Blogging is the best medicine?

Well, who'd have thunk it? An article from newsweek "My Shrink says ...Blog!" says blogging is therapy :-p.

Why do people write confessional blogs? It's a creative outlet. It's a forum to vent. It's an exercise in exhibitionism. To mental-health experts, though, it's more than that: a blog is medicine. Psychiatrists are starting to tout the therapeutic power of blogging, and many have begun incorporating it into patient treatment. A forthcoming study in the journal CyberPsychology & Behavior even suggests that bloggers might be happier than nonbloggers.

Mental-health experts say blogs are a step up from plain old diaries, chiefly because of the built-in audience. As kids, we learn that if we air our problems, we get help. We associate communication with consolation, particularly when the going gets tough. Blogging fulfills that primal need for sympathy. "Writing is an effort of the brain to communicate for comfort," says Harvard neurologist Alice Flaherty. "Diaries are a form of that communication, but removed. Blogging gets you closer to that sympathetic audience, and that's what makes it therapeutic." According to psychologist John Suler, the anonymity of blogging provides another therapeutic boost: it's high intimacy with low vulnerability. But blogger beware. "Revealing too much," says Suler, "can cause shame or guilt." So blog to your heart's content, but leave some things to the imagination.

Now I know why I feel so good when I blog :-D. Talking of which, looks like I missed a whole month of therapy this May when I didn't blog :-p ;-) :-D.

As of now...

As of now, I'm still missing mom, dad and Darsh. Especially my mom. She came here in September 2007 and it was somehow as if I was back in the good old adolescent days. I miss her so much that the house sometimes feels really empty. I remember her when we take walks ("Mom and I walked that way and explored stuff there"), when we go to supermarkets ("Mom would have loved this"), and even when I cook ("Wonder whether mom would have added this ingredient"). The sadness is so palpable. Its as if I'm numb with pain. The tears are in my eyes, but they won't flow down. My heart feels constricted all the time. But life has to go on..

As of now, I still can't believe I'm back in US. I can't believe 2.5 months in India just went away in what seems like minutes. I'm sure that even if I was there for 6 months, it'd have felt too less. Why is the heart not content with what it gets? As soon as I came back, it was a total change of scenario. I just didn't have time to think about India anymore, as we had to take care of Snugli ourselves. My inlaws will be here next month end, but until then we are on our own. I'm so busy sometimes, its a miracle that I find time to do somethings for myself. Even checking my mail has become a "task to do" :-D. It feels as if I'm in this virtual world where I'm getting everything done, but still do not want to accept the reality that I'm back. Very strange, but true..

As of now, I can't help feeling a bit useless. I know, I know that I said I'm really busy, but many of my friends with a baby have returned to work and here I am sitting at home. I always wanted to take atleast an year's sabbatical after I had a baby, but I miss working. I don't know why I base my worth on a paying job, but I do. Practically, its a different story altogether. Its very difficult for me to work even if I have the opportunity. After all where do I leave Snugli? I don't want to leave her in the daycares here or hire a babysitter, so that means I have to be with her all the time. The best option would be a work-from-home job, but it not really raining jobs here leave alone work-at-home jobs :-p. Guess these pendulum-like-feelings are going to continue for a long time..

As of now, Snugli is 6 months old! 6 months, God! How time flies! Last year I was just out of my 1st trimester and still worried about the tiny little life inside me. I'm still concerned, believe me, though the tiny little life is not so tiny anymore and is almost ready to crawl. She laughs all the time, flips over in a blink (so many times in a day that its difficult to count) and is all set to step into the world, in a matter of speaking. And she has grown so close to my heart, much more than I ever imagined. I had so many doubts when I was pregnant, but now its all smooth. I'm just taking it as it comes. Speaking of which, today is her 3rd set of vaccinations, which means there is a lot of crying to come ;-)..

Queen of the world!

I am back. No its not mom, its still Snugster, the great! I'm not saying sorry for going missing on you for all these days 'cause well, this is not my blog, so all the apologizing should be coming from mom :-p. But you see, I was very very busy. After being in Bangalore for a couple of days in March, we headed to Hyderabad, then back to Bangalore, then to Belgaum, then back to Bangalore. Then dad came and we had my naming ceremony (as if I don't already have a name :-p). Then we headed to Hyderabad (again!!) where I fell a bit ill, vomited and was successful in totally shocking my poor mom. We also had my Annaprashana ceremony there. And then we went back to Bangalore from where we left to US. Phew!! Meanwhile how can you expect a baby to also update a blog? A big :-p to you!

Anyways I was telling you how everyone was catering to me. This catering continued and in fact increased when we went to Hyderabad (ofcourse ;-) :-D). As soon as mom and I landed there the first time, I smiled at everyone and made them fall to my feet >:-). They started treating me like the queen that I am ;-).




My naanamma and thaatha (dad's parents) were always carrying me around!




Thaatha even carried me on his shoulders! :-D.




Lekha atte would always play with me and call me "Bangaru konda" meaning mountain of gold, hehehee :)).




Even my nanammamma (father's maternal grandmom, i.e my paternal great grandmom) did my seve by bathing me everyday :).




After coming to Bangalore, I was honoured by my ammammamma (mom's maternal grandmom i.e my maternal great grandmom) too :-D.




I am the luckiest little girl, aren't I? So you all better do my seve too :-p.





Deeps: Snuggles!! What are you doing!!!
Snuggles: You weren't updating your blog, so I thought...
Deeps: Thought what? And what is this you have been writing!! No computer for you! (Seinfeld style :-D)
Snuggles: But mooooom.. (South Park's Eric Cartman style :-D)
Deeps: No "but mom"s. Go to your crib now!!
Sri: Come here my sweetheart, don't cry..




Snuggles: (I win again, hehehehe) :)).