Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Until last year, my life, like my Facebook list, was cluttered with people, regardless of whether they were well-wishers or users. Until I decided to declutter my life.
There was a time when I let a ‘Facebook friend’, a former colleague who had written a book, use my Facebook wall to publicise his book. He was aware that I had several journalists on my list, so he thought it would be a golden opportunity for him to tag me in a post and get free publicity. He had protested when I had won an award in the company where we had worked together earlier. So he had done me harm in the past. I still let him promote his book on my wall. A nice gesture on my part? No doubt. Foolish? A 100%.
Or take the case of another ‘friend’ who invited herself to my upscale Indira Nagar flat, stayed over weekends, ate the food that my cook made her, ate out at my expense, borrowed my books and never once returned any of these gestures (or the books). What’s worse? When she found out I was moving to Chennai, she cut all links with me as if understanding that she could no longer ‘get’ anything out of me.
These are but two examples that come to mind instantly of the undeserving takers who used to suck up my time and energy.
Last year, I removed these ‘friends’, who were energy vampires in disguise, from my Facebook list. I figured having a list of 800 such ‘friends’ was doing me more harm than good, so I pared down my list to 220 connections. The act of removing from my Facebook list those who had dubious intentions toward me has improved my peace of mind.
Good energy soon flowed into my home. I extended this ‘de-cluttering’ to my possessions, too. I took stock of my clothes, discarded those that were too old or damaged or faded and donated the decent ones to an orphanage. I also cleaned out my shoe cupboard and threw away several pairs of useless footwear.
I don’t know if it was turning 40 that did it or just exhaustion at being taken advantage of, but I put a stop to all these things last year. 2018, undoubtedly, is far better than last year. By removing negative people and influences from my life and directing my goodwill toward the deserving, I have improved my clarity of thought and no longer feel over-extended. I recommend frequent decluttering to keep not only your home positive but also your frame of mind, peaceful.
Image source: pixabay
Aishwariya Laxmi is a writer, editor, blogger, and poet living in suburban Chennai, India. She blogs on https://aishwariyalaxmi.com/ and has a newsletter at https://ash.fambase.com/. Her poems and flash fiction have read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
Please enter your email address