ISSUE 07 | MAY-JUNE 2020
A BI-MONTHLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE FOR E MOTIONAL W ELLNESS
ISSUE 07 | MAY-JUNE 2020
A BI-MONTHLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE FOR E MOTIONAL W ELLNESS
WE MAG
ISSUE 07
MAY-JUNE 2020
PUBLISHED
BY
WEQIP - The Emotional Wellness People WE MAG takes constant and utmost care to ensure that the content is accurate, original, and complete. WE MAG & WEQIP assume no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, inauthentic or incomplete information. The views and opinions expressed in the articles are that of its author(s) and are not necessarily the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, editorials and all other content is published in good faith and WE MAG carries no responsibility for the opinion expressed thereon. The materials and content contained in this publication are for general information only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. WE MAG reserves the right to change any information without notice. WE MAG & WEQIP cannot be held responsible and shall not be liable for content of other websites, resources, external organizations and people that might be mentioned in the articles. If you have any query regarding article submission, feedback, errors & omissions, or any other comment please mail to us at info@weqip.com Any form of reproduction of any content of this digital publication without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. For more information and exclusive digital content, head over to www.weqip.com WEQIP is a trademarked organization. All rights reserved.
IN THE DARK DEEP UNDER
BURIED FOR SO LONG
I WAS IMPATIENT
WAITING TO SPROUT
NOT REALIZING
MY ROOTS WERE GROWING STRONG
- poetry.by.sago on Instragram
Letter From 'WE'
Dear Readers,
2020 has been a year like none other! What we are witnessing are unprecedented times which fill our minds with anxiety, gloom and anger. Yet we try and keep making place in our hearts for calmness, hope and gratitude. In this push and pull between conflicting emotions, it is important to remember that every feeling is valid…there is nothing wrong about whatever you may be experiencing right now. This magazine comes at a time of turmoil – both inside and out, and with May being the Mental Health Awareness Month, this month has never been as important to each one of us. With everyone dealing with social distancing, self-isolation and quarantine, mental health today touches lives of all of us – as it should be; because like ‘physical’ health, every human being on the planet has ‘mental’ health as well – and it is time it gets its due importance and conversation. Resilience and kindness are two mantras which will help us sail through this challenging period. Also remember to help and ask for help. Create distractions, embrace the new normal and channelise your energy. But most importantly, accept your feelings – even if you don’t feel okay, because, really,‘It’s okay to not be okay’ – especially now! In this issue, Carolin Müller, an expert in Buddhist psychology and mindfulness suggests tips on how we can heal the relationship with our parents. Founder of Happiness India Project, Dr. Sandip Roy emphasises on the importance of writing. Rob Stephenson, founder of Inside-Out.org, a social enterprise with the mission of smashing the mental ill-health stigma guides us on how we can assess our mental form score. Our nutritional mentor Jolly Vin writes on the importance of wholesome, fibre-rich diets for our overall well-being. Vidya Chathoth, an author and a doctor takes us on a therapeutic journey to the forests. Cat Li Stevenson, a San Franciscan trained in somatic and awareness-based practices, suggests ways for self-discovery. Beata Souders, founder of Michelangelo Coaching and a positive psychology practitioner helps us understand how we can motivate someone, including ourselves (part I). Gunjan Kapoor, an avid traveller & explorer and a blogger fills us with hope with her article. Arpita Nayak, a content marketer by day and a mental health blogger by night tells us how talking to strangers can be therapeutic. Zeenat Merchant Syal, a holistic healer and founder of the blog Positive Provocations recommends ways on how we can heal from emotional trauma. Chief Happiness Officer & Founder of The Happiness Company, Kunal Khanna highlights how dogs can drive emotional wellness and Amol Gupta, on his quest for happiness, explores the concept of 'Ikigai'. Melanie (Mel) Ebora Panapanaan, a Filipino permanent resident living in Singapore and Lora Caraballo, a 22-year-old, share their poems on hope and resilience in 'Musings'. Artworks in 'Medium' column of this issue are by Catriona Clark – a Scottish artist who has grown up experiencing dissociation – and Pratibha Kapoor whose mandala depicts myriad patterns of breath. As always, we encourage you to share your views and engage in discussion on these stories. If you wish to contribute an article, thought piece, viewpoint, photo essay, artwork, recipe, poem, book review – or anything related to emotional wellness, send in your work to write@weqip.com. Much love and with you on this journey,
Team WE MAG
ON THE COVER
The Blue Front Door by Namita Jain U s e d
w i t h
p e r m i s s i o n
Namita Jain's art collection can be found on her Instagram page
ON THE COVER
A R T I S T
P R O F I L E
-
N A M I T A
J A I N
Namita Jain has always been passionate about art - in all its forms and media. Before listening to her calling to pursue art full-time, she completed her M.B.A. and worked with various corporates. Real world interplay of shape, forms and colours inspire the artist in her and influence what she creates. Namita is an observer of life and that is what forms the basis of most of her artwork. Though she loves the fluidity and mood of watercolour, Namita does not shy away from experimenting with various media and textures for she feels that an open outlook is what leads an artist to discover their own hidden talents and helps them gain a better self-understanding. Namita believes that 'anyone can art' and, to help realise this passion, she teaches art to young children and adults through her label 'Shades And Colours.' She lives in Hyderabad, India. Instagram @namita.munot
06 | WE MAG | May-June 2020
W E
M A G
ISSUE 07
C O N T E N T S Reflection
0 9
Self Love - Healing The Relationship With Our Parents – Carolin Müller Ideas
1 3
Writing Your Way To Emotional Wellness – Dr. Sandip Roy Medium
2 1
Attic Brain – Catriona Clark Watercooler
2 3
How Are You Today? – Rob Stephenson
Nutrition For The Mind
3 3
The 'Whole' Story – Jolly Vin Your Voice
3 9
Forest Therapy – Vidya Chathoth Musings
5 1
Mel's Poetry – Melanie Ebora Panapanaan Insight
5 7
5 Ways To Discover Your World – Cat Li Stevenson
W E
M A G
ISSUE 07
C O N T E N T S Edge
6 3
How To Motivate Someone, Including Yourself - Part I – Beata Souders Inspiration
7 5
Arise From The Dust – Gunjan Kapoor Mind Hack
8 3
Loneliness And Mental Health - How Talking To Strangers Is Therapeutic – Arpita Nayak Medium
9 1
Myriad Patterns Of Breath – Pratibha Kapoor
Perspective
9 3
6 Positively Simple Ways To Heal From Emotional Trauma – Zeenat Merchant Syal Musings
1 0 1
Poems For Hope – Lora Caraballo Ignite
1 0 5
Dogness - How Dogs Drive Emotional Wellness – Kunal Khanna Ramblings
1 1 1
Happiness Through Ikigai – Amol Gupta
▪ ▪ ▪
▪
▪
▪
▪ ▪
▪
▪ ▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
•
•
•
•
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪
*
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
उध्रेदत्मनात्मानं नात्मनवसदयेत आत्मैव हयत्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव ररपुरात्मनः
▪
▪
The Emotional Wellness People WWW.WEQIP.COM
EQUIPPING WELLNESS - MIND + HEART+ SOUL
India is home to more than 1.3 billion people and over 200 million suffer from mental illness sometime during their lifetime. Unfortunately, out of these only a few ever muster the courage to talk about it and reach out for help. Why? Because mental illness is still considered a stigma, a shame, a humiliation, and a big stain on one’s personality. We have a long way to create a culture which considers mental illness for what it is – an illness. We at WEQIP are driven by the philosophy that ‘Mind is part of the body too’ and we need to take care of it as much as our body. In line with this, we are dedicated to creating platforms and driving initiatives which bring people together to acknowledge, talk about, and address the elephant in the room. ABOUT US
WEQIP™ FOCUSES ON ENHANCING WELLNESS OF MIND, HEART, AND SOUL THE TRINITY FOR HAPPINESS
Our publications are completely collaborative in nature and our stories are of people, by people, and most importantly for people. They are for those of us whose life is touched by emotional or behavioural health issue at any point in time in their life – a parent, a teacher, a manager, a child, an IT professional, an actor, a housewife, an HR executive, an artist, a friend to name a few. WEQIP Blog or WE Blog as we like to refer it to and our digital magazine WE Mag is constantly on the lookout of people who have something powerful to say about Emotional/ Behavioural Health & Wellness. We encourage experts, professionals, mental health warriors from various backgrounds to share their knowledge and experiences through these media. The ideas can take any form - art, essay, story, poem, interview, showcase, spotlight, or a straightforward article. The content becomes more enriched as we go along this collaborative journey. If you feel you have a story in you, an idea which would help others, a great practice which is worth emulating, or you are just curious to know more, please reach out to us at – write@weqip.com OUR DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS