Healthy Joyful Meals

Shifting from a convenient but unhealthy diet to one of healthful, delicious joy can be a challenge when you’re living alone — but there’s a whole new level of challenge if you are part of a family.

The problem: while you might want to change to a new style of eating, picky eaters (kids, but also spouses) can disagree with the change.

Who wants to eat Chappati when pasta and pizza are go-to staples? Who wants to eat oats and fruit when Paratha and Kachori are the usual breakfast foods?

Well, me. And maybe you. But how do we deal with a family full of picky eaters?

We have been somewhat successful here (with our family of 6), but it took awhile, and in truth, we still have plenty of picky eaters in our family.

That said, I’ll share what has worked for us:

1. We try to find things that the whole family likes that are healthy and tasty. 
2. Other times, we cook something less healthy that they would like
3. We often make a lot of food for the family dinner and then have leftovers for lunch
4. We talk to the kids and try to get them to explore foods they don’t always like. 
5. Sometimes we cook a dish that has something one of the kids doesn’t like (mushrooms, for example)
6. If someone doesn’t like the dinner, they can just have a little of it and then make  simple things for themselves.
7. Finally, we get everyone involved in the meal planning. 

You don’t have to do all of these, but there might be a couple ideas here that work for you.

In the end, embrace the  philosophy of small, gradual change. You don’t have to do all of this overnight. But there’s also the philosophy of loving the change you’re creating — how can you show them that this is a joyful change to delicious nutritiousness?

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New Normal of this New Life today

Life is always opening doors for us, giving us a gift. We just don’t often recognize it.

We waste the opportunity that life has given us!

So being aware of this … how can we use this new normal as an opportunity and a gift?

Some things that have changed for many of us:

1. A sense of restriction: We’re not able to do our usual things — not only work and school, but things like haircuts, dentists, coffee shops, restaurants, bars, shops and more. That can feel very restricted.
2. Heightened uncertainty & anxiety: Things are incredibly uncertain right now, for all of us — for our health, the health of loved ones, the state of the world, the shaky economy, our individual financial situations. And that’s just the start of it. All of this uncertainty is triggering feelings of stress, fear and anxiety in most people, in different ways.
3. A feeling of isolation but also (possibly) togetherness: For many people, social distancing has created a feeling of isolation that can be very hard to handle. But for many, there can also be a feeling of togetherness – we’re all in this together, no one is excluded. Some are creating that feeling of togetherness by doing video calls, by connecting others online, or by taking part in community or group efforts to help.
4. Contraction when we’re feeling overwhelmed: It can all be too much. And when we feel that sense of overwhelm, we can want to shut down, exit, turn away, avoid. We avoid hard tasks, we go to distraction, we avoid our healthy habits. This is all completely normal!
5. A sense of disruption: Our old habits have been disrupted — we can’t do all the things we’re used to doing, and that gives us a feeling of being upended. It’s frustrating to have things disrupted, and can make us feel afloat.
6. Irritation with others: Being isolated with the same people every day can cause friction. And that brings up all of our issues, all the ways we respond (and they respond) when we get triggered.
7. Wanting it all to be over: Impatience! We just want to go back to normal. It’s hard to accept the way things are.

You might not be experiencing all of these, because every person is experiencing the new normal differently.

But it is a new normal.

So the question is: will we resist it, or can we use it as an opportunity?

We can complain about the new normal. Hate it. Stew in frustration about it. That’s one possibility.

Another possibility is to use it as a growth opportunity. What is your choice here?

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Work From Home in Covid-19 Lockdown

Here are the pros and cons I experienced after 2 months of work from home.

Pros

No traffic

Forget about money. Time is the most precious asset you have. I didn’t have the longest commute in the world, but when I added up how much time I was spending each week, month and year… it couldn’t go on. Things had to change.

Eat at home

Less eating out means less money spent. Sometimes you won’t have enough for a proper lunch, but you can usually get enough out of the fridge to kill the hunger. And — you can eat on the sofa while watching “The Big Bang Theory”.

Comfort

Working from home is mostly more comfortable than an office. You can work in your PJs, you can can work at a desk or any other suitable surface (i.e.: couch, bed, floor, whatever suites you).

Cons

No team

In the first few days, I was on fire! No distractions, no noise, completely at ease; I’ve never worked so well and so much! But then, as the days went by, I started missing all that I’d left behind. Having a bunch of guys next to you, all doing the same kind of tasks, makes a lot of difference, believe me. Being present and having presence are completely different things. And you can’t simulate that through Google Hangouts.

Distractions

With no one watching you around the clock, it’s not easy to stay focused. You need a lot of discipline to keep the momentum. When you work alone, the awareness of your procrastination is highly present. And although at the office, with your fellow workers, you have these and other distractions, it’s easy to stay focused when everyone around you is working for the same goal.

Pressure

When you have a bad day at work you still have the sensation of accomplishment. You drove to work, attended meetings, take care of some stuff… you actually did some tasks. And then you head home!

When you work from home and you have a bad day, it feels like you’ve done nothing! Maybe you had to start something from scratch because it wasn’t done properly the first time, and when the workday is over and you’re still on the same spot… it’s a terrible feeling.

Resolutions

• Human interactions are important
• Cheering yourself it’s hard when you’re alone
• Change your working methods if you feel that you’re not that committed 
• Working full-time, 9 to 5, from home, alone… SUCKS! I work perfectly from home, but without a timetable.

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Covid-19 - History in Creation

I'm on work from home since 18th March to 31st March 2020 so thought of sharing few updates in my personal space. Times have changed. From herpes and legionnaires’ disease in the 1970s, to AIDS, Ebola, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and now Covid-19, contagious diseases continue to threaten and disrupt human populations. Historians, who never lost interest in epidemics, have much to offer. I just collected few information for you all and would like o throw some light on it.

By labeling the spread a pandemic, WHO was indicating that the virus was now a worldwide phenomenon. The decisions also reflects the WHO's concern at what it calls the “alarming levels of the corona virus spread, severity and inaction”, and the expectation that the number of cases, deaths and affected countries will continue to climb.

The WHO chief acknowledged that the COVID-19 spread is the first pandemic to be caused by a corona virus (i.e. any of the large variety of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases)

Now our Focus should be on five words or phrases, beginning with “P”: 

Prevention, Preparedness, Public health, Political leadership and People.

Everyone should frequently wash their hands (and wash them thoroughly, with soap); maintain at least one meter distance from anyone coughing or sneezing, and avoid physical contact when greeting; avoid touching our eyes, nose and mouth; cover the mouth and nose with a bent elbow or disposable tissue when coughing or sneezing; and stay home and seek medical attention from local health providers, if feeling unwell.

Whilst the virus infects people of all ages, there is evidence that older people (60 and over), and those with underlying health conditions (such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer), are at a higher risk. So requesting all to do social distancing for some time and please don’t do panic buying in this trying times.

The best place to get reliable information is the WHO Website, www.who.int. Here you can find comprehensive advice, including more on how to minimize the risk of spreading, or catching COVID-19.

Government has taken many measures to curb this by doing lockdowns, curfew, work from home, extending timeline for financial year closure, pumping money into economy but we as a citizen also need to take care of our society and community like our family.

Let us hope and pray to God for everyone's well-being.

#Stay Safe, #Stay Healthy, #Stay Home

#Go Corona Go

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