The Magic Of Spreading Love

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the downward spiral of negativity life brings us. Sometimes we need to think outside ourselves and take a grasp on the world around us. We often heard, from a very young age to ‘treat others how we wish to be treated’, and yet this golden rule is often forgotten as we grow up as human beings. Every person on this Earth has their own story, and we really never know what chapter of their lives they might be going through. What then becomes of the essence is to love each other, support each other, and spread love wherever we go. In a world where fear and negativity have taken such a consequential role, become someone who spreads light and positivity. This world needs kind people now more than ever, and kindness is not something that is laborious and demands a tremendous amount of hard work. It is simply learning how not to hurt others, judge others, bring others down, even when we may have a natural inclination in doing so. This inner glister only divulges once we raise our consciousness beyond fear, ego, and hatred. We connect with people by giving them some love, we relent the worry and fear from our minds, we spark some hope in the hearts of others, and most importantly- we get a feeling of internal contentment after doing it (Just petting a dog I cross by on the streets makes me so happy!). What’s more, kindness is said to have the domino effect. And what better world would there be than one where everybody learns to love each other?

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” — Desmond Tutu, South African cleric.

This post is published today for #WorldKindnessDay2019 💕 -SaaniaSparkle 🧚🏻‍♀️

Life’s Real Treasures

We seek happiness

In the luxury that we see

When eternal contentment

Is a treasure so free
 

A venture in the woods

A walk by the beach

Pristine Mother Nature

With so much to teach
 

We can rush to the finish line

To claim that we’ve won

Or stop to smell the flowers

Before the journey is done
 

We can chase the big things

While life passes by

Or resurrect our childhood

Enough to lift us up high
 

We can seek happiness without

And get lost in ‘things’

Or stop for a deep breath

Realising it’s all within
 

We can bleat at life

And fall deep into its pit

Or watch the sun rise

And be glad that it did
 

-Saania

Your Only Competition Is Yourself

Here is a short poem I wrote that I had in my drafts for a long time, but I decided to post it today. Also, today is my Birthday! 🎂💕

A flower doesn’t

Think of competing

With other flowers

In the field…

It serenely blooms

At its own pace

Until its alluring beauty

Is revealed

-Saania

Starry Sky

Enamoured I look up

At the starry sky

The twinkling embers

Send back a hi

 

A surreal blanket

Encircling my head

Deep into the galaxy

Don’t know where it led

 

Illuminating the darkness

By shining so bright

Flashing pinpricks

So far from sight

 

Beacons of hope

For all lost souls

Magical, awe inspiring

Can’t ask for more

 

Man fights man

Creates an ego wall

While this majestic sky

Radiates light for all

 

The joy it can bring

The pain it can heal

In the veil of darkness

Only a wonder to feel

 

Scattered moondust

In the tranquil sky

A warm goodnight

They wink to my eye

-Saania

Is IQ more important than EQ?

In a person’s schooling years, a high IQ is certain to make them pass with flying colours. We all hear about Albert Einstein having the greatest IQ, we all hear that intelligence is something that takes us far in terms of educational achievement. While it is a vital skill set of life, there is something else that matters…

Emotional intelligence. This may sound as an oxymoron to some, as we often tend to take emotions and intelligence as two very different things. But really, these two things put together makes something that guarantees overall success in life. It has been defined as “the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions”. This includes the ability to manage emotions, accept flaws, having empathy for others, and having certain social skills.

People having high IQs normally tend to be born that way, naturally having the ability to think quickly, do mental calculations, work with maths, logic, numbers, etc. While emotional intelligence is something we can work to improve on, almost like developing a skill. Although some people are naturally more emotionally intelligent than others, you have the flexibility to gain more EQ over time.

I have already talked about the importance of controlling our emotional triggers in my last post- learning to identify emotional upsurges, and pro-actively dealing with them.

Along with that, it is also very important to understand the feelings of others, which is something we call empathy. While this is much easier said than done, it means trying and looking at things from the other person’s perspective, putting yourself in their shoes and trying to think or feel like them. “Be humble enough to know you’re not better than anyone, and wise enough to know that you’re different from the rest!”

Controlling emotions, understanding them, connecting with others, understanding their emotions, judiciously and empathetically handling relationships are things that need practice. They require a change in attitude and behaviour for long term results.

EQ and IQ are certainly not adversaries of each other. It is very much possible to have high levels of both, and that is what leads us to a more authentic, successful, and happier life.

In our body, our 5 senses are sent up to the brain in the form of electric signals that pass between the peripheral nervous system (nerves and neurones) and the central nervous system (up the spinal cord to the brain). They are first experienced ‘emotionally‘ in the Limbic area before moving to the Frontal Lobe or the rational processing area (responsible for encoding complex logic and rational information). The Limbic and Frontal areas communicate and work in tandem with one another, this is the source of EQ. But the challenge is that the limbic region can easily hi-jack the frontal lobe because it processes the data before it reaches the frontal lobe. This is why it is important to practice emotional intelligence. “Emotional intelligence isn’t about getting rid of emotions. Rather it’s about having control over them and using them to their advantage.”

And me being a person who is particularly devoted to subjects like science and mathematics which require cognitive intelligence, I have started to realise the importance of having an equally well maintained emotional intelligence.

-Saania

Anatomy of Sadness

After my recent post ‘Anatomy of Happiness’, here’s a poem I wrote that describes sadness, because life is a roller coaster…

 

The feeling you get

That you’re all alone,

In a desert of misery

No one to call

Where reducing to tears

Feels like the only way,

Just bearing this feeling

Day by day

You turn to people

But they’re not there,

You try to run

But you don’t know where

No glimpse of a soul

To set you free,

For miles and miles

Only darkness to see

Hours fly by,

It just gets colder

Your continual tears

Long for a shoulder

The spirits of the air

It all feels like lies,

You wish it were a dream

When you opened your eyes….

 

-Saania

Controlling our emotions…

Here are two identical twins Emily and Sophia.

Every little thing makes Emily fly off the handle – from the traffic on the roads, to waiting in a long queue, to stumbling upon mean people. Her mood and her happiness is directly determined by the things happening around her.

Sophia on the other hand doesn’t let the little things in life get to her. She remains calm, controls her emotions, and on a continuous basis is much more happier with life than Emily is.

Looking at Emily and Sophia, which twin would you like to spend a day or two with?

Most certainly Sophia for me!

The difference between them is choice.

Controlling our emotions becomes very much like our choice. It is rather like developing a skill that may take ages to get used to. And as humans, we tend to struggle with change the most.

When a particular emotion bothers us, the last thing we want is to deal with it pro-actively. Instead we want to rant about it, which ultimately brings us no good. While emotions are a crucial part of life in helping us to know ourselves and to connect deeply with other people, as soon as when we act on our emotions too quickly, or we act on the wrong kinds of emotions, we often make decisions that we later lament.

To tackle this, it is very important to identify our emotions- and allowing them to be seen. Monitoring them will help to create awareness about the particular emotion that makes us have a conniption fit.

Then allow yourself to discover why you feel this emotion. This could be due to many reasons like a low self-esteem, insecurities, etc.

Once we figure out what circumstances or situations have a major affect on us, we must find a solution for it. In reality I have noticed that a lot of times I feel emotions that arise when someone says something to me. But a simple solution for that would be to laugh about it! Nobody in this world has control over our emotions, it is always our choice.

Another thing to remember is that many times we react a bit too soon. A sudden wave of anger hits us and we do stupid, unnecessary things (which becomes our greatest regrets later on!)

For this it is important to distant yourself from the situation or the person for a little while whenever you get an emotional upsurge. Take time to stabilise yourself and your overwhelming impulse. Calm yourself, think with a rational mind and only then act on it. Never act on a strong emotion, which most of the times I notice is anger.

This is, indeed, easier said than done. However, many people believe that they will be free of anger if they express it, that their tears release pain. But this infact is an often harmful concept that has proven to be completely wrong. It sees the brain as a steam kettle in which negative feelings build up pressure. Meaningful friends often tell us to  “cry and let it all out!”. But in reality this helps no one. Controlled studies show that tears can drive us still deeper into depression, and that fits of rage are more likely to intensify anger. Ultimately, it brings us further down in the dumps. People who make the effort to control their emotions not only live a happier life, but are favouring their health too, (Increasing the activity of the left side of their prefrontal cortex).

So recognise your triggers and take charge of them. Quiet down your uneasy mind and you decide how you want to feel – just like Sophia!