10 Small Habits That Can Positively Change Your Life

On February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing12 Comments

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”~ Vincent Van Gogh

When we think about changing our lives for the better, we often think of big lofty goals. Our list is big and the expectations we have of ourselves bigger.

So, we begin with the BIG changes we want to make in our lives, which is a good thing to reflect on from time to time. Then we go about trying to achieve that BIG change, with even bigger, more drastic steps. Only to fall flat on our face within 3 -5 days. Which means we can begin to change, but to stay the course consistently is the problem. And believe me, its a problem we all face.

To bring about BIG positive changes in my life, I realized I didn’t have to do anything big. In fact I had to make small shifts in my habits. As I kept incorporating these small shifts consistently and daily, I started to see BIG changes.

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How to Love Yourself this Valentine’s Day(and everyday!)

On February 14, 2025February 14, 2025 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing6 Comments

“My primary relationship is with myself – all others are mirrors of it. As I learn to love myself, I automatically receive the love and appreciation that I desire from others. If I am committed to myself and to living my truth, I will attract others with equal commitment.”~Shakti Gawain

Self Love is the ONLY force that can make us whole and healed. We all KNOW this fact, yet we still struggle with it.

I hold workshops on Self-love and Positive Life Management all the time in my city. In a recent workshop on Self-love, while discussing the merits of it, a kind gentleman asked, “But I think self-love is just too self-indulgent and narcissistic! How can I think of myself when I have so many responsibilities towards my family and loved ones? Shouldn’t I be thinking of them first before my own needs?”

I smiled at him and said, “How can you fully serve your loved ones and make them happy, when you are not happy yourself? If you are having a bad day, will you go home and be loving to your family or be moody?”

He said, “Of course, I’ll be moody! I have to vent at some point.” I responded, “Is that fair to your family? If you love yourself, you will NOT allow yourself to be sucked into a bad day. You will give yourself the gift of calming down and being happy no matter what kind of day you are having, because you know YOU are worth it. Anger, irritations, shitty days etc won’t trouble your inner happiness. And then when you go home, how will you be with your family?”

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9 Positive Affirmations To Make You Feel Like YOU ARE ENOUGH

On January 29, 2025 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing1 Comment

They say, all is well that ends well.

I say, all is freaking awesome that begins and ends well provided we are ready to work at it.

Our beautiful brain, you know that amazing thing inside our heads, has a fascinating way of processing words and beliefs. Imagine your brain as a vast garden and each thought, good or bad, plants a seed. The more you water and nurture a specific kind of thought, the more it grows and becomes part of your mental landscape. This growth process is thanks to something called ‘neuroplasticity’. In simple terms, our brains can change and adapt based on our experiences and thoughts.

When we repeatedly tell ourselves positive affirmations, we’re basically planting beautiful flowers in our brain’s garden. Over time, these flowers bloom, pushing out the weeds of doubt and negativity. The best part? Science has shown that these daily affirmations don’t just make us feel good temporarily. They can boost our self-esteem, cultivate a more optimistic outlook, and even help us tackle challenges gracefully.

Now, most days I am pretty much in control of how my day goes and what I plant in the vast garden of my brain. I don’t allow negativity to get to me down or zap the happy feelings out of me. But then those are the days when I have my positive affirmations in my mind, on my fridge and pocket book to remind me to stay in that happily positive zone.

But, I ain’t a monk!

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