Things I did for myself on World Health Day

“Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.”
-Thomas Jefferson

April 7. It is  World Health Day!  On this day, I pledge to make health my priority.  Not just physical but mental health as well.

These are some steps I took to ensure I kick some ass.

Borrowed a cycle from my neighbour and went for a ride: I was having a chat with a fellow traveller. He mentioned about his idea of going for a 5km ride on World Health Day. It got me itching to ride a cycle myself. Hell, I did not have a cycle. However, even before I could think, said, one could always borrow or rent a cycle. “Jugaad,” the Indian word for the word hack is what we Indian’s are best at.

Hence, I borrowed a cycle from my neighbour. It took me less than five minutes to approach her. Most times, this is the time it takes to make that decision- To do things you always wanted to do. It will happen when you let it happen. Just do.

Backstory: I fear to ride a bike. As a child and as an adult I have fallen off the bike a few times. This developed a fear and these are my baby steps in overcoming that fear.

Recently, I saw a Ted Talk by Shonda Rhimes My year of saying yes to everything and the journey to find that missing “hum.”  With this, I started my own journey.

Enroled myself in a course to study counselling: I was a part of  an organisation that worked with children in dangerous situations. I love children and the purity of thought they have. However, I was unable to work with them as closely as I wanted to. Partly, because of the educational background I had. While on the onset, this seemed like one of the best reason to enrol in a course.

However, another reason to enrol me in the course was to understand myself better. In India, mental health is not taken as seriously as it should. In order to empower myself, I enroled in a counselling course. April 6, was my first class and I am excited to learn new things!

Enroled myself in a Yoga class: Six months ago, I had fractured my foot. Things did not go as I planned. From quitting a job for a travel fellowship, I was not able to travel. With this, my travel stopped for a while. I decided to take a leap of faith and see how I could sustain myself and travel. The reason why I am mentioning this here is because the accident somehow put a halt to my physical activity.  I travelled on and off, however, none of this was a trek. Now, I think it is the time I start again!

Who knows, within a few months, I will be off to that trek I always wanted to go.  I do wish to embrace myself in the silence of seeing the rising sun from the mountains and listening to the sound of the gushing river.

Like me, dear fellow traveller, what is that one thing that you have always been itching to do?

Pick up that thing.  Listen to your heart. Just listen. Do not shut that voice inside you.

“Do not let anyone stop you from doing the things that you love- not even yourself”- Unknown.