The year-end ritual of reflecting continues this year as well.
When 2022 started, I had taken up a job in a startup and was looking for some stability in my personal life, after the series of challenges in 2020 and 2021. Little did I know, that in a couple of weeks, things would turn even more challenging. Covid wave 3 struck in Jan. K had a severe cough and fever for a week. While he isolated himself and was recovering, my MIL (in Chennai) had a similar episode of persistent cough and fever. The test results came out positive one evening and the very next morning, we received a call from FIL that she passed away. This was just too shocking and too sudden for all of us.
K rushed to Chennai and within a few days, FIL also tested positive. After a couple of weeks, he recovered and we shifted him to Bangalore. The challenges of elderly care and coping with grief took a toll on all of us.
My workload both at the office and at home was too overwhelming and so I decided to quit and take a break in May.
My dad has recovered from the illness he was diagnosed with in 2021, after a year-long medication process. But he hasn't regained the strength he lost during this phase and there are other health challenges as well.
My Yoga routine went for a toss and with all the stress, I felt quite exhausted on all levels. Regular walking and home-cooked food helped me to some extent.
Until 2021, I used to get a viral infection (light fever with cold), maybe once a year or so with a quick recovery. But in 2022, I had 3 episodes of fever, body aches and severe cough, with recovery times longer than expected. Is it due to low immunity, stress levels or side effects of something else? No idea.
The break from work helped me prioritize self-care.
In June, I enrolled in the 21-day Beginner Yoga programme organized by Satvic Yoga. It brought back my enthusiasm and interest in regular Yoga practice. I followed it up with the intermediate Yoga programme in Jul. From Jun till Nov, I had been consistent with self-practice. The routine got messed up again in Dec, due to fever and cold episodes one after another for everyone in the family.
Though I wasn't planning to get back to work immediately, an exciting opportunity in the space of well-being came my way and I decided to go for it. The last 4 months have been quite interesting, working for Bigyellowfish and understanding the workings of the maritime industry, which I had no clue about.
One habit that helped me manage the various challenges was Reading, which I have been consistent with throughout the year. Grateful to all the books that came my way in 2022
- they answered the questions I was grappling with,
- they provided fresh perspectives,
- they helped me embrace new ways of thinking - from control to Surrender, from logic to trust.
This year, I managed to complete 35 books (with a few more in progress).
- The Brain by David Eagleman
- Happiness is your creation by Swami Rama
- Obviously awesome by April Dunford
- What are you doing with your life? by J.Krishnamurti
- Finding awareness by Amit Pagedar
- The courage to be disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
- Freedom from the known by J.Krishnamurti
- Essentialism by Greg Mckeown
- The four agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- Everything is f*cked by Mark Manson
- For One more day by Mitch Albom
- Mind full to mindful by Om Swami
- Flowers on the path by Sadhguru
- Yoga on Hypertension by Swami Shankardevananda
- Choosing a path by Swami Rama
- Myth = Mithya by Devdutt Pattanaik
- Rtu Vidya by Sinu Joseph
- Dopamine detox by Thibaut Meurisse
- You are too good to feel this bad by Dr.Nate Dallas
- Master your emotions by Thibaut Meurisse
- Women and Sabarimala by Sinu Joseph
- Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey
- Death by Sadhguru
- The Almanack of Naval Ravikanth by Eric Jorgenson
- Suryanamaskara by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
- My Hanuman Chalisa by Devdutt Pattanaik
- The five dysfunctions of a team by Patrick Lencioni
- The Universe has your back by Gabrielle Bernstein
- Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
- The Book of Kindness by Om Swami
- Inward by Yuan Puablo
- Udalin Mozhi by Dr. Umar Farooq
- Atmamun by Kapil Gupta
- When all is not well by Om Swami
- Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
The more I read, the more I feel inspired to write. Wrote around 90+ posts this year. My Top-5 pick of articles are:
9 steps to simplify life in 40s
When does a person become responsible?
2022 had quite a few memorable events as well.
- Meeting my soul friend in person for the first time. The weekend with Sakthi and her family in Coimbatore felt super special.
- I've been a huge fan of standup comedian Praveen Kumar (so is my daughter). Watching his standup show "Kanchipuram Mapplai" in person and meeting him after the show was so much fun.
- Our trip to Hampi was a memorable one. Loved the vibes of this place and got to experience its historical significance.
- I co-presented a session on mental well-being at a client conference, which was a wonderful opportunity from a professional point of view.
- The annual lecture on packaged foods for Bhoomi college continued this year as well. And I felt glad to do the same as part of their Yugaantar festival last week.
As always, it isn't the goals/resolutions for the New Year, but the daily habits and routines that I want to focus on.
Here's wishing everyone a very happy, joyful and peaceful 2023!