Need to let out your emotions.

Need to let out your emotions.

We all have emotional days. Some are good, some are bad. What we need to understand is that emotion like every other thing is temporary.  We need to let it out and everyone has different ways of letting it out. It is important that we don’t bottle up our feelings and keep to ourselves. We need to let it out and there are different ways of doing it so.

When I have an emotional day I do three things about it.  FPW! Feel, Process, Work. I try to understand my emotion and feel it! One can only truly understand their emotion when they truly feel it and for that split second our heart controls our body and it is not a bad thing! We need to think from our hear sometimes and not always with our brain. We are human beings and if that makes us naïve then so be it! The second step is to process that emotion in your body. To heal from a bad emotion this is very helpful. You have to process the emotion not from your heart but from your brain and soul this time. Understand why is it happening what triggered the emotion and let your body take it all in. The third and the final step is to work on it. One of my very close teachers said that ‘if it was a bad emotion, let the cause of the emotion go, work on yourself and make it temporary. If it was good one, work on it and make the emotion last’. So Feel, Process and Work!

A lot of people don’t want to show their emotions they think it will make them weak, naïve, others would use them and to some extent that is true. You can’t always show your emotions to everyone as they might use you however you can’t always not show your emotions. People will find you fake and manipulative if you don’t show any feelings. Don’t be scared to let your outer shell crack a little and to expose some of your feelings its good for your body and soul.

There are various ways to let out your emotions you can write, sing, play an instrument talk to someone like a friend or a counselor if not your parents. Let your emotions out and its fine if you cry, its normal and I appreciate people who let their emotions out and their shields down.  We always don’t have to act to be strong. Do small things which make you happy and make you look forward to waking up in the morning! One thing which helps me is that I put inspirational, happy quotes up on my study wall. I call it my happy board. So whenever I look at it I always smile and I can always cope up with my emotions better after reading those quotes. It not only makes me feel better but also makes me more positive whenever I look at it. (I have inserted a picture below of my happy board) Once you have let out your emotions you reflect upon yourself and ask yourself that could have dealt with that thing in a better way or not.

My last piece of advice would be that our emotions need to be as educated as our intellect. It is important to know how to feel, how to respond and how to let life in so that it can touch you. Never apologize for being emotional and sensitive it is a sign that you have a big heart and you aren’t afraid of others seeing it. Your emotion is your strength!


Picture of my happy board/wall: -

A little piece of advice for college students and parents.

A little piece of advice for college students and parents. 

For every student moving into college/university is very important. Regardless they are in their country or in another. The place will be foreign to them! It is going to be hard on the parents as well the students. College is a phase and only 30% of the population in  US goes to college/university so parents you should be proud that your kid is already 70% above the US average for education. And students you  should know how fortunate and lucky you are to get a higher level college education as everyone doesn’t get this chance. Make most of it! 

Everyone has a different reaction when they join college. Few parents and students will be crying and some of them want to leave their parents as soon as possible and so on. The students don't realize the importance of family until their parents have dropped them off in college and left. So students please spend time with your family before college starts! Once in college it is natural to miss your family but don't let your emotions cloud your judgement. You have to be mentally and emotionally strong. Don't always think about ‘what everyone else will think’ if you took this course or if you did a certain thing. This is YOUR college YOUR life and don't let anyone else dominate for you! Have fun , make new friends and study hard. 

All parents will be emotional dropping their child off to college but please mom and dads don't cry in front of your child! It will break their hearts and then they will get emotional and keep on thinking if you will be fine or not. Be strong its a journey that you have to undergo! Tell your kids how proud you are of them that they are in this college and are getting independent, tell them you will miss them but not much! and keep them updated on whats happening at home. 

The Dean of Wheaton college Ma (my college) Mr Dennis Hanno said that we must do three things in college which is ‘ENGAGE, EXPLORE, EXCITE’ and I completely agree with this statement. Engage in not only classroom activity but outside it as well. Explore different subjects, new things you never know when you may change your major. Excite!Be excited for what you are doing and whats about to come in the next 4 years.  Im attending Wheaton college this fall and just being here for only 3 nights I have completely fell in love with this place. I already feel so comfortable, happy with everyone  around me and I feel like its home away from home. The community is strong here and there is unity in diversity! 

My personal advice for everyone would be to have a positive outlook. Positive people will always attract positive things and energies! College is a process we all have to work hard to accomplish our dreams and goals. Always remember that pressures creates diamonds and fire refines gold. We always have to sparkle, keep your eyes on the stars and feet on the ground as the sky is the limit for you! 

What i feel before, after and while writing my ACT exam...

 What I feel before, after and while writing my ACT exam …

It’s almost time; it’s almost time...

The trickling of my sweat from my forehead; my big green watery eyes, the chapped lips and the dry throat. Almost feeling like I had gulped down pickled juice and wanted to throw up.  Typical signs of nervousness before entering the ACT/SAT exam room. I felt suffocated being with so many students out there in that room. I kept on clamping my sweaty palms, my stomach rumbled with hunger and for some reason my feet were shaking. I had never felt like this before, I am not like this! I am quite chilled out about exams and tests however the pressure of achieving a high score in ACT/SAT was overpowering my calm and cool attitude. The same thing repeated in my forehead- ‘NEED TO GET GOOD GRADES OTHERWISE NO COLLEGE!’ I tried to calm myself down however all I could think was about the paper.

All my five senses were highly alert and I could fell, hear everything detail in the spacious room. I could fell my heart pumping, I sense my anxiety increasing I could hear the chit- chat of the people in the other corner.  I was a mess however I had to fight that feeling! I entered the room and removed all my stationary out that I required; I rechecked my calculator twice just to make sure that it was working properly. I saw that all my pencils were sharp and I filled the form carefully avoiding making a single mistake. Typical signs of being nervous!  The invigilator came and handed out the papers. Oh and that wait for the paper! That wait was terrible to start the paper. I could feel the smooth white paper, which would change my life forever! The paper was about to start at 9 and as the clock ticked to 8:59 everyone glared at the watch. That moment was frozen…everyone was nervous and that one-minute almost felt like an hour. As soon as it turned 9 we all rushed and started solving the paper. It felt like a mini marathon happening within my brain. I was overloaded with information and apparently this paper was a way to prove my intelligence! The paper went on for 3 long hours each second counted. I could fell the competition and the heat in the room, everyone wanted the highest marks and wanted to beat the other person.

After the paper was over I felt relieved. I felt overjoyed and I really didn’t care about what I will get because I gave my 100% and I am pretty sure that my hard work will pay off.  It felt like a burden was lifted off my shoulders. The anxiety had settled down. I thought everyone must have felt the same way in the room however as I stepped out of the room all I saw was people discussing their papers and crying over mistakes they made! This made me reflect upon the human behavior. Is our life only based on grades?  Universities will see your marks but marks wont define your intelligence and it surely isn’t a way of judging your personality or potential. There is more to life than grades.  Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t to work hard. People worry too much however life is too short to worry. Competition is good but for me I am my biggest competitor and I work hard to make myself better than yesterday. I compete to be better than what I was yesterday and that’s my Mantra !

Art is not what you see but what you make others see

ideal sunday

An Ideal Sunday for Mumbai Girls

Ramya Chaturvedi

‘Live life King Size’ has always been my motto and though one cannot actively practice that everyday, Sunday is the day when this proverbial thought to take shape.  For a teenage girl like me who loves to laugh with their best(budd)ies, Sunday is our day. Sunday mantras differ from one gal to another but here is what I do with my gal-pals on my ideal Sunday.

It is true that a girl and her bed on Sunday is an endless love affair, so sleep as much as you want to. Start your morning with an energetic watermelon virgin mojito. Stretch a little bit and get ready for a spa day. If you are a sporty person and want to start your day with a workout, try out Zumba classes or go for a swim at Mumbai’s oldest swimming pool called ‘Mafatlal’. You could also go to your favourite salon and get a pedicure and manicure done. My personal favourite is Déssange or JCB. Get the intense cuticle manicure done. Try to run local for sometime. Explore the Colaba Causeway and Kala Ghoda. Go and buy those cool Indianised print pattern pants that are so much in fashion these days.  Explore the Indian couture culture by visiting places such as Fab India, West Side or Cottons. One can find several shoe shops on the street at Colaba Causeway, with shoes starting INR 100 only. Don’t forget to buy scarfs and local bags out there. There are several small shops where you can find anything like even a metal purse!  Top up your clothes shopping with antique jewellery with the filter coffee off the local streets. If you get tired and hungry there are always Theobroma brownies ready for you. Don’t miss your evening snacks at the Kala Ghoda Café or the Colaba social. After this busy afternoon go to a spa and get a nice aromatherapy massage done. In the evening go out with your friends for dinner and catch up with a rom-com movie. One can even go clubbing with friends at places like Tryst, Tote on the Turf and Royalty.

Girls and fun in Mumbai truly complement each other like no other city in the world! Mumbai is safe and the oddest of people are gallants towards the youth for the times have changed for good. This is my world and my idea of an ideal Sunday for a girl like me…what is yours?

Great books summer program - STANFORD

How a summer at Stanford taught me to think differently …

By Ramya Chaturvedi

I never teach my pupils, I only provide the conditions in which they can learn.

 – Albert Einstein

As students, we are taught day-in and day-out about subjects such as languages, mathematics, science, social sciences and the arts. A large part of our schooling lives are filled with attending classes, listening to the teacher, taking down notes and solving tests (chasing marks!). This ‘oh so same’ mundane routine was broken for me when I attended the Great Books Summer Program at Stanford University this summer past.

I distinctly remember that day when I walked into my Stanford classroom, the atmosphere was so positive and lively. It was full of students from all over America and the world and I just loved being there. Professor’s Illan Stevens, Rob Reich and Noah Rosenblum helped break the ice by introducing themselves and giving each of us a chance to talk about who we were and where we came from. They were so friendly and made us feel comfortable and at ease before embarking on the ‘teaching’. Their teaching style was one that I rarely came across back in India. Everything was taught using what I later learnt to be called an ‘inquiry based mothodology’ and ‘The Socratic Method’. The Professor’s encouraged us to read a book every evening and in class the following morning we held discussions about the meaning of the written words in an energetic and open minded environment. Every point raised by a students or a teacher led to a buzzy discussion. Somehow magically, I felt completely in my zone and as if I was the part of every discussion - this style of learning really caught my attention.

As other students presented their honest thoughts and perspectives, I began appreciating how people think about different things, even when looking at the same thing. This experience dawned on me how their personalities, backgrounds and attitudes led them to say different things, even when we were talking about the same sentence. I also felt that having such open-minded discussions bought all of us together, as we lost our inhibitions and spoke our minds. It taught me that a good conversation is integral to having a good relationship. Interestingly, even though we were encouraged to talk all the time, I think the three weeks made me a better listener, than a better speaker!

GBSP has helped me evolve into a more confident person, someone who is more vocal about my ideas and is comfortable putting my thoughts ‘out there’ for others to discuss. I feel more chirpy, bubbly, smart, charismatic and energetic at school too! During my three weeks on the lovely Stanford campus, I felt that I graduated from the old-school spoon-fed student to someone who was happily applying their learning. The three weeks of discussion-oriented exercises completely changed my perspective towards schooling and perhaps even college life.

A piece of advice for Indians parents – ‘discuss more, teach less’