Editor’s Pick

3 Important Self-Care Routines for Better Mental Health

June 26, 2022 by Lukesh Umak

Sometimes, it can be easy to slip into habits that do not benefit our well-being or mental health. Our habits and routines can easily make or break us. I understand how challenging it can be to overcome certain habits. However, I’ve also felt the joy that comes with finally putting my foot down and deciding to change the old repetitive patterns that were keeping me stuck in a feeling of hopelessness. Continue reading my self-care routines below.

Once I zoned in on my daily habits and began to weed out the ones I no longer needed and replaced them with better habits, I felt lighter, more confident, and more willing to go after my goals and dreams. It all started with changing my routine and caring about myself as I would care for a friend.

These tips may or may not work, but I hope they do. Especially, if you are someone who feels stuck in life. We are creatures of habit and patterning. Once we find out what our patterns are we can then figure out how to move forward with greater awareness than prior.

woman in blue long sleeve shirt holding pen — Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Morning Routine

One of the first things I changed was my morning routine. I used to wake up, check my phone (scrolling for an hour or more on social media before getting out of bed), and then go to the bathroom and prepare for the day. Checking my social media right when I first opened my eyes was setting me up for information overload, comparing myself to others online, and losing a whole hour to mindlessly scrolling.

Once I took a step back and evaluated how I truly felt after doing this, I came to the realization I was causing my own unhappiness. In October 2019, I deleted all social media that was not related to my writing or art. I began to feel a little better after 2 months. At first, it was hectic, and I wanted to check my feed constantly.

I replaced scrolling social media with waking up, thinking of 3-5 things I was grateful for, spending the rest of the hour with my son, and getting dressed for the day. My son also started having fewer tantrums.

I didn't realize he was throwing tantrums because he needed more time with me. While I did spend time with him, it was in small spurts, 10-20 minutes here and there. I hate looking back and realizing how much time I lost with him, all because I was too focused on a silly social media app.

I also started writing out a list of things I needed to do in a day the night before. Seeing the list and crossing out the items gave me a sense of direction that I did not have prior. I’ve been doing this method for 2 years, and it has helped me accomplish a lot of the things I thought I never would.

It’s important to set up your day for success. There may be challenging situations, but when you set yourself up in a positive manner you are more likely to handle the situation with a clearer head.

Your morning routine may look different from mine. You know what works best for you.

Here are some ways to see how your morning routine is affecting your day:

Write down everything you do within the first hour when you first get up.
Ask yourself how you feel after the hour.
Ask yourself if you are charged and ready for the day, or are you dreading the day to come?
Ask yourself if there is anything that you may need to change or add to help you feel your best.
Listen to your body and emotions, they can be your best guides if you learn to pause and reflect for a moment.
Write down things you want to try to implement into your day and give yourself a month to try it out to see how you feel.

We all have our morning routines. Personally, I think how we start our day is very important for the rest of the day. Setting ourselves up for better days is highly beneficial for our future selves. After all, one day we are going to look back and see how far we’ve come, or we are going to look back and regret we didn’t take the steps sooner. The time is going to pass either way.

Alone Time

Another influential self-care routine is how we spend our alone time. Which can be hard if you are a parent. Still, there needs to be a time when you can breathe and relax, even if it is after the children are in bed.

When we don’t allow ourselves alone time, we can become overwhelmed, stressed, and burnt out from day-to-day life. This can lead to depression, anxiety, and even physical symptoms can appear.

Here are some relaxing ways I, personally, enjoy alone time:

Take a relaxing bath with Epsom salt. Lavender is one of my favorites
Reading a good book.
Playing video games
Writing poetry
Sitting in silence and just being
Yoga
Getting in my portable sauna box
Drawing

There are many ways to enjoy alone time. When you do things you enjoy that are relaxing to your mind and body, you begin to fill your own cup in life. We cannot pour from an empty cup. We need time to recharge, do things we like, and take a little time to nurture ourselves, so we can nurture those around us fully.

Nightly Self-Care Routine

Nightly routines are just as important as morning routines. Setting ourselves up for the next day by getting into a routine before falling asleep can help us feel more refreshed in the mornings. Before I made my own nightly routine, I would be on my phone… You guessed it, scrolling through social media until my eyelids could not stay open any longer. I would wake up so groggy and unmotivated.

To combat this, I started plugging my phone into its charger around 7 pm in my craft/workroom. This helped with not being tempted to grab it and redownload social media just because I was bored.

I then began to add things like 30 minutes of meditation before going to bed, reflecting on the day, while figuring out if I needed to be doing something different to better optimize my days, and I would write down the next day's tasks. This helped set the foundation for the following day, so I could spend the mornings with my son with no interference.

Ways you can start a nightly routine:

Evaluate where you are and if you feel as if you wake up refreshed and recharged
Ask yourself if there are any habits that could be making you feel drained
Start by replacing one thing at a time, if there are multiple things you wish to change

I started small by taking away a bad habit and replacing it with a better one. I let myself adjust, and then I would add more. I did not want to overburden myself with so much change at once. In the past, I would go all in and not let myself unwind the patterning naturally. This led me into giving up soon after I started something new. Another pattern I had to let go of.

Occasionally, we take on too much and give up before any real change takes place. It’s significant to pace ourselves.

Conclusion

As you can see, these changes in my own routines have helped me greatly, and I hope they can help others too. It starts by becoming aware of our own patterning and then figuring out a better pattern to fall into. It’s not easy and there will be times when we fall back into old patterns, but that is okay. Once we become aware of it, we can continue to move forward.

Getting into better self-care routines can benefit mental, physical, and emotional well-being by helping us build healthy habits that propel us forward in life instead of going in circles with old unhelpful habits.

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Nykaa | A short story

November 11, 2022June 24, 2022 by Srishti Dutta

The sweet fragrance of rain drifted to her window, where she stood as still as a statue, making the moon her spotlight. Our heroine, or ‘Nykaa’ as she was dotingly called by her friends for the dramatic flair she had to her movements, was fond of the rain more than anything else, and she had good reason. It was raining when she fell in love. The tenderness with which the ground received the droplets was the same as the tenderness her lover showered her with. She extended her hand to catch some of the drizzle and feel their gentleness.

It was nature who comforted her after our Nykaa felt the numbing stab of abandonment and the harsh tranquillity of life. It was her belief that both of them shared the same sky, the same rain and the same sun that consoled her when she felt her heart close in. In a way, she supposed nature became her lover.
But tonight was different. Tonight, she wanted to remember everything so that she can forget. The mist on her hands made her all the more aware of her recollections. Our Nykaa remembered the early days of her love, when everything the poets wrote came true.

Flowers bloomed when they walked by, and the stars seemed to dull when they looked at each other. She reminisced about the moments which seemed to last forever. The promises they made, the smile forever they gave each other. She recalled the time when her love started to fade. How gradual and unnoticeable the inevitable changes had been. The flair she had, the joy she enjoyed, the affection she let herself get lost in started to lose its brightness. Her life revolved around her love, but now it was consumed by it.

But she could not in good conscience think that her love had grown rotten. After all, how can something so pure ever turn into anything putrid? Our Nykaa was losing the very reason she was called a heroine. And then it happened. It happened and she didn’t even know. Her love went away telling her that he would be back, telling her that when he is back they will live in a house far too big for them, making promises of an eternity together to her, telling her to wait for him, and she did. She waited for him with all her will for as long as she could.

There were letters, for the first few months at least, and her heart swelled whenever she read them. She was the character of a great love story and nothing, nothing can make her feel otherwise. Until, they stopped coming. She waited, wearing her best saree and her magnificent bangles, for another flicker of hope that insured her love, but she never received one. She has a ghost of a smile on her lips, which shines through her tears as she reminisces about these moments now. She was angry. She was angry because with him, he took away her spirit, he snatched her Nykaa from her when he abandoned her and without her spirit, what was she? Without her spirit, she, could not even answer to her name that everyone so affectionately called her.

She re-lived all her pain that night. She wanted to let go, she wanted to snatch back what he took from her. She wore a beautiful saree and magnificent bangles that night too, just as she had when her heart broke. Furthermore, she realised how at those moments, she deceived herself into thinking everything was everlasting because facing the temporary nature of life was too overwhelming. She let herself cry, she let out her heartache, she let herself remember, and then she allowed herself to forget.

There was a time when she loved him more than she missed him and there was a time when she hated herself more than she hated him, but now, right now, she loved her more than she loved him. She loved her tears, her being, her spirit more than she had ever loved him for she had let him go, our heroine had found her Nykaa again.
Her tears stopped, and so did the rain.

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Poem Catharsis

July 25, 2024June 23, 2022 by Eshitha Barua

In the poem Catharsis, urging of a dream, love, ambitions, and goals

But tears are meant to be silent
Freezing in depths of heart,
Thickening layers of crimson pain
Soaking merrily in drizzling lanes,
Piling on every hour.
Away, away! For I will fly,
and spread my wings across the azure sky,
Shredding off hopes and plausible goals,
to try with all my heart, behold.

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Stepped out of hell

July 25, 2024June 21, 2022 by Linda Crate

Who taught me? What I am following? That always brings about by consequences and fault of others and selflessness. However, being worthy and unworthy, but there is a God with us. Ultimately, one day, we realize and stepped out of hell and save ourselves.

The church taught me that
my body was a weapon,
and the consequences were always
my fault; 

the church taught me no matter
how good i was i was never worthy
of love because ultimately, I was flawed 
and unworthy of being saved and I should
be grateful that I had a god that was 
forgiving enough to accept me as is—

it's no wonder I always suffered with 
self-image and self-esteem and was riddled
with anxiety,

because the church taught you no matter
how good you did in life that none of it was
ever the effort of your hands, nor should you ever
be given any credit;

I am so grateful that one day I just woke up and decided
that I wanted to live my life differently, and I wanted to 
do what was best for me and I wanted to love myself and
be myself and live without fear of their hell because
hell is trying to be someone you are not in order to 
please others because some people will never be happy with
you, even if you did everything they think or said you should.

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The Poem: Rebel

July 25, 2024June 21, 2022 by Sreejita Kar

The poem Rebel is a story of a girl who gets advice of fear, dare, don't fly. The poet at the end of the poem gives an excellent message.

There was once a girl, ages ago.
She had big dreams and with big wings, she dared to fly
But they said she would burn,
‘Don’t fly too close to the sun’-
So, she did what she was told.

There was once a girl, ages ago.
She raised her voice, did not keep quiet
But they said she had to obey,
‘Or you will go astray’-
So, she did what she was told.

There was once a girl, long ago
She was tired of running, scared of falling
But, they said, she could never say no
‘Go with the flow’-
So, she did what she was told.

‘Do what you’re told’
‘Don’t think for yourself’
‘Do not disobey’
‘Don’t be bold’
Or you’ll be free.

I hope you enjoyed the poem, Rebel, you may like other famous poems

5 सर्वोत्तम तरीके जीवन जीने के

January 7, 2025November 17, 2021 by Abhijeet Hatolkar

जीवन जीना यानि क्या? जब हमारी निराशा आशा में बदल जाएगी, तो जीवन अपने आप बदल जाएगा। निराशा को आशा में बदलकर हम कैसे आगे बढ़ सकते हैं, इसके बारे में जानिऎ। हालांकि, निराशा कोई ऐसी चीज नहीं है जिसके चंगुल में फंसा कोई भी व्यक्तिइससे बाहर न निकल सके या जीवन को उम्मीद में न बदल सके। यदि आप प्रकृति के प्रति अपने प्रेम को बढ़ाते हैं और अपनी संगति में उसका विश्लेषण करते हैं, तो आपको बहुत सी ऐसी चीजें दिखाई देंगी जो आपको आनंदमय जीवन जीने और निराशा की हर भावना को त्यागने के लिए प्रेरित करेंगी। इसलिए, हम जीवन जीने के सर्वोत्तम तरीकों के बारे में चर्चाकरेंगे और निराशा को छोड़ना चाहेंगे। 5 सर्वोत्तम तरीके जीवन जीने के.

5 सर्वोत्तम तरीके जीवन जीने के | i'mBiking | Photo by **Ali Arapoğlu** from **Pexels**

अपनी आशाओं को जीवित रखें।

कभी भी घास के उस नरम पौधे को न देखें जिस पर लोग अक्सर अपने पैरों से चलकर आगे बढ़ते हैं और इंसानों के पैरों के नीचे बार-बार कुचले जाने के बावजूद यह जमीन पर मुरझा नहीं रहता है। हर बार वह फिरसे खिलकर उठता है और हवा में लहराने का साहस दिखाता है, इसके साथ अपनी ऊंचाई को भी बनाए रखता है।
इसलिए, जब एक छोटा और कमजोर घास का पौधा आशादायी होने का इतना बड़ा उदाहरण पेश कर सकता है, तो आप भी दिखा सकते हैं कि आप भी इंसान के रूप में कितने अद्भुत हैं। दुनिया के तमाम लेखक, महापुरुष, समाज सुधारक, नेता और विजेता आदि सभी आशावादी रहकर इस हद तक ऊंचाई तक पहुंचे हैं। अपने लिए सोचने की कोशिश करें, इन सभी महान व्यक्तियों ने जीवन में पहले निराशा को आशा में बदलने की तरकीब सीख ली, फिर वे नई आशाओं के साथ आगे बढ़ने में सक्षम हुए।

अपने मानसिक स्वास्थ्य में सुधार करें।

अगर एक सैनिक निराशा में पड़ जाता है, तो उसकी हार निश्चित है और अगर यह निराशा किसी छात्रया प्रतियोगीता परीक्षाके उम्मीदवार में बस जाती है तो उसकी असफलता निश्चित है। इसका कारण यह है कि, निराशा शारीरिक और मानसिक शक्ति को निगल जाती है और उसे किसी भी कार्यमें सफलता के योग्यनहीं छोड़ती है। इसके विपरीत मन की आशा मनुष्य में उसकी शारीरिक और मानसिक शक्तिको इस कदर बढ़ा देती है कि चाहे कोई भी कठिन या बड़ा कार्य क्यों न हो, व्यक्तिकी जीत या सफलता पक्की हो जाती है। आप अपनी आंतरिक निराशा को आशा में बदल सकते हैं, आइए देखते हैं अपने जीवन में इसके कुछ असामान्य तरीके अपनाकर आप कैसे बेहतर जिन्दगी पा सकते है।

अपना जीवन कैसे व्यतीत करें।

सबसे ऊपर, सबसे पहले, दूसरों से इर्षा या घृणा करना बंद करो, कारण यह है कि नकारात्मकता एक घणा अंधेरा रहता है जहां वे भ्रष्टहोते हैं। अगर मन में नकारात्मकता है तो सकारात्मकता कभी नहीं होती। फिर जहाँ सकारात्मकता नहीं होती, वहाँ आशा नहीं रहती, क्योंकि केवल उस व्यक्तिकी सकारात्मक सोच ही अपने आप में आशा जगाती है। उजाले की चिंगारी जलाकर उम्मीद की एक नई किरण पैदा करती है।

दूसरा है, उन लोगों की बिल्कुल भी परवाह न करें जो केवल आप के अवगुणों की तलाश करते हैं और उन्हें उनमें से कोई अच्छेगुण नहीं देखते हैं। क्योंकि, ऐसे लोग जीवन में आशावादी रूप से आगे नहीं बढ़ सकते हैं या आगे बढ़ना नहीं चाहते हैं। उन लोगों पर ध्यान दें जो आपके सामान्य गुणों के असाधारण गुणों को बदलना पसंद करते हैं। इसके आलावा, अपनी आत्म-प्रेरणा का स्रोत बनें और अपने भीतर आशा का पौधा लगाएं।

-तीसरा, जीवन की परिस्थितियों का सामना किए या उनका विश्लेषण किए बिना कभी भी कोई निर्णय न करे या न लें। दशा और दीशा की स्थिति का विश्लेषण कर निर्णय ले। जीवन में किसी भी आपदा को स्थाई न समझें, समाधान की कामना करके साहस दिखाएं। जब हममें साहस हो और आशा का साथ दिया जाए तो हर कठिनाई का समाधान हो सकता है।

चौथा, इससे कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता कि आप कुछ समय के लिए नाखुश हैं, तो क्या? यदि आप सोचते हैं कि मुझे कभी दुखी नहीं होना चाहिए, तो यह भी दुख का कारण बनता है। वैसेही, बहुत समय दुख में बिताना भी खतरे से खाली नहीं है, जीवन वह है जो खुशियों से भरा हो। लंबे समय तक दुःख सहने से जीवन बर्बाद हो जाएगा। कोई बात नहीं, दुख हमारे जीवन का एक हिस्साहै। बस इस दुख से निकलने का रास्ता खोजे और फिर से खुशियों की ओर बढ़ो।

आखिर में, दूसरों पर निर्भर रहने के बजाय, जो आपके पास है उसमें खुशी से जीवन जीने की आदत डालें, क्योंकि उस व्यक्तिमें आशा कायम नहीं रह सकती जो हमेशा छोटी-छोटी चीजों के लिए दूसरों की ओर देखता है यानि अपेक्षारखता हो। हमेशा अपने आत्मसम्मान को बनाए रखने की कोशिश करें और आत्मनिर्भर जीवन जीना सीखें। अगर हम ऐसा करते हैं तो निराशा भी आशा के सूरज की तरह चमकेगी और आगे बढ़ती रहेगी।

Summary

This article explores a person's reason for living life, tells the story of how to live life to a person surrounded by despair. In this article, the ways for that person to convert a hopeless life into hope, and how these methods help in maintaining their mental health. Your whole life goes through episodes like hope, despair, or joy and sorrow. Hence, this article provides a guide to get out of the phase of your pessimistic life. How to spend your whole life, know only in Five Best Ways to Live Life.

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मराठी सारांश

हा लेख एखाद्या व्यक्तीचे जीवन जगण्याचे कारण शोधतो, निराशेने वेढलेल्या व्यक्तीला जीवन कसे जगावे याची कथा सांगते. या लेखात त्या व्यक्तीचे हताश जीवनाचे आशेमध्ये रूपांतर करण्याचे मार्ग आणि या पद्धतीने त्यांचे मानसिक आरोग्य राखण्यात कशी मदत करतात हे सांगितले आहे. तुमचे संपूर्ण आयुष्य तुमचे सुख, दु:ख आणि आशा, निराशा यांसारख्या प्रसंगांतून जाते. म्हणूनच हा लेख तुमच्या निराशावादी जीवनाच्या टप्प्यातून बाहेर पडण्यासाठी मार्गदर्शन प्रदान करतो. तुमचे संपूर्ण आयुष्य कसे घालवायचे, जीवन जगण्याचे फक्त पाच सर्वोत्तम मार्गमध्ये जाणून घ्या.

Also read, Anger: The product of different understanding

10 Tips for Self Publishing on Amazon

April 18, 2025October 25, 2021 by Ruchika Pahwa

person holding amazon kindle ebook | 7 Simple strategies to increase your amazon book sales online

Amazon self-publishing books is perceptive nowadays. It is easiest, cost saving, freedom to write, fastest and easily made available tools which provided with printing and e-book facility. Know these top 10 tips for self publishing on Amazon.

Book publishing is among the most prominent businesses worldwide. However, it can be a long and tedious process to pass through the multiple checks of traditional publishers and their editors and manuscript reviewers. You may even be an author who is absolutely fed up with querying and rejection emails. Yet, you haven’t found a way out of traditional publishing or the web of vanity publishers.

However, I’d like to tell you that the modern publishing industry has now created a great solution in the form of self-publishing platforms for all those authors. Who dreams to touch and feel their hard work sooner than they would do via a traditional route. As a self-published author myself, I’d love to share below some wonderful benefits of self-publishing that may clear a few of your confusions about it.

Tips for self publishing on amazon

Freedom to write
Faster self-publishing
Availability of help tools
Self-publishing is Affordability
Multiple printing options
Amazon self-publishing books Choices galore
Higher royalties at Amazon Self Publishing
Final thoughts

Freedom to write

Whether you are a fantasy writer or a mystery author, you may not like to be bound by the genre in which you write or in the style you write. As every author has their own way of expressing their thoughts and communicating what their soul desires to communicate, they need the freedom to write, like they need their food or a few cups of coffee, probably! If you are that type of writer who wishes to break the boundaries with their creative work, then self-publishing would allow you to follow your heart and never judge you for what you create.

Faster self-publishing

Amazon Self-publishing books tremendously cuts down on the waiting time for your book to arrive in the market and reach the appropriate reader base. Most Amazon self-publishing platforms provide you with options to easily create your books using the basic manuscript you have. On top of that, popular platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing also connect you to the paid services if you are unable to edit your own book or format it. With such help, you can quickly complete the process of preparing your book for self-publishing.

Availability of help tools

If you are stressed about creating your book cover or formatting it for a digital platform, then you should stop worrying. Self-publishing platforms may offer you the online options to create digital and paperback book covers and even take care of your problem to get the ISBN numbers for your physical books. You may also download their easy-to-use software tools when you are ready to develop a platform-compatible manuscript file that can be accessed seamlessly by the readers who use different reading devices, such as Kindle e-readers.

Self-publishing is Affordability

Instead of being trapped by a vanity publisher that charges you a huge sum of your hard-earned money for publishing your work, why not choose an option that lets you come up with your book at almost no cost! Yes, self-publishing usually does not involve any direct costs, while you may have to spend on add-on services if you cannot edit your content by yourself, illustrate for your words, or design a cover. However, these indirect costs will anyway have to be paid for, even when you go for traditional publishing. You can also save more if you are aware of the free third-party services for cover creation and design or content formatting.

Multiple printing options

Most authors find it annoying to follow every rule of printing and publishing their book that is dictated by a traditional publisher. If you feel the same way, then Amazon self-publishing not only rescues you but gives you many options to print your book the way you desire. You can decide on the look and feel of the manuscript and the cover, as well as the paper type and texture you would use to print it. Different printing options are available at different prices. Thus, you can even select a lower-cost printing option as per your budget or the profit margin you want to keep.

Amazon self-publishing books Choices galore

Since you are the publisher on Amazon self-publishing platform, you can review numerous choices while producing a publish-ready book. From a variety of design fonts and colors to a wide range of print paper sizes and finishes, everything remains under your control.

Higher royalties at Amazon Self Publishing

The most lucrative thing about self-publishing is the receipt of every penny of royalty directly in your bank account. There are no middlemen, except what the platform charges for printing your book and distributing it online or offline. While traditional publishing may not even fetch you a breakeven amount in spite of its promotional hassles, you can claim a much higher royalty rate from self-publishing platforms, provided you are good at product marketing and finding workable promotional platforms. Well, nothing comes without hard work.

Final thoughts

Using your money for advertising your self-published work not only brings in improved financial rewards, but also keeps you away from money-sucking vanity publishers. Self-publishing is a fine way to achieving creative control, motivating self to produce better work. And most of all, empowering self and learning to be independent in your choices and decisions as a managing authority of what is precious to you.

My writing is a play of emotional connection with my characters

January 7, 2025October 18, 2021 by Stephanie Parent

Writing is a slow and steady skill that develops from extensive reading and an emotional connection. These below listed down are my thoughts on how writing shaped me and I will tell you how I craft the one.

Sustainability is important in writing.

Above all, life experience makes me a better writer! While I have always loved to read, I struggled with writing until I had been through several life experiences, both positive and negative, that left me holding on to a lot of emotion. There was no place for this emotion to go except onto the page, so onto the page (and another page, and another…) it went!

Being part of a writing community really encourages me to be a better writer—these days, that mostly happens through Twitter. When I publish short pieces, share them on Twitter and get responses from other writers and readers, it emphasizes the fact that I’m not dropping words into a vacuum—there are actual humans reading and responding to my work! This encourages me to always push myself to write better, to live up to the very high standards set by my fellow authors.

Reading, my first love, is the root of any talent I possess as a writer. I spent so much of my childhood and teen years lost in literary worlds, and all that reading helped me understand how to use language to tell a compelling story and to evoke emotion from readers. It also taught me to see everything—a myth or fairy tale, a crazy news story, a beautiful flower or a piece of trash on the street—as the potential inspiration for a story of my own. Reading teaches us to observe the world carefully, to see things through different perspectives, and if we become writers ourselves, to share these perspectives with readers.

I was more of a reader in my childhood

Compared to many writers, I probably did very little creative writing as a child. I always wanted to write stories, but I was also a perfectionist, so I would write a sentence or two, decide it wasn’t good enough and abandon it. Truth be told, I preferred reading to writing. I liked getting lost in other people’s worlds. Even in high school and college, I wrote stories for classes, but couldn’t motivate myself to write too much on my own time. I went on to attend graduate school for writing and wrote a few young adult novels—so my first stage of writing very intensely was in my mid to late twenties.

However, I still didn’t enjoy the process of writing, and I ended up taking a long break from writing while pursuing other jobs. As I mentioned above, it was going through a lot of emotional upheaval, including a difficult breakup and a lot of career changes, that made me want to return to writing. So in my thirties, I began writing again—first with a novel, and then with an explosion of poetry and creative nonfiction pieces. This was the first time I really felt like a writer—writing had become a cathartic experience for me, something I was compelled to do, a way to share my voice with the world.

As for my writing secrets? Well, the biggest secret of all may be that there are no secrets—writing is hard for everyone, and you have to find what works for you. But based on my own experience, I would say that the more emotional connection you feel to your writing, the more meaningful it will be for you and ultimately for readers.

At the beginning of the day, I write with a fresh mind

When I’m working on a longer writing piece, like a novel, or when I’m trying to finish a piece for a deadline, I always start writing as soon as I open my computer in the morning, before I do any other work. This way my freshest, most creative thoughts make it onto the page. Of course, often the real world and my freelance work intrudes, and I don’t have as much time to devote to writing as I would like. For me, what’s more helpful than having a fixed writing schedule is reminding myself that writing is just as important as work I’m getting a paycheck for. Occasionally, I have to give up sleep for writing, and I definitely give up a lot of movie or TV-watching time. But ultimately, I have to believe that my efforts will pay off (emotional connection).

Fairy tales are more than true—not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.
G.K. Chesterton

My advice to my fellow writers

When I was younger, I let perfectionism get in the way of my writing and didn’t allow myself to enjoy the process. I was focused on creating an end product that was worthy of publication, and as a result, my writing was often stiff and didn’t get to the messy emotional heart of a topic. So, I would suggest giving yourself room to experiment and try things that fail. Think of writing as a process rather than a product, and give yourself the chance to grow. And, of course, allow yourself time to live and have experiences as well—they will ultimately enrich your writing so much.

This is how my characters inspire me

I recently saw an author comment on Twitter that her characters experience more growth than she does, and I would say that the same is true in my writing. My characters often start off with many of the same struggles I have—including staying stuck in bad relationships, punishing themselves, isolating—but in a book you want to see characters grow and change. So, my characters actually reach a level of self-acceptance that I have not, and writing these character journeys is a powerful act for me. It shows me that this level of change and self-acceptance is possible, and gives me hope that I will reach it in real life as well.

When I write, I am telling myself a story as much as I’m telling readers one—I’m giving myself hope, creating a world in which characters can slay their dragons, can defeat their problems both internal and external. I believe that stories and language truly are magic—they allow us to transform and to share our experience with people we’ve never met. Writing may be the closest I ever come to performing magic, and I’m happy with that!

Also, read Ethan on his secret to writing and Theophanes Avery's strength and inspirations in her writings.

युगांतर: गांधीजी एक क्रांतिकारी युगपुरुष

January 7, 2025October 13, 2021 by Abhijeet Hatolkar

इंग्रजाच्या जुलुमशाहीला, त्यांच्या बेबंदशाहीला संघटीत ताकद आणि वाणीच्या जोरावर भिडलेला हा महात्मा खरच एक महान व्यक्तिमत्व होते. याने इंग्रजाच्या जागतिक दर्जाच्या फौजेला केवळ आपल्या लाठीच्या ताकदीच्या जोरावर नमवलं. ते मुळात एक आध्यात्मिक व्यक्तिमत्व होते, त्यांचे हृदय मोठे होते, म्हणूनच त्यांना महात्मा म्हटले गेले. पण यामुळे देश आणि समाजाच्या समस्यांपासून त्यांनी कधीच दूर पळ काढला नाही. देश आणि देशवासियांबद्दल त्यांचे प्रेम आणि आपुलकी होती. त्यांनी इंग्रजीचे शिक्षण घेतले आणि ते त्या वेळी परदेशी शिकलेले बॅरिस्टर असूनही, त्यांनी मायदेशी येऊन त्यांचा संपूर्ण रंगढंग बदलला. रहाणीमान बदलत 'टाय-कोट संस्कृती' सोडून त्यांनी फक्त एक धोती अंगीकारली. इतिहासातील सर्व परकीय आक्रमणामुळे फाटलेल्या या देशात पसरलेल्या अगणित संस्कृती, रियासत एकत्र करून गांधीजींनी त्याच राष्ट्रीय अभिमानाने भारताची पुनर्रस्थापना करण्याचा प्रामाणिक प्रयत्न केला. म्हणूनच आपण त्यांना राष्ट्रपिता म्हणतो.

केवळ देशातच नव्हे तर मार्टिन ल्यूथर किंग आणि नेल्सन मंडेला सारख्यानी परदेशातही महात्मा गांधींनी महात्मा गांधींना आपला आदर्श मानले. तथापि, त्यांना अगणिक टीकेलाही सामोरे जावे लागले; त्यांना आणि त्याचे योगदान पूर्णपणे संपवून टाकण्याचे प्रयत्नही झाले. पण गांधीशिवाय भारताचा इतिहास लिहिणे शक्य आहे का? कदापि नाही, किंबहुना भारतीय स्वातंत्र्य लढ्याचे अहिंसात्मक नेतृत्वच त्यांनी केले असे म्हटले तर वावगे ठरणार नाही.

गांधीयुगाची पाश्वभूमि

गांधी युग: 1919-1948

आधुनिक इतिहास
मोहनदास करमचंद गांधी (जन्म: 2 ऑक्टोबर 1869; मृत्यू: 30 जानेवारी 1948)

महात्मा गांधी म्हणूनही ओळखले जाणारे हे निर्भीड व्यक्तिमत्व, 9 जानेवारी रोजी दक्षिण आफ्रिकेतून भारतात परतले. 1893 मध्ये दादा अब्दुल्ला या भारतीय मुस्लिम व्यापा-याचा खटला लढण्यासाठी ते दक्षिण आफ्रिकेत गेले. तिथे त्याने भारतीयांशी भेदभावपूर्ण वागणूक पाहिली. एकदा जेव्हा ते दक्षिण आफ्रिकेत ट्रेनने प्रवास करत होते,त्याच वेळी मेरिट्झबर्ग नावाच्या स्टेशनवर, एका इंग्रजाने त्याला ट्रेनमधून ढकलले. या घटनेतून गांधीजींना नवी दिशा मिळाली. त्यांच्या दक्षिण आफ्रिकेतील मुक्कामा दरम्यानच गांधीजींनी भारतीयांबद्दल स्वीकारलेल्या वर्णभेदी धोरणांविरोधात संघर्ष सुरू केला. त्यांच्या चळवळीला संघटनात्मक आकार आणि दिशा देण्यासाठी त्यांनी नेटल इंडियन काँग्रेस, टॉल्स्टॉय फर्म (जर्मन कारागीर मित्र कॅलेन बागच्या मदतीने) आणि फिनिक्स आश्रम अशा अनेक संघटना स्थापन केल्या. दक्षिणेतच गांधीजींनी इंडियन ओपन नावाचे वृत्तपत्रही प्रसिद्ध केले.

गांधीजींनी भारतीय राजकारणात पदार्पण

गांधींच्या दक्षिण आफ्रिकेतील चळवळीच्या यशस्वी आचरणाचा परिणाम म्हणून, तेथील सरकारने 1914 पर्यंत बहुतेक भेदभाव करणारे काळे कायदे रद्द केले. गांधीजींचे हे पहिले यश होते जे त्यांनी अहिंसेच्या मार्गाने मिळवले. इ.स.1915 मध्ये भारतात आल्यानंतरच गांधीजींनी भारतीय राजकारणात पदार्पण केले. महात्मा गांधी गोपालकृष्ण गोखले यांना आपले राजकीय गुरु मानले. यावेळी पहिले महायुद्ध चालू होते आणि गांधीजींनी या युद्धात ब्रिटिशांना साथ दिली आणि भारतीयांना सैन्यात भरती होण्यासाठी प्रोत्साहित केले. या कारणास्तव त्याला 'भर्ती सार्जंट' म्हटले जाऊ लागले. ब्रिटिश सरकारने त्यांचा केसर-ए-हिंद या पदवीने सन्मान केला. पहिल्या महायुद्धातील सहकार्याच्या बदल्यात भारतीयांना स्वराज मिळेल, असा गांधीना विश्वास होता. गांधीजींनी 1915 मध्ये अहमदाबादमध्ये साबरमती आश्रमाची स्थापना केली. या माध्यमाने सर्जनशील कार्याला प्रोत्साहन देणे हा त्याचा हेतू होता. भारतीय राजकारणातील प्रभावशाली नेता म्हणून गांधींचा उदय, उत्तर बिहारचे चंपारण आंदोलन, गुजरातचे खेडा शेतकरी आंदोलन आणि अहमदाबादच्या कामगार वादाचे यशस्वी नेतृत्व केल्यानंतर हे घडले. चंपारण आणि खेडा चळवळ शेतक-यांच्या समस्यांशी संबंधित असताना, अहमदाबादच्या कामगारांच्या वादाच्या पार्श्वभूमीवर कापूस कापड गिरणी मालक आणि कामगारांमध्ये वेतन वाढ आणि प्लेग बोनस देण्याबाबत वाद झाला. अहमदाबादमधील प्लेग संपल्यानंतर गिरणी मालकांना बोनस रद्द करायचा होता. गिरणी मालकांनी केवळ 20 टक्के बोनस स्वीकारला आणि धमकी दिली की जो कर्मचारी हा बोनस स्वीकारणार नाही त्याला कामावरून काढून टाकले जाईल. 35 टक्के बोनसच्या कामगारांच्या मागणीला समर्थन देत गांधीजी स्वतः संपात सामिल झाले. या संपूर्ण प्रकरणावर न्यायाधिकरणाने कामगारांच्या मागणीला न्याय दिला आणि 35 टक्के बोनसचे आदेश दिले. या गिरणी मालकांपैकी एक गांधींचे मित्र अंबालाल साराभाई होते, ज्यांनी साबरमती आश्रमाच्या बांधकामासाठी मोठ्या प्रमाणात आर्थिक योगदान दिले. अहमदाबाद कामगार चळवळीत अंबालाल साराभाई यांची बहीण अनुसूयाही गांधी यांच्यासोबत होती.

गांधींचे आदर्श, तात्विक विचार, विचारधारा आणि जीवनपद्धती

सत्याग्रहाच्या सुरुवातीच्या प्रयोगाच्या यशाने गांधीजींना सामान्य माणसाच्या अधिक जवळ आणले. गांधींचे आदर्श, तात्विक विचार, विचारधारा आणि जीवनपद्धती यांनी त्यांना सामान्य लोकांच्या जीवनाशी जोडले. ते गरीब, राष्ट्रवादी आणि बंडखोर भारताचे प्रतीक बनले. हिंदू-मुस्लिम ऐक्य, स्त्रियांची सामाजिक स्थिती सुधारणे आणि अस्पृश्यते विरोधात काम करणे ही त्यांची इतर मुख्य उद्दिष्टे होती. इ.स.1919 च्या जालियनवाला बाग हत्याकांडाने ब्रिटिश सरकारप्रती गांधींचा दृष्टिकोन बदलला आणि तद्दनंतर या सरकार विरोधी संघर्षाचे 'गांधी युग' सुरु झाले.

उच्च विचार आणि साधे जीवन हेच त्यांना सर्वात प्रिय होते, जर संघर्ष असेल तर हिंसा का, एक मेकाच्या रक्ताची तहान का या माणसाला, असे ते म्हणत. बापूंकडून शिकलेल्या प्रत्येक गोष्टीचा योग्य मार्ग आहे, ज्या विचाराने क्रांती आणली ती गांधीवादी होती. तो एक विचार असा की, तुम्ही शेवटी केलेल्या अत्याचाराला कंटाळताल आम्ही जुलूम सहन करू पण आम्ही हात उचलणार नाही, हीच ती गांधी निति, गांधी विचार, आणि गांधीवाद म्हणून ओळखला गेला. परन्तु परिणामत: क्रांतिका-यात जहाल आणि मवाळ मतवादी अशा गटात विभाजन झाले. नेताजी सुभाषचंद्र बोस, भगतसिंग आणि राजगुरु यांच्या जहाल मतवादाचा अंतर्गत सामना बापूजी यांना करावा लागला. धर्माच्या नावावर मोहमद अली जीना सारख्या धार्मिक कट्टर पंथियाचा मुकाबला त्यांना करावा लागला. याचे पर्यावसन म्हणून धार्मिक दंगे सोसावे लागले. जनतेला अनेक हत्या, अत्याचार यांना सामोरे जावे लागले. धार्मिक व भौगोलिक फाळणी सोसावी लागली. याचे सर्व पातक, राजकीय रोष गांधीजीला पचवावे लागले. याच पुजनिय बापूजी (महात्मा गांधी) च्या स्मरणार्थ ही हिंदी काव्यपंक्ति!

राष्ट्रपिता तुम कहलाते हो सभी प्यार से कहते बापू,
तुमने हमको सही मार्ग दिखाया सत्य और अहिंसा का पाठ पढ़ाया,
हम सब तेरी संतान है तुम हो हमारे प्यारे बापू।
सीधा सादा वेश तुम्हारा नहीं कोई अभिमान,
खादी की एक धोती पहने वाह रे बापू तेरी शान।
एक लाठी के दम पर तुमने अंग्रेजों की जड़ें हिलायी,
भारत माँ को आजाद कराया राखी देश की शान।

गांधी सारखे लोक मरत नाहीत

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त्याच गांधींच्या देशवासी, तथाकथित एका राष्ट्रवादी म्हणवीणा-याने देश स्वतंत्र होताच त्यांचा जीव घेतला. हा कसला राष्ट्रवाद आहे! केवळ वैचारिक मतभेदामुळे एखाद्याला जीवे मारणे ही आपली संस्कृती कधीच नव्हती. मात्र "गांधी" सारखे लोक मरत नाहीत. गांधीजींना हवे असते तर ते त्यांच्या हत्येची घटना टाळू शकले असते. सरदार पटेल यांनी त्यांना आधीच याबाबत चेतावणी दिली होती. तसेच आवश्यक सुरक्षा व्यवस्था करण्यासाठी परवानगी मागितली होती. पण गांधीजींनी यास नकार दिला. कारण त्यांचे मते हे नंतर त्याच्या चारित्र्याला व विचाराला कमजोर करेल, जे त्याला कोणत्याही किंमतीला मान्य नव्हते. जीव देऊनही नाही. महात्मा गांधी त्यांच्या मृत्यूपर्यंत ते त्यांच्या चरित्रात राहिले, आणि ते चांगले अबाधित राहिले. म्हणूनच तो एक "महात्मा गांधी" आहे. ते विलक्षण आहेत, ते विलक्षण आहेत कारण इंग्रजांच्या सैन्य शक्ति, कूटनीतिचा मुकाबला त्यांनी सहनशक्तिच्या विलक्षण ताकदी च्या जोरावर केला. अहिंसा, उपोषण, आंदोलन या विलक्षण सोशिक नितिचा अवलंब केला, जे की संपूर्ण जगताला नाविन्यपूर्ण होते. नंतर ते जगाचा 'गांधी आदर्श' म्हणून आजपर्यंत अबाधित राहिले. मग हाच आदर्श अवलंबून अनेक जागतिक, अनेक राष्ट्रांचे अंतर्गत प्रश्न सुटले. म्हणूनच गांधींसारखा कोणी एकच महान व्यक्ति शतकात एकदाच जन्माला येतो, एक युगांतर…. आणतो. मग याच गांधीवादाचा, याच गांधीनितिचा अवलंब आपण वैयक्तिकरित्या, तसेच अनेक सामाजिक व राजकीय समस्यांमध्ये का करू नये.

Mystery of Kamakhya temple that nobody will tell you

January 7, 2025August 13, 2021 by Nidhi Agrawal

Kamakhya Devi temple, in India, has secret facts and divine powers. The Lord Shiva known as the Father God and Goddess Durga referred to as the Mother Goddess from the age of the Indus valley Civilization of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa (The civilization dated between 2600 BCE -1900 BCE).

The earliest religious text, the Rigveda, mentions a god named Rudra, which is a name used for Shiva in later Ancient traditions. In Indian culture, the Father God represented by the ‘Lingam’ (the male symbol) and the Mother Goddess by the ‘Yoni’ (the female symbol). This representation of Shiva-Shakti by the Lingam-Yoni is worshipped in their symbolic representations throughout India.

Shiva — The Destroyer of illusions and imperfections of the world

Secrets about Kamakhya Devi Temple that nobody will tell you | Pic Credit to Wikimedia Commons

In contemporary meditation and healing codes, yoga has secured its place, and it is evident that it is here to stay. Over 15,000 years ago, predating all religion, Adiyogi, the first Yogi, transmitted the science of Yoga to his seven disciples, the Saptarishis (Seven Disciples).

Shiva/Sadashiv/Adiyogi is the third God of the Hindu triumvirate, and his role is to destroy the universe to recreate it. He is the destroyer of illusions and imperfections of the world, paving the way for beneficial change. To call someone, a yogi, means he has experienced existence as himself. If you have to contain the existence within you even for a moment as an experience, you have to be that nothingness. Only nothingness can hold everything.

GOD and AUM

Lord Vishnu and Brahma heard a sound OM, and they became curious to know the origin of that sound. Vishnu saw a letter 'A' towards the south of that Shivalinga. He also saw the letters 'U' and 'M' center towards the north of the Shivalinga and in its center, respectively. Subsequently, he saw the mantra 'OM', which was dazzling like a Sun.

There was no beginning and end to this mantra OM. As they were making efforts to know about its origin, suddenly Shiva appeared in the form of a sage. He gave them the knowledge regarding OM. He also revealed to them that Lord Brahma originated from the letter 'A', Vishnu originated from letter 'U' and Shiva himself originated from letter M. The letter A signifies creation, U Signifies nurture and M signifies salvation.

“The three letters A, V & M also symbolizes the basic causes of creation. A or Brahma also symbolizes the semen, U or Vishnu symbolizes the Vagina and the sound of OM is Maheshwar- the combined sound of A, U and M. All the three united from which manifested a golden egg. This golden egg remained submerged in the water for one thousand years. The almighty then cut that egg into two halves, from which appeared heaven and Earth.”

Maha Shiv Puran

The Mother Goddess of The Kamakhya Devi Temple

The beauty of the world manifested as a twofold essence — a man and woman, soul and body, expanding the horizons of human life. On the plane of symbolism, the soul of things becomes associated with the manly form, and the manifested energy (Nature, as we call it) with that of woman and motherhood. This conception procreates a powerful and cosmic methodology that god and nature are necessary to each other as the complementary manifestations of one, just as we find in the male and the female together, humanity. Under this aspect, the one existence known as Purush and Prakriti, Soul and Energy.

Tantric literature and the bleeding Mother

According to Google Arts and Culture, “Tantra mentioned to be a system comprising incredible, primitive, unscientific beliefs, which promotes blind faith and exploits undeveloped or under-developed minds.” In Tantric literature, the father god is symbol represented by a white dot signifying the likeness with semen, while the Mother Goddess served by a red dot to suggest the correspondence with the menstrual blood contained in the ovum.

Kamakhya Temple

The Kamakhya Devi Temple, which is situated high aloft a hill called Neelachal Parbat or Kamagiri in the city of Guwahati. It is one of its several religious landmarks, which speaks volumes about the rich historical treasure over which the state of Assam accommodated. The temple holds an exceptional place in tantra and culture, since it is one of the most famous temples dedicated to mother worship in India. Therefore, the temple is the abode of the Mother’s figure in the form of a Yoni—shaped cleft in a rock that shrouds a natural spring, keeping the cleft moist. Albeit there is no scientific proof of the belief tantrics that around July/August, earth’s menstruation takes place and the river Brahmaputra runs red, a great ceremony takes place to celebrate the power of the Goddess.

Poem “Hideaway” by Nidhi Agrawal

The Goddess
Without birth or death
The Goddess of Kamakhya is on the far side
Of cosmology.
She is the blooming bride of Shiva
Granting salvation, yielding mercy and liberation.
Dwelling in the fertile shrine of Prakriti
She retires to the love of Shiva.
Day and night, I slope downwards
From the anguish of rejection
To find a safe, sweet spot meeting with
The hollow depression hydrated by
The underground fountainhead showering
Love, mercy, forgiveness, peace, and prosperity.
This stone studded vulva
Surrounded by female blood and membrane is my hideaway;
My Mother’s abode.

Furthermore, read another poem by Megha, Farewell Poem, and power the sunshine in every beginning of life. Besides, do not miss on the soul scrubbing poem Vrukshavalli Amha Soyari which tells the actual meaning of love.

Morning Routine

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Alone Time

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Nightly Self-Care Routine

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Conclusion

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अपनी आशाओं को जीवित रखें।

अपने मानसिक स्वास्थ्य में सुधार करें।

अपना जीवन कैसे व्यतीत करें।

Summary

मराठी सारांश

Tips for self publishing on amazon

Freedom to write

Faster self-publishing

Availability of help tools

Self-publishing is Affordability

Multiple printing options

Amazon self-publishing books Choices galore

Higher royalties at Amazon Self Publishing

Final thoughts

Sustainability is important in writing.

I was more of a reader in my childhood

At the beginning of the day, I write with a fresh mind

My advice to my fellow writers

This is how my characters inspire me

गांधीयुगाची पाश्वभूमि

आधुनिक इतिहासमोहनदास करमचंद गांधी (जन्म: 2 ऑक्टोबर 1869; मृत्यू: 30 जानेवारी 1948)

गांधीजींनी भारतीय राजकारणात पदार्पण

गांधींचे आदर्श, तात्विक विचार, विचारधारा आणि जीवनपद्धती

गांधी सारखे लोक मरत नाहीत

GOD and AUM

The Mother Goddess of The Kamakhya Devi Temple

Tantric literature and the bleeding Mother

Kamakhya Temple

Poem “Hideaway” by Nidhi Agrawal

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आधुनिक इतिहास
मोहनदास करमचंद गांधी (जन्म: 2 ऑक्टोबर 1869; मृत्यू: 30 जानेवारी 1948)