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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5 Unhealthy Habits I Let Go Of This Year To Regain Inner Peace

On December 9, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing5 Comments

Letting go of unhealthy habits can be transformative in regaining inner peace. As I have begun my reflection practices on the year gone by, I made a note of all the unhealthy habits I let go of this year for my own inner peace.

You know that moment when you’re stuck in the supermarket line and the contents of your bag spill on the floor just as your phone starts ringing? That’s when I knew I needed to find inner peace within, right as I was suppressing the urge to unleash a stream of four-letter words(!)

I think we look for circumstances to help achieve a sense of inner peace. I know I do. I know I function better when I am at peace within. In fact, this calm, compassionate, deep awareness is actually within each of us. It’s like we have a deep reservoir of peacefulness and serenity within. What we have to learn to do is tap into it. ❤

The first step in tapping into that deep sense of peace is to dissolve the unhealthy habits that are a HUGE barrier to it.

Here are some common unhealthy habits that I recognize as barriers, and had to let go of this past year to regain inner calm, along with suggestions for how you can address them:

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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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