Monday, July 27, 2015

Antidote to fear !!!

For the last few months , I had a niggling pain in my breast. After months of procrastination , I scheduled a check up with my OB-gyn.

She met me for five minutes , checked me and asked me to do a mammogram , a USG, and a blood test.

Just hearing the word mammogram had me filled with dread. My heart was beating fast and tears welled up in my eyes. 

As I sat waiting for my blood to be drawn, my fear accelerated and by the time I left the doctor , I was convinced I would be diagnosed with something serious.

It didn't help that , when I asked the doctor if there was any reason to worry , she remarked , " hopefully not, but one of your breasts seems lumpy.

She had uttered the word lump! I googled everything and added more fuel to my fear.

By the time I got home, I was not myself. 
They had scheduled me for an appointment three days later. That seemed to me the equivalent of waiting for a decade!

I decided to take matters in my own hand. I would call somewhere else and schedule a mammogram , the very next day. That way I could breathe easy, and just get it over with .

I started calling a few clinics. None of them had appointments for me! 

I got even more worked up. 

And then it happened. I heard a voice inside me say , Breathe!

As I took a deep breath, I felt myself calming down. I could feel the fog lifting now.

I said to myself ; Ok, so you have to do this test. Whatever the outcome is , You will be fine. 

I started repeating an affirmation of Louise Hay; 

" This situation is working out for my highest good. Out of this situation , only good will come "

This helped me immensely . I was able to accept that no matter what happened, the outcome would be good.

The next thing I started to do was express gratitude to my body. I accepted that I hadn't been taking care of it and felt a deep appreciation for how it still worked at optimum capacity. 

This helped me make a commitment to being more healthy. 

The three days went by fast. I was busy with the kids , and each time fear reared its head, I focussed on affirmations and gratitude. 

And then D day was here. I woke up with a tinge of fear. My inner voice told me, that everything would be alright. I accepted my fear instead of fighting it. That helped me feel normal. 

I made my way to the hospital , went through the motions of the test. I found myself studying the technician's expressions closely.  Had she found something? What was it?

And then I closed my eyes. I surrendered to God. I let go.

It was an hour long wait for the test results. 

I got myself breakfast and made my way to the gorgeous Singapore Botanical Gardens which were five minutes away.

As soon as I entered this treasure trove of nature , I forgot about everything. The massive trees, the beautiful orchids, the rich history. I was in awe. 

I felt insignificant and yet part of this wonderful universe. I made my way to the swan lake and picked a spot to meditate. 


It was beautiful! I sat for ten minutes in complete silence. I was distracted initially by the people passing by. I kept worrying if someone might grab my bag or do something to me. But as I continued meditating, I felt calm. I felt an inner voice telling me. " You don't have to control everything. You don't have to do it all. You can lean on me for support once in a while " 

That realisation was immense. My shoulders were weary of having to be strong , take the weight of so many things. I had forgotten to stop , rest and lean on for support.

I could lean on God, on my higher self, my family or even close friends. I could feel the last bit of fear melting away. 


As I opened my eyes, I saw a beautiful sight. The swans had made their way from the other side of the lake , to where I was. 

It was time for me to collect my reports.
I walked back to the hospital, savouring the walk, soaking into the insight from the Meditation.

I finally reached the counter and asked for my reports. 

I took them , walked a bit further and found a quiet spot where I could open them. As I opened them , I already knew what I would see. They were absolutely normal !

I messaged my husband and mom, and we heaved a collective sigh of relief. Gratitude was the predominant emotion we all had. 

We feel fear in many situations. As a Life coach, I too am not immune to it. However I have learnt slowly how to bounce back from it. You could call it my antidote for fear..

So here it is...

1) Accept the fear as normal and as a part of you. The harder you deny it, the harder it comes back .

2) Work with affirmations to silence the voice of fear. You can use the one I did or Google any one that suits you. 

3) Be grateful : express gratitude for anything related to your issue , or for life or for anything else. This creates a shift in energies and takes you away from the fear. 

4 ) Finally, meditate , and reflect. Spend ten minutes each day in quietitude. It may be difficult initially , but soon you will find yourself wanting more. 

And finally , as with all recipes , no one is THE right one. So feel free to create your own little antidote to deal with your fears! You know yourself the best anyway!








Saturday, July 25, 2015

Living on a prayer




I used to pray , on bended knee
Only when I felt , something wrong happened to me
Make this right , fix this please 
Give me this , let my life be a breeze!

When my prayers went unanswered 
I felt let down
How could you , God , I trusted you
Do my tears and hard work mean nothing to you?

I used to pray , in difficult times
I would visit temples and bribe him with a dime 
And when he answered some of my prayers
I would feel alright ..

And yet , every now and then
An emptiness within would remain
I'm not doing something right , I felt
Just praying for my personal gain

When I was happy , I would pray
Dear God, let this happiness last ..
Let not the good times roll away fast..
And when they did , I felt betrayed 
Why didn't God keep my problems at bay ?

Until one day , I realised 
I had been doing it all wrong
Praying for this and praying for that
Surely , prayer wasn't meant for that.

I prayed for a friend one day
The next day , I prayed for humanity
I prayed that the trees would stay green
And I was filled with so much serenity

I prayed for him to give me the strength 
To solve my problems and live life with faith 
I prayed for him to give me the wisdom
To share my life with others who didn't have enough 

I prayed , to simply say Thank you !
For even in adversity , I learnt a lot

I prayed and learnt the power of surrender
I let go the need of wanting this and that..
And felt my fear melting away so fast..

I used to live with fear ,
And out of that fear , would come each prayer ..
Now I live with hope and faith...
And out of that faith comes each word of my prayer...

I just close my eyes , knowing that everything is divine surrender ..
And it's beautiful living on a prayer...