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Five Resolutions for New Yea

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Today is the day on which many will wake up with groggy eyes and make resolutions for the new-year. That very few of these promises will survive a month or a week or sometimes even a day is another matter.

Making them, even if they do not last, is still important as they indicate an insight into what one ought to be doing. The flesh is often weak, but the mind might be clear, and resolutions are a Google-map for reaching the destination.

Here is a list of what I would like to do as well as what my advice would be for readers and well wishers, keeping the focus on psycho-social health:

1. Stay cheerful most days in the year. I know it is easier said than done, but I see too many unhappy stressed people who seem to be missing out on living their lives with enjoyment and satisfaction, while time continues to tick away.
They are often too busy at work, with not enough time for family or children. They forget that the childhood days of their kids will never ever come back. And regrets will pile up with the growing years.

2. Control your anger. Why some people shout and growl to get their work done is because they have seen this tactic to work sometimes. And then it becomes a habit where we slip into the gown of the angry man who gets his work done by shouting. Well, getting work done once in a while is one matter, but becoming a frowning hypertensive and losing friends could be the heavy price tag that comes with it.

There is a simple mental trick to overcome this habit. Every time someone provokes you to get angry, tell yourself that this just a test for you to see if you can resist from yielding.

Each time I lose my temper, I of the occasion before going to sleep, and devise how I would handle the situation better next time. Habits do change if you want to change them.

3. Keeping yourself healthy and fit is important, not just to live longer, but to enjoy the years that you live. Watch your weight (keep your Body Mass Index close to or lower than 23.5) with regular doses of exercise and healthy eating habits.

Indulging in indiscrete eating once in a while should not evoke guilt in you. Sometimes the enjoyment of eating “Chhole Bhature” or pizzas with friends and family enriches the “cheer factor” and could more than compensate for the extra calories.

4. If you are a reader of my column and still not stopped smoking or consuming tobacco, please do it this year ASAP. Family and society have stopped sympathising with smokers who develop tobacco related health problems. Do not remain outdated!

5. Start tuning in and connecting with the larger cosmic forces that govern our lives. With a little effort and practice you can do it. It fortifies you to deal with setbacks and upheavals that are bound to come in your way.

Happy New Year

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