2025 Word and Intention of the Year: POSITIVE(+Free 2025 BE POSITIVE Planner-Rumi Inspired)

On December 31, 2024December 31, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing19 Comments

“The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are.” ~Rumi

My ability to hold my word/intention for the year has deepened my understanding of my growth and myself. Has it been perfect? Absolutely not. So many times I stray and forget my word, which prompts me to go rummaging through my old notes and resurface it. But merely knowing I have it somewhere and digging it up often helps to reground me and realign with the energy of the word.

I’m always pleasantly surprised by how the word really fits whatever it is I need most for the year . In some ways, any word might work in any moment where you’re feeling unsure, but how much nicer it is when the word feels connected to a deeper intention that you reflected on and determined would be valuable for you to explore all year.

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The Serenity of Silence: Lessons Learned on My Healing Journey

On November 1, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing12 Comments

Does silence make you uncomfortable?

“Everything that’s created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Your words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.” ~ Wayne Dyer

I live with my husband and teenage daughter in the hustling and bustling city of Mumbai. Both my loves are vocal and noisy. I do enjoy the life they bring to my home, but that also means there’s not a lot of quiet in our house. On the rare occasion I’m in the house on my own, the washing machine is usually running in the background.

I welcome silence.

Some people reject silence, and some people embrace it…I am the latter. Silence recharges me.

However, I have observed some people seem really uncomfortable at the mere prospect of a period of silence. This is why today we see people surrounding themselves with noise: phones, texts, podcasts, tv etc.

Why is this so?

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Why We Need FEAR to Move Forward

On October 7, 2024October 24, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing4 Comments

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”~ Nelson Mandela

Did I ever tell you how I learned to swim when I was 13 years old?! My dad, kept trying to teach me to swim. I loved the pool and wanted to swim as well, but I just could not get myself to the deep side of the pool. I feared, if I cant feel the floor of the pool under my feet I would drown. That fear held me back and simultaneously upset me as well. By then my dad had taught me all the styles of swimming, the front stroke, back stroke, doggy paddle etc but all in the shallow end.

One fine day, when everyone else was jumping off the dive board happily and I was still in the shallow end feeling down, my dad called me outside the pool to hand me something. As soon as I walked towards him, he said “Hey baby, see you on the other side and keep paddling”…laughingly…and then SPLASH he pushed me in the deep end. I kid you not, I went right down the pool to touch my feet in the deepest end and pushed myself back up and kept paddling like my freaking life depended on it!!

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