There are people who end a discussion by saying, “I couldn’t say no”. They help others by offering their time, money, valuables and energy without fail. They are those ‘eternally nice people’, who never disappoint anyone or never turn down a request. They keep doing things for others, sometimes even at the cost of their own health, happiness and prosperity. Pitfalls of being too nice Yes, you read it right. There are disadvantages of always being good to others. In fact, such behaviou

 Inner peace does not refer to the absence of conflicts around us or to a state of happiness or euphoria within us, but to a state of restfulness and a sense of fulfilment within us. When you are peaceful within, you are calm and strong in the face of adversity. You are able to bear stress and restore equilibrium after the storm has passed. Same situation, different reactions Many situations—political, social, interpersonal, financial and natural—impose problems of various levels on each of

Smiling is a great way to improve our physical and mental health, beauty and interpersonal relationships. But before we proceed, close your eyes for a few seconds, slowly take a deep breath, smile and exhale slowly while opening your eyes. The calmness that you have just experienced is the gist of what lies ahead. Smile for your body Relaxes the body:  When we are stressed, our system releases adrenaline into our body. The extra rush of this stress-hormone shoots up our blood pressure, blood-s

People have different needs related to sleep. Some need 10 hours of sleep everyday, while some may feel fresh by sleeping for just 6 hours. Sleep has a very deep connection with our physical and mental states. During fevers or other infections, some may feel the need to sleep more, while some may find it difficult to fall asleep altogether, still others may sleep in fits and starts. Some people sleep more when depressed, while others suffer from insomnia. Sleep is a basic process of our body. An

 Consider this: you are just walking into a room when you see your father half-sitting on his chair, trembling, sweating profusely, placing his hand on his chest, barely able to speak. What do you do? Or rather, do you know what is happening and what to do? You may frantically rush to help him sit or lie down, call other family members, call your family doctor or look up in yellow pages for the ambulance number. Even worse, this may happen when you are at work and, if you are fortunate enough,

Consider this. You are an IT professional and you have taken your two-year old daughter to the play area where, she has just deliberately shoved a child for the fourth time today. The hurt child’s mother looks at you. You give an apologetic look, chastise your daughter on such unacceptable behaviour and let her play again. While leaving, you approach the other mother and prod your child to say sorry. She says it is OK and that all children do such things. The onlookers agree with her and you f