Thursday 21 April 2016

How to be a productive parent (Guest post by Matt Richards)

17:13:00



Change your outlook, change your world.


My name is Matt Richards. I work with people who want their lives to change. I show high-achievers, how to dream bigger than they ever thought possible - and then show them how to take small, strategic steps to achieve these ‘impossible’ goals.

Since becoming a professional coach 7 years ago I have worked with clients from all over the world, taking on a maximum of just 10 clients each year, to ensure I give every one my full, unwavering commitment.

It’s been a long journey for me to get to where I am but I’m in a great place right now because I’ve designed it that way. And if I can do it so can you.

 How To Be A Productive Parent

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that as a busy parent in the modern world it’s very easy to become demotivated and burnt out at times.

Not only do you have a million different people informing you of the ‘correct’ way to raise your child, but there’s the sleepless nights, the juggling of your own dreams and needs, not to mention the relatively uncertain future we all find ourselves in presently.


As an expert at helping people become more productive and happier I know that with just a little change in mindset and a commitment to self-investment, self-belief and taking strategic action, anything is possible.

I also understand that as a busy parent there are countless times when you might feel jaded and unproductive. But while this is true, there is no reason why you can’t combat these feelings and become not just a great parent but a powerful individual – someone who is productive and focused even when life threatens to drag them down.

To help with this then, I have highlighted below a few techniques to help you always aim for greatness - even when you’re running on empty.

1. Don’t blame yourself

The first point we need to set in stone here is that what you feel is normal. You are not different to any other parent. The same fears, moods, confusion and overwhelm you are experiencing are being felt all over the world.

That’s what being a parent is.

So please don’t blame yourself. Ever. There is so much pressure on you already; from society, from the media, from family members. Don’t be another voice adding to that pressure.

You don’t have to be Super Parent to raise your children as good, happy individuals. Indeed, trying too hard to be perfect is one sure-fire way you can actually become burnt out.

You can read every book on parenting out there - but with so much contradiction and methodologies it’s very easy to become overwhelmed. Instead go with your guts, they’re usually right. And more so, cut yourself some slack. Remind yourself that you are a good, loving parent who always does right by their children. And that is most of the battle won right there.

Achieving a relative balance between meeting the needs of your family as well as caring for yourself is extremely important if you are to be a productive and happy parent.

2. Recharge yourself strategically

This technique is really useful if you find yourself in unproductive slumps during the day.

The trick is to set 2 or 3 check-up points throughout the day where you’ll actively stop what you’re doing, recharge yourself a little and remind yourself that you are a happy, productive person.

So next time you’re feeling a little fogged and tired after being up since 4am simply stand up, shake yourself down and realign with yourself.

Do whatever works best for you: fist pump the air, shout at the top of your voice, loop self-belief thoughts, do some deep breathing exercises, power pose, dance…

It only needs to be for a few minutes. Just get up and move, become alive again and then you’ll be so fired up to take on the rest of your day.



Motion creates emotion.

Alongside this it’s also really useful to listen to crank up some of your favourite tunes now and again. Doing this will trigger the release of neurotransmitters in your brain, which boost alertness and attention.


3. Go for Re-Calibration Walks

I realised a few years ago that I always got all my best ideas when I was outside walking, with no distractions at all.

So I began taking myself away from things for just 20 mins a few times each week. I strip myself of all technology and just walk in nature for a while.

Try this yourself, go for recalibration walks, get your peripatetic system working and I’ll guarantee you’ll have an epiphany a week.

It’s an amazing way of just recalibrating and getting clear on things.

Plus, fresh air and exercise always works wonders.

Your body is designed to work on a circadian pattern. When that pattern is disrupted, your blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and heart rate all suffer.

Exercise helps develop adrenaline release, which makes us more alert so strap the baby in a buggy, splash your face with cold water and go for a walk around the block.


4. Create conscious intent for the day ahead.

Nothing focuses our reptilian brains more than intent. In essence, energy follows attention. But if you’ve ever felt flustered or overwhelmed its only because you’re unclear as to what you want.

We all know nature abhors a vacuum. So what that means is if you’re unfocused, your subconscious mind is going to start to look for things to focus on.

And in doing so it splurges all its energy on looking for focus and because of all this expended energy flying around, you end up feeling stressed and tired out.

So, how do we combat this?





By creating conscious intent - by having intentions planned out for your day.

So decide each morning that you are going to be happy and productive that day. It sounds simplistic and obvious but you’d be surprised. It’s something most people don’t ever really think about. But if you stop right now. Take a deep breath and tell yourself that today is going to go well. That today you will be happy and in control. Then you’ll feel be amazed at how confident and super powerful it leaves you feeling.

Wake up and thank the day then: ‘Today I will feel happy and in control’

And if that sounds a little trite then let me put this another way for you:

The only way to true happiness and be a productive parent is to create good energy and emotions from within. Never from external forces

If you take full responsibility for how you feel you’ll realise you can start to take control of it. And make it so.

Always create the state you want from within. Whether you use visualisations, affirmations, meditation, yoga or whatever you need to help with this.

The state you are in the most often becomes your default state.

So if you take responsibility for your happiness, keep a smile on and commit to having a good day it’s going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The more happy and productive you act the more this will become who you are all the time. And very quickly will become your state without even thinking about it.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask

Finally if you need help ever, ask for help. Nobody gets successful without a little help. A big issue new parent’s face is that they’re focusing their attention so much harder than most people that they can begin to neglect themselves without even realising it.

So don’t be afraid to ask for a little time out. If you have people there to take youngster off your hands for an hour or so let them.

Allow yourself to just be you for a few hours.

To be a strong productive parent you need strong foundations. So there’s nothing wrong with letting others take control and getting to know you again from time to time.

It will make the rest of the time you are in parent-mode so much more rewarding, exciting and productive.




Matt Richards

High-Performance Coach

Connect with Matt:




Thursday 7 April 2016

Interview with travel bloggers, Rashmi and Chalukya

17:37:00

Hi, Please introduce yourself to our readers.


We are a couple from India. Software engineers by profession. I quit my corporate job to spend more time with my daughter and enjoy this phase of life. We started travelling in India to get away from our monotonous 9 to 6 jobs and soon travelling became an indispensable part of our life. Soon after our angel daughter was born we came to Switzerland on an onsite opportunity and grabbed this opportunity to explore Europe.


Which country do you come from/call home?


We are from Mumbai, India.


What is the first trip you remember taking together?


The first trip we took together was to the southernmost point of India - the Kanyakumari in 2007. Incidentally this is the trip where we were introduced to each other.  We were on our training for our first job and our common friends had planned this trip. 


Sunrise at Kanyakumari, 2007


Have you had any bad experiences whilst travelling?


We did have a couple of them but they were worth the trouble!

 1.After visiting Etretat we had to catch the last bus from Le Havre to Caen where we had booked our apartment. Due to heavy traffic, the bus from Etretat reached Le Havre late and we ended up missing the last bus to Caen. We were obviously annoyed but then decided to take a taxi. Taxi was probably a better option since we were travelling with a kid. And it gave us an oppurtunity to see the area, Etretat is so beautiful.

2.When travelling back from Edinburgh to London, our scheduled train got cancelled and we had to take the next train which was jam packed due to combined passengers from both previous and current trains. We had to sit on the train floor due to unavailability of seats. After about 10 minutes or so, we decided to have a chat with a train cafeteria employee, we got offered seats usually reserved for the staff. Later on, they arranged seats in first class for us. So all is well that ends well.


How do you decide on a destination? 


We had initially planned to cover all the neighboring countries of Switzerland, when we started travelling. But later on, we decided to visit locations that intrigued us, for instance: Etretat white cliffs, Mont Saint Michel and American cemetery (Normandy), Eiffel Tower (Paris, France), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), Santorini Greek Island (Greece).



Rashmi with Chhavi in Paris.


Do you have a bucket list? If so what is on it.


Our bucket list is currently overflowing, but the 3 destinations on top of our list are: 
1. Turkey
2. Seven sister states of northeast India.
3. Safaris in South Africa


If you were not travelling, what would you be doing instead?


We would definitely be travelling but maybe not to international destinations. If not for the opportunity to work in Switzerland we would have found it harder to visit these countries. Once back in India, we are planning to save our pennies to continue pursuing our passion for travel.


What is your favorite mode of transport? (plane/train/boat/car)


Car. It is always great to take wrong turns, explore the unexplored, stop whenever you want and start again. Travelling by car, we have many atimes changed the complete trip schedule by visiting new places or adding on new unplanned stops.


Many people are afraid of travelling with children, what is your best advice to make a family holiday a success?  


After having kids life changes, your lifestyle changes and you adopt new habits. You become more patient, more organized and multitasker. All these qualities help you become a better traveller. 
A little patience and preplanning would make your travel with kids more memorable.


How many countries have you travelled to so far? Do you have a dream destination you haven’t managed to go to yet? 


Including India, we have travelled to 19 countries so far.
Our Chhavi has accompanied us to all the countries except one, our honeymoon to Malaysia! 
Yes, Turkey has long been on our wish list!


You visited many countries: do you have a favorite so far?  In which countries did you find travelling with children the hardest?  Why?


Our favorite will always be Switzerland. It is a paradise for travel lovers and great to travel with kids too. So far we have covered the countries in Europe and Europe is best to travel with kids. 


Rashmi, Chalukya and Chhavi, Neuwachstein Castle



How did you find travelling with a 6-month-old? 


We have learnt a lot with time. We always plan ahead, book all the tickets to attractions in advance to avoid the queues. We have to carry extra set of clothes, food, toys. Everything and anything, we think may or may not be required.
If it was only the two of us, we would have travelled without booking hotels with just a pair of jeans and shirts. Survived on limited sleep, biked through snowcapped mountains, hiked through rainy forests and stayed in villages, travelling without any planning whatsoever! But kids change you a lot, don't they?

Were there any surprises while travelling with a child?

We have been denied rides in Switzerland. Recently we cancelled our long planned trip to Mont Blanc because they don't allow kids below 3.
We had to cut short a trip to Venice because the weather turned out too windy.
And wasted a day in Florence because it started raining suddenly out of nowhere on a sunny day. 
If it was for the two of us, weather wouldn't have mattered much.


What kind of packer are you: carry-on only or everything in sight? Is there one item you never leave home, no matter where you go or how long for?  


As for two of us it is simple: jeans and pair of shirts.
As for our daughter, we have a two-page checklist depending on whether it is a day trip or night stay. 90% of our luggage is stuff for our daughter. We pack everything for her considering all climates. 

And the one thing we never leave home without, is our daughter's teddy. Our daughter wants her teddy beside her all the time, while she is having her food, sleeping or running around in the garden.



Etretat, Normandy


How do you prepare for a trip? Which website do you use to make travel and accommodation arrangements?


We use Airbnb for apartments. And we book flights ourself after some research.


Do you get travel anxiety? How do you overcome it?


Yes, we do get anxious sometimes because we are travelling with a kid and we are not sure how the facilities, weather  and, in general, thecity would turn out to be. But until now Europe has not disappointed us in anyway. Europe is in fact the most kid-friendly of all places, with clean diaper changing rooms, washrooms and stroller friendly public transport.

We take complete care to have the sightseeing maps, tour circuit, public transport information, bookings and tickets printed out.
We check and recheck them several times to see if we have missed out on anything.


What do you bring back from your trips? What’s your favorite souvenir?


We are not very much into collecting physical souvenirs. We have a couple of collector boxes, a Venetian mask and tiny Eiffel towers. But our best souvenirs are the pictures we took and the memories we made, which we are going to cherish for a lifetime.


Do you have any funny travel stories?


1.On our way back to Geneva from Prague, we reached the airport on time and looked for our flight's check-in counter and were surprised not to find our flight details. On enquiring with information counter, they said that no such flight exists. We were in an utter shock didn't know what to do and waited there at the counter. Then after 5 to 10 minutes the lady called up and confirmed with someone and told us that the flight was cancelled and they gave us tickets for some other flight to Geneva which was via Amsterdam.

2.Our first international trip was to Italy and we decided to drive all around Italy. Verona was our very first stop. Unaware of the fact that our GPS setting was wrong and was set as to exclude all highways, we drove through several villages on gravel filled roads for an hour or so. We were so confused as to why there was no highway connecting Geneva to Verona. Then we realized our mistake and corrected the GPS setting.

3. We have had a couple of experiences where we had to run through the airport to catch our flights. When returning from Lisbon we came to the airport well before time, almost 3 hours early. We were happy that this time we would not have to rush through and it would be a relaxed flight back to home. Unfortunately only 30 min before boarding we realized that we were waiting in the wrong terminal and again had to rush through the airport. Even worse, we had to take a 10 min shuttle to the other terminal and so the story repeats itself!


Munnar,Kerala 2013
You can connect with Rashmi and Chalukya on Facebook and Instagram too!

Pinterest: @gobeyondbounds 

Twitter: @gobeyondbounds




Wednesday 23 March 2016

5 things blogging taught me about myself!

12:00:00



1. You are never too old to learn!


I never knew I had it in me to understand the inner working of the internet. When I made the decision to start a blog, I looked around for help. But since everyone was asking for some kind of payment and I wasn't sure if the my blog will be a long term thing, I decided to do it my self.

Yes, it took me 3 days and 1000's of Google and Yotube searches but I managed to put a blog online. All by myself! Pretty proud of it! 

Now I can edit HTML (a little bit but I still find that it gives me major nightmares), add a little CSS (no idea what it stand for, though). Also tried to upload and customize a template but that didn't go too well, so decided to stick with the limited options that I had till I can find someone nice enough to do it for me.

2. Never be afraid to ask for help!


I am the kind of person who is always willing to help but not willing to ask for help (if that makes any sense). So it was hard for me to reach out to people and ask for some guidance. Also, I thought I would come across as pretty dumb because I don't know all the cool words and lingo. But I decided to do it anyways. With a few cold replies, no replies, seen notifications but still no replies later, one pretty cool blogger decided to answer my questions. After that I found a really great blogging community on Facebook and Instagram. 

For a while, I couldn't believe that there were people who were so willing to help. But they restored my faith in the goodness of people. More power to all of you who don't hesitate to help!

3. Blogging is a full time job!


I really thought I would just hop online, shoot a few lines, take and upload a few pictures and I would be good to go. Little did I know that the people who say that they gave up their jobs to pursue blogging full time had a really good reason to do so. It takes a lot of time and effort to put together a blog post that your readers will enjoy. A lot of hard work goes into the conceptualization, compostion, photo editing and typing it out before hitting publish. 

This is why I decided to blog about once or twice a week. Because it is too much to handle with 2 kids. Also, I believe quality should always come before quantity. And I am still learning as I go.

4. Time management!


As I said earlier that blogging is a full time job and you need some serious time management and multi-tasking skills to make it work with a busy family schedule. 

I am a professional procastrinator (there should really be an official title for people like me) but by deciding to write my blog I have managed to get a little control over this habit of mine. I wake up early, take notes and get to work as soon as the kids are asleep. Yes, I have to get creative to find time to blog but having this part-time job has put a lot of things in perspective. I have learnt to prioritize and be flexible, as when you have kids there are a lot of things you can't control.

5. Your inspiration is right in front of you!


I used to be so in awe of my favourite bloggers, still am. How they come up with one great idea after another. I used to rack my brain trying to think of one thing that someone other than me would find interesting but used to come up empty. But now I am always on the look out for something that strikes a cord with me. I have learnt my strengths and am learning to use them.

For now, my biggest inspiration are my kids. And I figured if so many of my friends and acquaintaces ask me for advice about babies and kids, there must be something that I am doing right!


This blog post is part of a blog-hop hosted by Suki Eleuterio, she is a  writer, motivational speaker and yoga teacher among other amazing things. You can follow her on her blog  www.sookton.com.

Others participating in this blog-hop are:




Saturday 12 March 2016

How to raise a happy child

18:36:00
Disclaimer: Before I begin I just want to say that this article is about your typical, run of the mill type families. And every advice about children is not suited to every family. Take what you think is good from this post and leave the bad behind.

There are a lot of articles, studies and whatnot on the internet that tell you how to raise happy children. What is good fort heir mental, physical and psychological growth and what can put them in harm's way. I read a lot, and I mean "A LOT" about this stuff when I was pregnant with my first child. Armed with all this knowledge I thought I was well equipped to raise a happy, little boy. But, boy, was I wrong. You see real life is nothing like what you find in these articles and researches. Once in a while, life throws you a curve-ball and no amount of google searches is going to help you with finding the solution. So, where does the answer lie? It's is so easy that it's ridiculous. It lies within you, the mother. Trust your instinct about your children and you'll never go wrong!

I am grateful that I discovered this early and since then it has been an exceptionally easy ride. There were some bumps along the way but I am happy to say that so far my kids are the happiest I have known. Masha'Allah! I will just like to give some pointers to new moms and even experienced ones (if they want). So let's begin!


1.Trust your instinct

As I said before it is very important to trust your maternal instinct. If you feel something is wrong with your kid, even though the rest of the world disagrees, follow up on it. Even when you are pregnant do what your instinct tells you. But that in no way means that you shouldn't listen to your doctor. See, there is a fine line that needs to be toed with caution. I have learned that listening to everyone will make you go insane with worry. So, just talk about your concerns with your doctor and 1 or 2 other people that you trust.

I remember the first time I was pregnant I was bombarded with advice, some of which was not very good, some downright scary. One person told me to stop doing any kind of housework or I will surely lose my unborn child. I was scared out of my mind with worry! A long discussion with my midwife followed and thankfully she put all my fears to rest. She did give me one advice that I still follow. She told me to "limit my contact with these kind of people and trust my instinct"


Photo credit: hugabub.com via Visualhunt / CC BY-ND

2. Physical contact

I can not put enough emphasis on this. Our kids need our time and our undivided attention. They are young, they don't understand why they need to sit in their pushchair when we go out or sleep alone at night. A little baby needs physical contact, needs your love. I carried my son in a baby carrier till he was around 9 months old. We both enjoyed that time. He could look up and see that mommy was close by and I could kiss his tiny little nose whenever I wanted. I wouldn't trade that time for anything in the world. But ofcourse as I said before everything does not work for everyone. So if you are more comfortable with having your baby in a pushchair then you definitely should, regardless of what other peope think!

I loved co-sleeping with my baby. I could not bring up my courage and put him into a crib for the night. Also as I was breastfeeding it was much easier for the both of us that he slept in my bed. My sister however, put he son into the crib from the first day and that arrangement work quite well for them. So really it is upto you to find an arrangement that suits you.


Photo via VisualHunt.com


3. Take out time for them

Always try to give your children your undivided attention. Take them out, play with them, feed them, find something you can do with them. In short have fun with them. You'll give them some very precious memories. I am a stay-at-home mom but even I used to find this a little difficult until I made a few adjustments to my daily schedule. I put away my phone, turn off the tv and my laptop and do something with my 2 year old that we both enjoy. Today it was Lego's and colouring. I don't know who enjoyed it more. One time I looked up from my colouring and saw that he had already moved on to something else. All in all, 2 hours well spent.


4. Let them make a mess

My husband is a very tidy man, he doesn't like a mess. So what I do is that I let my son make a huge mess around the house all day and one hour before daddy comes home we both clean it up. I have seen that it has taught him two things: you always clean up after you play and it is exciting to wait for daddy to come home. He always puts the toys back even when we are at the doctor's office. Makes me so proud*sniff*
Today I gave him a free reign over everything. He didnt have to take a  nap if he didn't want to. He could have chocolate, he could watch as many poems as he wanted and make a huge mess which he did, but boy, did he have fun! His eyes lit up when he saw that I wasn't going to stop him from anything today.

Photo credit: gabi_menashe via VisualHunt.com / CC BY


5. Encourage and appreciate them

Value their choices, decisions and opinions. Never tell your child that his idea is stupid. Kids are so sensitive and always on the lookout for our approval. Things like these hurt them and there will come a time when they will stop coming to you and find someone who encourages them. And you don't want to find them wanting someone else's approval than yours. Your kid made a drawing and you have no idea what that is, just say "wow, you did a great job! Now tell me the story behind it"

My son loves jumping on the couch and he wants me to watch him do it because he just learned how to jump. So, even if I don't want to I have to. I don't want to hurt his feelings and if my watching him makes him happy so be it. So I make all the appropriate faces and sounds while he does that.


6. Be nice to your spouse

Be nice, not only in front of the kids but otherwise too. Kids are sensitive beings, they pick up on these things and nobody wants their kids to feel that way. It teaches them kindness and acceptance. I know, sometimes your husband might get on your nerves or you might not agree with him but keep these reactions away from the kids. No kids like taking sides during a conflict between parents. Both parents are equally important to them and they have the same love for both of you. Never drag them into these fights or disagreements. And neve ever bad-mouth your spouse in front of you kids. You might think that you'll turn them against your spouse but you will be losing your respect in this process. Remember that even though you have a few grievances with your spouse, you both love your kids equally.

Photo credit: pareeerica via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA


6. Don't take out your stress on your kids

Had a bad day at work? The traffic was bad? The weather was too hot/too cold? You didnt have lunch at work and now you are hungry but there is nothing to eat? You had a disagreement with someone? Leave all this at the front door.Your kids have been waiting to see you all day and they sure wouldn't appreciate if the front door opens and The Grinch walks in.

This is just part 1. I will follow up on it soon. This is a  never ending discussion that grows as your child grows. But always remember to be ready with your arms wide open for your kids. Give out kisses often, this phase passes too soon. Tell them you love them and be open with you feelings. These tiny humans live for our love and approval and it is not too much to ask for a happy childhood.

Till next time! Have fun!

Monday 7 March 2016

Happy Mother's Day!

16:26:00




It was Mother's Day yesterday. Kids are too small to know what that means but that doesn't mean I don't. I wouldn't have minded having breakfast in bed, you know, those heart shaped waffles, a glass of orange juice, a cup of coffee, some heart-shaped chocolates and some roses. But since the kids are too small all this would have had to be done by the Mr. So, technically it would have become "Wife's day" but there is no such thing, is there? There should be. And there should be a "Husband's day" (don't want him to feel left out, you know)

Coming back to the point, I didn't get the breakfast and no card either. Instead I made breakfast (had to), fed the kids and the big kid (the husband), washed the dishes, bathed the babies, did the laundry, put the kids down for a nap, had a cup of coffee in peace, cooked dinner, watched some tv, played with Ibbi, avoided a meltdown (highlight of the day), cleaned the house of all expired medicines and stuff, had dinner, had a major fight with Ibbi because he refused to go to sleep and so on. Maybe I am missing  a few things but I can't be bothered to relive the entire yesterday in my mind, it stresses me out to just think about the stress I had yesterday. Anyone else feel that the day gets even more stressful when the husbands are home? I am pretty sure I am not the only one who feels it.

So, by the time the kids went to sleep I was dead tired. Maybe feeling a little down because I didn't get the day I deserved (maybe just being dramatic here) But as I lay on my bed it suddenly hit me that what I had done all day was done out of love. I didn't do it because I wanted the kids to return this favour. I did what I was supposed to do. I loved my kids, nurtured them, made this home a safer place for them, put their needs before mine. Isn't it what a mother is supposed to do? All this and more without a thought of recompensation? Without holding it over the kids to return this love in the form of a card and waffles on one day? Am I making any sense to any of you? Let me put it another way. Whatever a mother does, it is out of love. It is in our DNA, we were born to be caregivers, caretakers, And there is no way anyone can recompensate all our sleepless nights, the pain of childbirth, the endless feeding sessions, the lack of social life or anything we have sacrificed for our children.


So, to all tired, exhausted, beautiful, fantastic, wonderful moms out there. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!! Keep beaing awesome, keep loving your kids, keep up with the good work.



Friday 12 February 2016

Awkward situations

23:27:00


Everyday we face situations that we would love to avoid. Read on for some great tips by me!

1. Walking into a waiting room :

You know the feeling when you walk into a waiting room and you have to make a split second decision about where you are going to sit? Those few microseconds are the worst. You feel like everyone is watching you and judging you somehow and you just want to take a seat as soon as you can. But, you will have to choose. Now the saeting arrangement is mostly like a giant game of Tetris. One wrong move and your entire wait is doomed. 
So, you walk in and there are a few empty seats but one is in the far corner and you don't want to walk that far. The other is between 2 people, one of whom clearly has the flu while the other is the type of aunty who wants to start a conversation with everyone. Then there is the seat between that creepy guy and creepy uncle,so automatically that area is a no-go. Then you see and find two empty seats between 2 people and you have to decide who you would like to sit with without offending the other person! I am already exhausted before my appointment! 
.
Tip: To avoid this situation make the earliest possible appointment. Or at a less busy time. If all else fails try awkwardly to fit yourself on that seat between the 2 people and pray no one talk to you.

2. Getting on a bus or a train/subway/metro(whatever you call it) :

Before you get on the bus or train you have to estimate where the bus/train will stop and where exactly the doors will be so you don't have to do an awkward turn towards the front once the bus/train stops. Once you manage to get on without making  a fool out of yourself you will have to decude where you want to sit. Naturally everyone wants the window seat, so depending on where you got on from that can be a yes or no. if you are lucky you will find a window seat and you can pray all the way to your destination that no one sits with you.
If you aren't that lucky you will have to make the decision again. Now you don't want to sit with someone because, come on, the seats are not made for normal human being. You have to hunch, pull in your breath and tuck in your legs all at the same time. Uncurling from that position is another story.
Also do you mind sitting in a seat that is facing someone? You knees might be touching, depending upon the size of the person sitting opposite you. Also if two seat are empty do you sit next to the person and make them feel uncomfortable because you left the side seat empty or do you leave the middle seat empty and maybe offend that person because you didn't want to sit with them.

Am I making any sense to any of you? If yes, then read on...

Tip. There is no tip. A bus or a train ride is awkward and always will be!

3. Going to a doctor:

Everytime I go to the doctor's I practise what I am going to say to her in fromt of my bathroom mirror. I don't want to look stupid, do I? Also, I make a list of everyhting that is wrong with me. But as soon as the doctor turns to me I forget everything. Now I am thinking if I want to take the list out. I don't want to seem like a hypochondriac. But if I don't give her something solid then she'll think I just like going to the doctor. So I end up telling her one thing and asking for a blood test! And more awkwardness if the doctor's appointment includes something where you will have to remove your clothes. Nobody should have to go through with that!

Tip: Go to a new doctor everytime, because your regular doctor cannot handle your weirdness.

4.Eating in public: 

I don't know how some people do that! I can't. I just can't! I feel like everyone is watching me and then I feel like maybe I am not eating properly so I try to act really proper but I am sure I end up looking even more awkward. I feel like the timy morsels of food that fall everytime I take a bite are being followed by everyone around me. And I keep wiping my lips and by the end of that my lips are raw and then I don't want to put my chapstick on because there is no way to do it.

Tip: Don't eat in public. If you have to then put your head down and act like nobody is watching. Never return to that place.

5. Waiting at a grocery-store checkout:

You don't know what to do while you wait for your turn. You can either look at what the person before you has bought. Or what the people in the next line have in their baskets or you can pretend to check out the display by the side of the check-out. Again don't make eye contact with anyone. It will lead to awkward smiles.

Tip: Be the first one at the store or opt for home deliveries.

6. Taking a call in public:

I can never understand how people can have hour long phone calls while in public. I panic if I have to take a call, I feel like everyone is looking at me and trying to hear what I am saying which leads to a squeaky voice coming out of my mouth. Why you ask? I don't know the answer to this question.

Tip: Keep your phone on silent. Act like you don't know why your pocket is making a buzzing sound.

7. Drinking a Coke:

You know the moment you take a sip and you either let out a giant hiccup or you get the urge to let out a huge burp. And you are sitting there, your nostrils flaring like crazy and your eyes watering because you want to release that burp but don't want anyone to know.

Tip: Don't drink Coke. So simple, come on!


You might be thinking " are you crazy?" Well, I am not crazy. My mother had me tested. Well, she didn't but whaddup TBBT reference!