Being Unapologetically ME

In this blog we have our Vice President Ms Devyani Singha taking a trip down memory lane and sharing her personal journey of how she understood the importance of ' BEING YOU' and we have Dr Shivali - Council member who will elaborate from her rich experience as a Life coach on How to Navigate 'Being You' as a women.

My Personal Journey - By Ms Devyani 

There have been plenty of moments where people close to me have doubted my capabilities , skills or even intelligence. It used to get to me when I was younger but then as I grew up I realised that I am important and I will stand up for myself and be the version I want to live my life as.

One of these moments that I would like to share is when I was in school , maybe in grade 10th or 11th and I was fascinated by these hair tutorials on YouTube. Everyday I used to watch these beautiful American girls transform in front of me with a simple flick of their fingers. I had short hair so very limited creativity could be applied but that didn't deter me from trying. Learning the immaculate art of braiding I was extremely pleased with my dedication to master the "french braid" ( a complex hairstyle which takes time to master)

 With my new hairstyle I went to school brimming with confidence and waiting for someone to appreciate the craftsmanship and ask me about it and where I learnt this unique hairstyle from but much to my dismay - I was actually made fun of and overheard these few girls pass snide remarks about my hairstyle. Till this day I remember how bad and small I felt in that passing moment. That was when I had my first revelation of being MYSELF and truly accepting ME -I decided to wear that hairstyle every single day of the week till I got bored of it myself. As I am writing this I can recollect what I told myself in our school washroom - "I don't dress for anyone's approval and I wouldn't start now". The sadness turned into empowerment fairly quickly. I have tried my best to retain that version of me with a few upgrades here and there.

Life will always be filled with moments of self doubts and feelings of imposter syndrome. What is crucial is that we acknowledge that devil in our head who stops us many times and doesn't let us be ourselves for the possibility of displeasing someone. So maybe this is your sign for the day to be yourself, be kind and gentle , be appreciative of others and their efforts and be compassionate to yourself as well. Things will be tough but you will always have YOU with you.

Now let's try and understand some ways through which we can achieve the confidence and find ourselves in the midst of judgement and critics

Five Simple yet Effective Ways to Finding Yourself ! - By Dr Shivali

When one is constantly being reminded to behave, speak or even think in accordance with the norms defined by others, one tends to disregard the inner power, the uniqueness of oneself and eventually ends up forgetting ‘Being Herself'!

Here are Five Things through which one can rediscover being 'The Unique Self, The Unapologetic Me!'

Every Year - Out of 52 weeks of the year, create That window of 1 week by yourself. Use this time to unwind yourself, to connect with your Psychic Energy.

Benefits - Away from the mundane routine, this break will give you time to reflect upon your journey which is so beautifully unique.

Every Week - Once a week, step out & give yourself a Treat! It could be a walk to the neighbourhood park or just window shopping.

Benefits- A regular release of pent up emotions ensures your mental health & well-being.

Every Day- Create A Window - To Practice Being That 6 YO You, again...dance like nobody's watching, eat your favourite food, do what makes you happy & just Be in that moment!

Benefits- The DOSE (DOPAMINE, OXYTOCINE, SEROTONIN & ENDORPHINE) of happy hormones released by doing this simple act will boost your resilience for the rest of the day!

Every Hour - Whether at work or at home, create that 1-minute to focus on your breath & just BREATHE!

Benefits -This gives you the power to disconnect with whatever is going around you and appreciate that 1 minute of being Mindful. This will also have an impact on your problem-solving capabilities!

Most importantly,

Every Second - Celebrate Yourself for the amazing person that you are! Be grateful for the blessings you have & the challenges that life throws at you, for what doesn't break you makes you strong & something that leaves you broken gives you an opportunity to re-organise & start afresh!

Benefits-We succumb to pressures of the society – family & friends so that they accept us and appreciate us for our choices we make and so we end up behaving in what is not our preferred way of doing things. But when we practise being ourselves in these pockets of time, we begin to admire ourselves & love being who we are unconditionally.

Love the skin your are in, flaunt your scars they make who we are and above all what others tell you to do is not your business but what You tell Yourself, is! So don't let others opinions, thoughts & ideologies to dim your light. Take charge of 'Yourself', dust off those toxic layers, scrub those unproductive thoughts off & Connect with your inner strength, take pride in being you & GO SHINE!

We hope you always find the strength and courage to be YOU. Work on your self continuously and unlock the infinite potential which you have.