Positive Reflections on the Year gone by 2024(+Free Printable)

On December 14, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, Heal Your Soul Column, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection3 Comments

“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” ~ John Dewey

This is the last month of the year 2024, and for many, it can feel like a dark and quiet time. End of the year energy is usually very deep and that is understandable as we are all in this reflective space.

And that is why it becomes the perfect time for deep healing reflection.

I usually use this month to go deep into a reflective state, almost like a year end ritual that nurtures my heart and soul positively.

Rather than be in a state of angst and panic for the year ending, and the inner critic screaming of all the things I could not accomplish this year, I prefer this calmer way. That’s why I call it a positive reflection on the year gone by. Because honestly, by default we go into a negative state…which ultimately is not healing or productive.

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7 Positive Life Lessons from Rumi

On October 21, 2024October 21, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing10 Comments

Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet, mystic, and philosopher, left behind a profound legacy of wisdom. His teachings, rooted in love, spirituality, and the human experience, offer timeless life lessons we could all benefit from.

I have been reading Rumi since I was 12 years old. I was drawn to the way the words flowed and felt on the page. I didn’t understand much, but I just loved how his words made me feel. I began truly understanding his wisdom a lot later in life. I’m always in awe of the sheer depth of his words and how beautifully he saw this life as a spiritual journey, not just a physical one.

Here are some of his quotes(that I love), along with the positive lessons we can draw from them:

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We’ve become SO independent, it’s depressing us(and what you can do about it)

On September 15, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind, Heart& Soul-Motivation&Inspiration, Mind-Mental Health7 Comments

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“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” ~ Ryunosuke Satoro

Many years ago, one of my spiritual teachers shared this story with me. I would like to share it with you all today.

The story is about a village where all the women washed clothes together down by the river. When they all got washing machines, there was a sudden outbreak of depression and no one could figure out why. It wasn’t the washing machines that could do such a thing. It was actually the absence of time spent doing things together. It was the absence of community.

We’ve all gotten so independent these days… Our birthday wishes have also becomes so impersonal over texts, whatsapp or facebook. We rarely pick up the phone to talk, everything is done over texts. I feel like the human to human connection in this uber connected world is severely missing. Read on to know what you can do about it…

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