Time To Regroup
The calendar’s down two-and-a-half months already, and 80-something days from your enthusiastic New Year’s resolutions, you might be left a little… unenthused. To be fair to everyone feeling this way, this year has already been a lot. In the midst of the award show red carpets and fashion weeks, hot takes and social media moments, it’s normal to feel the need to disconnect to catch a breath, and take stock of where your year is headed. Here are a few of our suggestions to help your renew your commitment to your goals this year.
Learn something new: Take a pottery class
Learning a new skill can be the reboot your system needs to get out of that Q1 funk. Pottery-making can be fun as well as meditative, and you get a souvenir to remind you to try new things as keepsake. Rekha Goyal’s The Pottery Lab in Bandra has both, single session workshops that you can attend as a group or solo, and a beginners’ course in pottery-making. The two-hour workshops are an enriching way to spend an afternoon; you can even request for a customised session if you’re going as a group of four or more. If you’re committed, the 10-session course will teach you the basics of ceramics, glazing and surface decoration.
Shake past patterns: Try self-hypnosis
The year may have started with good intentions, but it can be difficult to shake off habits that have set over years, especially when they’re bad. Self-hypnosis can help. It’s similar to guided meditation: you listen to an audio and follow simple instructions, which puts you in a highly suggestive state, helping break deep-set unhelpful patterns or just relax. There’s a good amount of research backing the benefits of self-hypnosis for sleep issues, increasing focus, minimising unhealthy eating habits and even pain management. Reveri, an app co-created by Dr David Spiegel, professor and associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford, offers sessions based on different concerns like the above.
Experience wonder: Spend a day surrounded by art
If you’re an art lover, chances are that you’re already well versed with the different art galleries and museums in your city. If not, a few searches on Google will set you right. Find something that feels new, interesting, or piques your curiosity. Sakshi Gallery in Mumbai is currently showcasing works from 24 artists, including Bhupen Khakhar, Mithu Sen and Thukral & Tagra, titled ‘Sub-Plots: Laughing in the Vernacular’. If pop culture is more your steam, ‘Pop Star Asia’ at Delhi’s Kiran Nadar Museum of Art is one to check out. If you feel moved to buy supplies on your way home for a new-found hobby, so be it.
Organise mindfully: Invest in a good planner
Maybe your productivity has gone off the rails in the past three months, maybe you didn’t really plan for it to begin with, but now are really feeling the push of those deadlines. Hobonichi Techo is a hall-of-fame planner—those in the productivity biz swear by it—and it’s perfect you’re looking for an analog tool to help you get organised. The planner’s current design has 22 years of research behind it to optimise the journaling experience. They also have a version that starts from April—perfect really if you haven’t started planning yet—and each day features quotes that are as enjoyable as fortune cookie fortunes.
