2026 Word and Intention of the year: FLOW

On January 3, 2026 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing7 Comments

“The river does not struggle to reach the ocean.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

I have not set resolutions in many years, because I have always seen how I can never live up to them…and then when I can’t live up to them, I feel crappier than even before I set them. Instead I choose a healing intention for the whole year.

This is easily my favorite year end ritual since the past few years- to choose a word for the year. Which also doubles as the intention of the year as well.

I’ve found that after years of setting goals and resolutions which fizzle out in intensity and appeal after a few weeks, a word based intention creates a wonderful level of focus. It is sort of an anchor to come back to when you feel lost along the way. My word for last year was: Positive. And, I can say with great satisfaction that, that is the first thing I wrote as a something I have achieved in 2025 in my journal. Positive everything, was at the forefront of all that I did in the last year.

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The Many Faces of Healing(Four Ways We Actually Heal)

On October 6, 2025 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection2 Comments

Positive Affirmation: “I am healing with every breath I take.”

There isn’t just one kind of healing.

Over the course of my own healing journey, I have realized that healing isn’t linear, and it’s rarely graceful. It doesn’t always look like doing yoga flows early in the morning or journaling in a cozy corner or meditating to the sound of ocean waves. Sometimes it looks like lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, and wondering if you’ll ever feel like yourself again. And believe me, I’ve been there!

Healing is messy. It’s cyclical. It asks for your honesty more than your control. It meets you in the small, ordinary moments and whispers, “Here, too.”

Four Ways We Heal

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Emotional Boundaries: How We Break Them and Why They Heal Us

On September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing9 Comments

“No” is a complete sentence. ~ Annie Lamott

When I was growing up, I saw how self-sacrifice was celebrated over self-awareness. Because of whatever I witnessed, I learned to override my inner signals consciously or unconsciously. I did this in the name of being “good,” “helpful,” or “strong.” That’s where the People Pleaser in me was born…And, the cost of this conditioning was profoundly wounding on my mental and emotional health. As I began healing, I realized that when we neglect our own boundaries, we drift away from our center, our truth, and ultimately, our peace.

To reclaim my peace of mind, I have had to solidify and re-enforce my boundaries again and again and again over the years. It’s truly one of the most transformative steps that helped me heal.

Boundaries are not walls that keep love out, they are sacred spaces where love can grow safely. They are energetic expressions of self-respect, self-awareness, and spiritual alignment. To violate them, even subtly, is to step out of integrity with the soul.

❤ The following reflections explore the ways we unknowingly betray our own boundaries—not from weakness, but from woundedness, from patterns of survival, and from longing to belong. As you read through them, I invite you to hold yourself with compassion. This is not a call to self-blame, but an invitation to come home to yourself—with clarity, care, and courage.

I am living proof that we can heal from it all. If I can, so can you ❤

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