Why Self-Love Is the Key to Emotional Healing (With Affirmations and Valentine’s Day Practices)

On February 12, 2026 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing1 Comment

In my work I sit at the meeting point of two truths: the mind heals through understanding, and the soul heals through love. When those two truths meet, something profound happens. Self-love stops being a fluffy concept and becomes a real, embodied medicine.

Self-love is not narcissism. It’s not bypassing pain or pretending everything is fine. True self-love is the brave, steady practice of turning toward yourself with honesty, warmth, and care…especially when you’re struggling. And yes, it heals. I’m living proof of how self love can heal even after major losses, major traumas, abuse, heart break, depression etc.

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7 Japanese-Inspired Ways to Heal Procrastination and Low Energy

On January 18, 2026February 2, 2026 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing2 Comments

“The psyche is a self-regulating system. What we resist persists, and what we listen to transforms.” ~ Carl Jung

I would invite us to soften the way we look at “laziness” altogether.

In Japan, what the Western mind often labels as laziness is not viewed as a moral failure or a weak personality. It is understood as information. A symptom. A message from the psyche and the system saying: something here is out of alignment.

Rather than forcing more effort or whipping ourselves with motivation, the Japanese approach asks a gentler, wiser question: What needs to be adjusted in the structure, the environment, or the rhythm of life?

I love this approach because it aligns beautifully with my word/intention for 2026 ~ FLOW 🙂

Here are 7 Japanese-inspired ways of working with low energy, procrastination, and inconsistency, seen through a healing lens…

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How Reducing Cortisol Can Lead to Healing PLUS Simple and Practical Ways to Lower Cortisol

On January 18, 2026 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing5 Comments

“Peace is not the absence of stress, but the mastery of it.” ~ Unknown

At the crossroads of mind and spirit, the human body speaks a language of chemistry that reflects our inner world. One of the primary messengers of stress is cortisol, the hormone released when we perceive danger, pressure, or threat. But in modern life, where traffic jams, deadlines, and digital noise rarely let up, cortisol often remains elevated, becoming a chronic companion rather than an occasional ally.

I see elevated cortisol as more than a biochemical signal: it is a sacred alarm calling us to pay attention, not just to what we do, but to how we relate to ourselves, our world, and the rhythms of life.