardrobe for the nine days. But remember it’s not always about getting additional clothing or spending a lot of money; you can always look festive ready in some of the comfiest outfits by becoming a little more creative. We are living in an era where wastage of clothes’ could result is tremendous disaster as when consumers throw away clothing in the garbage, not only does it waste money and resources, but it can take 200+ years for the materials to decompose in a landfill.

But everything said and done the bells are ringing for Navratri and people are going crazy! what to wear, how to stand out in the crowd! it’s like a wedding in the family and most of you who look forward to this would agree with me that the best nine nights are coming soon!

So here I am with few style and pointers to get started.

The most important thing that you need to do right away is open your wardrobe and check out all the ethnic wear you have.

Team up your lehanga with quirky cholis. Lehanga with patch work or slight embroidery will look stunning. Something that Alia Bhatt wore on her mehndi.

https://g3fashion.com/blog/videos-diy/style-gujarati-saree-drape-variations/

Saree can never go out of style. You can wear the lehenga saree, which is easy to drape on the body and comfortable for the Garba moves. Wear bright and loud colours for your dandiya rass dress. Though most of the people would go with the same old bandhani work saris, make sure you stand out, wear something quirky yet traditional.

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/734438651709043398/?nic_v3=1a21S3zog

Kedias and Tulip pants will definitely make you stand out and will give you complete look which is not just colorful and vibrant but extremely comfortable too. You do get kedia style tops and simple satin or silk dhotis with that you can give exactly the same look.

https://www.fabja.com/navratri-wear-dark-green-cotton-lehenga-with-crop-top-fj102360

Wear a simple skirt and team it with a shirt, make sure they are vibrant and colorful. The fabric you use should be pliable especially for a top which will give romantic look. Go with an oxidized choker as that will uplift the outfit.

Naaykafashion.com

If you feel handling a saree during the garba days is too much of a task don’t worry. You can always trust an Anarkali for the girl-next-door vibes. For added charm, style the outfit with oxidised jewellery. You can either go for a heavy embroidered kurti or a basic one, the choice is yours.

https://www.rediff.com/movies/special/lessons-from-bollywood-how-to-dress-this-navratri/20181012.htm

 Kurta teamed with a jacket and ankle-length leggings. Simple yet smart way of dressing which can be very comfy too. Younger generation is always looking for an innovation even when it comes to dressing. So an apt attire for them for sure.

Kreeva.com

This beautiful olive green cotton base designer gown is a fabulous pick for a garba night. It gives simple and sober look which you might be longing for after all the days of heavy dressing. Mirror work adds beautiful grace to the look and makes it look extremely stunning.

womensfootware.co.in

Not all lehenga choli has such taste, the real taste for navratri is of traditional gujarati chaniya. The dresses for navratri garba are being prepared when 6-7 months left for Navratri and lot of innovation in Gamthi designs for gamthi chaniya is done. Most of the gujarati chaniya choli are made using mirror work and cotton or soft silk fabric.

Dandiya dress are always mesmerizing and people were waiting for long to buy it and wear it. All these phenomenal dresses seems so attractive that women sometimes reuse in wedding function like wedding garbas.

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Curlvana – The Best Hair Mask For Curly Hair In India

Treat your curly hair with a good mask to deeply nourish the hair and control dryness. Here’s how you can choose the best hair mask for curly hair in India. 

Review – Curlvana deep nourish double cream hair mask

Being a curly-haired girl, I constantly find it difficult to maintain my curls because they are frizzy, dull, and dry. I find myself in an endless search for the right products to improve this condition and enhance the condition of my scalp. I prefer my hair care products to be chemical-free and natural. It should be free of parabens, sulfates, glycerine, and silicones which damage my hair and curls. Every curly hair girl must follow a hair care routine starting with shampoo, conditioner, leave-in cream, styling gel, and a hair mask. I found the love of my life, in Curlvana Curl Care Products. This range works to revive my curls and coils after every use.

The science behind hair mask 

Hair masks nourish the scalp and provide strength to the curls. They are packed with ingredients that improved the texture of the hair by moisturizing it. Hair masks are very beneficial for dry, dull, damaged hair. When applied they suitably boost the health and strength of the hair and improve its texture. It facilitates hair growth by quitting the split ends and hindering further breakage of the curls. I use the Curlvana deep nourish double cream hair mask once or twice per week to condition my dry curls.

How to choose the right hair mask for your curls?

Choose a hair mask that will rejuvenate your scalp, and repair the split ends, improving its resilience and shine. A deep conditioner for curly hair, penetrates the hair shaft to lock in hydration, to avoid frizz and flyaways. 

A hair mask can be chosen according to your hair type. If your hair is fine and thin you can choose a lightweight hair mask that does not weigh down your hair. For thick hair, you can select a heavy rich hair mask so that the hair becomes soft, and frizz-free after every application. You can select a hair mask that boosts the natural oil in the scalp to treat dry and damaged hair. 

Why do I love using Curlvana hair masks to treat my curls?

Curlvana Deep-Nourish Hair Mask is India’s first all-weather, zero-frizz curly hair mask which is an extremely lightweight and smooth; I use it to deep condition of my curls once a week. Curlvana hair mask has no added colours or artificial fragrances, therefore it does not damage my hair. Here is my honest Curlvana deep nourish double cream hair mask review.

My take on the Curlvana deep nourish double cream hair mask

It amplifies my curly hair pattern giving good definition and also helps to detangle with ease. Curlvana Deep-Nourish Hair Mask is made of natural products such as Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Pentavitin, Hydrating HA, Aloe Vera, and Shea Butter. It does not contain glycerin which is responsible for the absorption of moisture that frizzes up the hair. 

Curlvana hair mask is CG-friendly, it improves my curl pattern giving me perfect curls without any frizz. Curlvana Deep-Nourish Hair Mask is composed of Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Aloe Vera as its primary components. It has a silky consistency that neither weighs my hair down nor does it form a crunchy cast.

On days I don’t use the hair mask I apply Curlvana Fortifying Curl Cleanse Shampoo and then apply Curl Shine Gentle Conditioner which replenishes my coils. I apply my Curlvana Deep-Nourish Hair Mask once a week after hair wash and keep it for some time on my damp hair and then rinse it off. After that I style my curls as usual. I have noticed that my curls  stay intact even after a few days of hair wash ever since I have started using this range. I am in love with my Curlvana Deep-Nourish Hair Mask since it cuts down the frizz and improves the texture of my curls.

At least once in a week hair mask treatment for curly hair is a must, it helps to deeply condition the curls and controls fizziness.  I found Curlvana Deep-Nourish Hair Mask as the best hair mask in India.

 ‘This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla and sponsored by BakezbyDaizy.‘

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Holding A Grudge Can Affect Your Mental Health #MentalHealth #CauseAChatter

One of the most common self-defeating behavior I have come across is holding a grudge against others. Despite our best intentions, when push comes to shove, not forgiving and not forgetting is what we end up doing. The most sound advice we hear from people is “forgive and forget” but is very difficult to live up to. Am I right?

So when you find difficult to forgive someone just remember this saying from Mahatma Gandhi, – “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” I am sure this will definitely hurt your ego and you would be propel to forgive and forget.

Everything said and done for some people, holding a grudge may be the first step in accepting and acknowledging their feelings to themselves and to the person who they feel wronged them.

Why do people hold a grudge?

When they feel someone has let them down. However, it may be justifiable to be upset or resentful but a healthier approach may be to address the situation head-on with the person in question, especially as misunderstandings or misplaced expectations are often the roots of these issues.

But whatever the intentions or the cause of resentfulness, holding a grudge can end up hurting you as much as the person who caused it. Therefore, it is important to learn how one can begin to let go of their grudges and cope with the anger. Holding a grudge can effect physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing of the person.

The more you try to remember, the more traumatic the whole experience would be and can completely destroy your mental peace. Also remember you may think that remembering you past hurt will keep you guarded from getting hurt again but your wariness can make you so uptight and guarded that others find it takes too much effort to deal with you. You could end up safe but alone.

How holding a grudge affects mental health?

Not forgiving is as good as continuing to blame. It can be considered as powerful defence mechanism where in, you find a target for your anger and frustration. It does protect you from owning your flaws but making your problems someone else’s fault leaves you in a passive position. You may feel good as you have exempted yourself from the responsibility, however at the same time it is keeping you away from taking steps to remedy your situations. Nurturing negative feeling makes you more exposed to more unpleasant emotions and thoughts, which can poison your mindset toward negativity. When a person exaggerates his or her feeling to an extent that the act of holding a grudge becomes more painful than the event itself. Build-up resentments can lead to many mental health concerns like:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Self-Harm
  • Emotional Dysregulation
  • Suicidal

What kind of people have more tendency to hold grudges?

People who are more vulnerable towards jealousy, sensitivity, immaturity, negativity, and impulse control may be more apt to hold grudges. Cultural, lifestyle, parenting, environmental, genetic, and other factors may also contribute to an individual person’s tendency to hold resentments as well.

What kind of people are less likely to hold grudges?

Those who are more empathetic, resilient, have a better ability to self-regulate, and have stronger coping skills are less likely to hold grudges. Even certain lifestyle habits, including regular exercise, can also make you more forgivable and flexible.

“Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note- torn in two and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one”. – Henry Ward Beecher

We forgive when we no longer need to blame, we forget when we no longer need to remember…You agree?

Action plan to letting go grudges

  • Ask yourself what not forgiving and forgetting is costing you.
  • Acknowledge what the other person did wrong and what you would accept from him/her.
  • Ask yourself how you might have contributed to the problem.
  • Determine what you need to learn to prevent nasty experience again.
  • Move on in life.

Ways to letting go grudges

  • Be empathetic
  • Acceptance
  • Practice any form of exercise
  • Meditation
  • Self-care
  • Self-appreciation
  • Lean conflict management techniques
  • Start journalizing your feelings
  • Surround yourself with supportive and positive people

“To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it”.

 ‘This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.’

This post is part of Blogchatter’s #CauseAChatter

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Four Types of Employee Training Programs #CampusToCorporate

When a company invest in employees training programs, they are actually investing in their own success. We all are living in an era where technology advances are common and to survive in this ever-changing world every employee demands their companies to facilitate them with continuous training programs to keep them abreast with the latest technologies, trends and different industrial processes. Now these training methods are designed not just to enhance employees skills but help in improving their performance and productivity, develop efficiency in their job, and avoid violations of laws and regulations and prepare them for the future.

Benefits of training programs

These ongoing training programs brings out positive culture and environment that facilitates employees in becoming

  • More adaptive: An employee who is more adaptive in nature will never fear a change. They would challenge themselves by being more innovative. Adaptability increases their chances of succeeding, as they will find themself trying out different job.
  • More productive: As every employee will be familiar with their roles and responsibilities it will help them to give their 100% and be more productive and efficient.
  • Improve morale: Employee training sharpens the skills and knowledge of employees, which results in a boost of their morale and adds a sense of job satisfaction as well as security. A satisfied and motivated employee is a great asset for organizational success.
  • Improve retention: Every company want an efficient employee and every employee want an opportunity to grow. A company with a culture of continuous learning and development leads to  higher retention rates. This is why prioritizing training inspires top talent to stick around for a long time.
  • Reduce error: Workplace training makes employees more proficient and reduces the chances of them committing errors on the job. It strengthens the functioning and abilities of the employees.
  • Identifying weaknesses: Employee training program will make organization aware about their weaknesses and allows to strengthen the skills that each employee needs to improve.

Four different types of training programs

Orientation Training

Orientation training program is generally conducted by the HR department of any company to train and make them aware about their roles and company policies. The orientation program benefits both employee and employer as both get to learn about each other which is must for their success.

Onboarding training

Onboarding training helps new employees to speed up their understanding of their responsibilities and organizational culture in becoming productive team members quickly. Onboarding is responsible for truly integrating an employee within an organization. This training includes functional training where in employee has been given overview of the company and their roles and goals.

Compliance Training

This is one of the mandatory training that every organization needs to provide. It educates employees on the laws and regulations applicable to their job function or industry. Some of the examples of compliance trainings are anti-harassment, diversity, cybersecurity and business ethics. Undergoing this training will help in minimizing the risks and provide better and safe workplace environment for employees.

Soft Skills Training

Soft skills training is very crucial for every organization as employees trained in soft skills will help organization in maintaining good customer relationships, gaining new clients and building stronger team dynamics. Soft skills training includes communication skills, negotiation skills, conflict management skills, leadership skills, sales and customer service ready and team building. These skills are not only necessary for their individual career growth but for the overall development of the organization.

Things to remember

Identifying and implementing right training program for your organization enables you to create rich learning opportunities that can truly empower your employees to grow with the organization.

Make sure that these training programs are interactive. Interactive training engages each individual and connects them personally and focuses on learner’s engagement which leads to higher productivity and performance.

Every training program should have a purpose and a goal as it puts them in the right direction for creating and setting realistic employee training goals and objectives. Your organization’s training goals should be SMART so that they know what is expected to achieve by the end of a training program. 

‘This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.’

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