Gratitude List for 2025

In the rush of everyday life, it's easy to get caught up in what's next on our never-ending list. But, tucked among that noise, there are some beautiful moments that we might miss. As we are in the last month of the year 2025, let's slow down, breathe, and discover the power of focusing on the things that truly lift us up.

Pin it for later!

My Gratitude List for 2025:

Family:

Touchwood.. 2025 has been a great year. I had many beautiful moments with my family. Our Glacier trip in the Summer, all training together to hike 11 miles, hitting multiple challenging trails in Austin, both kids enrolled in swim teams, meeting my sister's family, meeting cousins, celebrating birthdays, planning for a trip this December.. the list goes on.. 

There is more to be grateful for in 2025. 

Photo by Dmitry Zvolskiy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gray-ceramic-vase-2062433/

Work:

I could accomplish more on the work front, though not technically, but could gain more functional knowledge. I focused on test automation over the last few months. I could automate the basic flow of a complex feature, which was satisfying. 

I could learn more about AI tools and got the opportunity to use them in 2025 - ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Junie, Gemini, Base44 etc.,

Our generation is at an important juncture, starting from an analog world, watching the world transform to digital, and now moving towards AI. I am thankful for all the opportunities I got to learn new things in 2025.

 

Dance:

This is interesting now. I, improving myself as a teacher of a dance school and being a student studying hard for a Master's in Kuchipudi. 

I feel so happy to have completed 3 courses in my Master's this year with good percentages. There is a great learning curve for me with respect to understanding literature, choreography, and rhythm. 

We had a successful Annual Recital. Now, I get the hang of things in Austin. Searching for a venue, arranging photographers, ordering medals and certificates for students, blah blah.. Someday, I might be able to do a dance ballet like our Guru used to do! Wish me luck in becoming a better teacher. 

Hobbies:

I could participate and finish the Blogchatter Half Marathon in October. 10 posts in 15 days. I finished all my travel backlog, wrote about the most beautiful hikes. It's always a pleasure to see the list of travelogues grow big on your blog, isn't it?

Here is the list of all my travelogues if you haven't seen them yet. Here is the list of Texas travelogues. 

Book reading has taken a backseat this year. Only 9 books read so far. 

I focused on my health, learned about stretches, strength training, able to practice dance and even perform twice this year. Cannot be happier than that. 

Photo by Řaj Vaishnaw: https://www.pexels.com/photo/thank-you-heart-text-791024/

So, that's about my gratitude list. What are you thankful for? Please do let me know in the comments.

By the way, it is always my gratitude list posts that get the most hits on my blog during the holiday season. These lists mean a lot to me and also to you, my readers, as I understand. Thank you. 

I wish you to end this year with gratitude and ring in the new year with hope and happiness. 

Until next time,

Habits that reflect me!

A personal post today. Let me share some habits that reflect me.

Watching Sunrise

Every morning, I look forward to that magical moment when the sun peeks over the horizon and paints the sky in soft shades of orange and pink. There’s something truly calming about it—a simple yet powerful way to practice mindfulness and be present in the moment.

Our backyard faces east, which makes it the perfect spot to enjoy the sunrise. During winter, the sun doesn’t rise until around 7:30 a.m.—just after I’ve sent the kids off to school. That’s my quiet time, coffee in hand, soaking in the warmth of the early rays and the beauty of a brand-new day.

Photo by Tahir Shaw: https://www.pexels.com/photo/golden-hour-view-on-the-mountain-205410/

Coffee

I’ve never been a huge coffee lover, but I absolutely enjoy sipping a cup made by my spouse (he makes it best! ☕). For me, coffee isn’t just about caffeine—it’s about connection. It’s the warmth of shared moments, intimate conversations, and quiet comfort. Honestly, I think I love the smell of coffee even more than the taste.

And since science says coffee is good for longevity—cheers to more happy, coffee-filled years together!

Love for Soups, Salads, and Pasta

I’m convinced I must’ve been Italian in a past life 🤔 because I have an undeniable love for soups, salads, and pasta. Oddly enough, not pizza—which surprises everyone!

Even though cooking isn’t my favorite activity, I enjoy making soups in my Instant Pot. They’re simple, nourishing, and perfect for busy days. Pasta is another favorite—it’s hearty and satisfying, just like a good South Indian meal. When it comes to salads, I prefer mine with cooked veggies over raw lettuce. They’re easier to digest and still pack all the goodness.

Photo by Navada Ra: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bowl-of-soup-and-two-silver-spoons-1703272/

Prioritizing Tasks

I’m a detail-oriented multitasker by nature. Every day feels like a mental juggling act—calculating tasks, priorities, and deadlines. With two active kids, a full-time job, and a dance school I run on weekends, prioritizing isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Honestly, it’s the one skill (along with family support!) that keeps everything running smoothly.

Photo by Tara Winstead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/text-on-a-notepad-8386688/

Books

Books are my weakness. I love getting lost in a good mystery, thriller, or romance novel. I could read anytime, anywhere—even on vacations! But lately, I’ve been trying to rein in that habit.

I used to read before bed, but I realized it keeps my mind too active to sleep. And once I start a great book, I just can’t put it down until I finish it—definitely not ideal for a good night’s rest! Now, I’ve limited my reading to lazy weekend afternoons, which feels like the perfect compromise.

Blogging

And that brings us here—to blogging. Writing has always been close to my heart. Even though life has gotten busier and blogging sometimes takes a back seat, I still stay connected through travel writing.

We love exploring and hiking as a family, and after spending hours researching trails and itineraries, I enjoy documenting our experiences. My goal is to share practical tips and real insights that can help others plan their own adventures.

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blog-letters-on-brown-wood-262508/

Here are all my travel stories—written with love, curiosity, and a bit of wanderlust. 🌍💛

So, that's about some habits that reflect me. What habits define you?

Until next time,

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2025

Word of the year 2023 - Mindfulness #WriteAPageADay

Last year, I set my word of the year as 'Change'. 2022 has been a year of a lot of changes - settling in Austin, searching for a new house, moving to a new house, starting up dance school from scratch again, learning 2 new software languages at work,  traveling to India twice, and bringing the parents to the USA. As was my wish, I could adapt to all changes in 2022. 

This year, I want to settle in. After so many changes, it's time to get back to normal. Get back to coziness at home, continue to progress at work, relax on weekends, plan vacations and think of extracurricular activities for kids. 

My Word this year will be 'Mindfulness'.

Why?

There are too many things on my plate right now. I am always hurrying between my checklists and jumping between tasks - Work, family, cooking, kids, dance school, books, blog, and so on.. This is making me stressed. 

I decide to be mindful instead of hurrying to complete a task. The world can wait and a few mishaps don't matter after all. 

I am reading books one after the other, even in those times while I am waiting to pick up my kid from school or when we are watching TV. This obsession should stop slowly. I should learn to focus on the task that I am doing, and relish the moment instead of multitasking. 

I plan to observe kids after the school bell rings, enjoy the music on my car FM before the bell, and listen to the kiddo while driving the car. When we watch TV at home, I want to focus on TV and enjoy it instead of trying to read at the same time.

This might be tough to implement, but let me try.

A new goal for the new year is to be fully present in whatever task I do and cherish each moment. 

What is your word of the year for 2023?

Until next time,

word count: 330

5 ways to reduce stress

 Stress, Stress, Stress..

We have been learning more about mental health, anxiety, and stress these days. 

What is Stress?

Stress is the body's reaction to a challenge. It can be positive like when we have to avoid some danger or accomplish any task on time. But, too much of it can negatively affect our health. Stress is the way we react to a difficult situation like anger, frustration, etc.,. 

Even when we train ourselves to be calm, it's not easy to handle all kinds of situations and maintain cool. 

Pin it for Later!

Signs of Stress:

As per the article from MedlinePlus, the following are some signs of stress:

• Diarrhea or constipation
• Forgetfulness
• Frequent aches and pains
• Headaches
• Lack of energy or focus
• Sexual problems
• Stiff jaw or neck
• Tiredness
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Upset stomach
• Use of alcohol or drugs to relax
• Weight loss or gain

In long term, stress can cause harm to the body and can be a reason for many diseases.

So, here are 5 ways that I learned from my experience which help in reducing mental stress.

5 ways to reduce stress:

1. Excercise

Exercise found to have many benefits and reducing stress is just one of them. 

Exercise need not mean hitting the gym and working for hours. It can be as simple as dancing to your favorite tune, hiking to explore nature, trying swimming/karate lessons, biking/jogging etc., 

If the activity is something you love, chances are more for you to continue the activity and even enjoy the experience.

PC: www.pixabay.com

2. Explore Hobbies and Fun Activities

Ensure you spend time on your hobbies at least 30 mins a week to start with and increase to more days in a week slowly.

Reading books, painting, even playing simple games online like word search, candy crush, playing board games like chess / Chinese checkers with family can relax your mind.

How games have changed these days? From Tetris, Pacman to PubG, Pokemon.. There are so many games available online and even free on Plays.org. (By the way, this site has no ads, that's a relief :-)). While I liked Arcade games, my kids loved games from the Base Defence category.

Listening to music/ singing songs, learning different types of dance styles/music instruments, etc., are very helpful in reducing anxiety.

3. Enjoy the Outdoors and Nature

Our Earth is gorgeous. Traveling outdoors and discovering different places is relaxing and also a learning experience. 

Experiencing different foods, meeting people from different cultures, traveling to new places, staying near the beauty of nature like forests, mountains, and beaches are definitely mood changers and can brighten our souls. Agree?

Image by Leonardo Valente from Pixabay 

4. Spend time with people you love

Humans are social animals. Love and social interactions are essentials in our lives. It doesn't matter how much we earn, but how many good friends we earn is important. 

Due to Covid, we are not able to meet people in person. Since most of us are getting vaccinated, it's not far when we can go back to family dinners and parties with friends. 

Happiness keeps the stress away. Spending time with loved ones gives us security and satisfaction in life.

5. Practice Mindfulness and Gratitude

I came to understand the importance of mindfulness and gratitude a bit late in my life. But, these 2 are great ways to have positive thoughts in our mind which, in turn, reduce stress.

Mindfulness means appreciating the moments in the present. Gratitude is feeling thankful for what we have than worrying about what we don't have.

Image by Alfonso Cerezo from Pixabay 

Enjoying the beauty of flowers blooming in our garden, appreciating the help from a stranger, relishing the smile of our children when they are playing, gorging the delicious food made at home, enjoying a hug from a close friend, etc., - These everyday small things make our day.

Yoga and Meditation can improve mindfulness and positive thinking. When we can stop overthinking and reduce negative thoughts, the mind feels relaxed.

Thus, there are many simple ways to reduce stress in our daily lives. Always remember, for a long-term impact, we should eat a balanced diet, meditate and try to think positively. 

How do you cope up with stress? Would love to know your suggestions in the comments.

Until next time,

Happy to collaborate with Plays.org to write this article on some simple ways to reduce stress. 

Gratitude List - April 2020 #GratitudeCircle

Love, Happiness, and Gratitude.

We need all of these in this crucial and tough time that we are all going through. 

Due to COVID-19 Many might have lost jobs, many are in the danger of losing their income in the future, many businesses already facing losses due to closures, students lost the last quarter of their school year, stocks are going down, Many going into depression.  No one can ever sum up all the impacts of the Corona Virus yet.

As of today, globally 2.5 lakhs people lost their lives for COVID and there are 36 lakhs of confirmed cases. 

If you have a job right now and are not afraid of you and your family's financial needs, consider you are some of the luckiest. Be kind and grateful more than ever!

I am deeply grateful for my current situation and here is my Gratitude List for April 2020:

Dance School:

I have never thought of establishing a dance school and becoming a teacher myself. Never in my dreams or future plans. 

But it happened with my Guru's blessings. My teacher or my parents might have given more blessings and wishes which made this happen. I don't know. 

I named it "Kala Deepika Dance Academy". I know only one thing - everybody has a purpose in their life and one of my purposes is to teach dance.

Health :

I am not in pink of my health but I am grateful for having an active lifestyle, being a vegetarian, and having a supportive family.

Due to working from home, I am getting time for evening walks. On some days, I get time to watch tv and relax. I know that many women are not that lucky with a lot of work to do at home and also take care of children. I wish they take care of their health too.

I successfully stopped taking daily coffee. Green tea never suits my body, so have to plan for some good beverage without milk. 

Work:

Office work increased in the last month so much but I cannot complain, right? when many are losing jobs now. 

Even though work-related stress is more, I am grateful for the learning opportunity that I am getting. I could learn some new skills in the last month and complete Agile SAFE certification as well! 

Food:

I am never a foodie, but staying at home and eating home food for a long time is a bit boring. 

So, I tried a few dishes which I usually don't try. Successfully baked strawberry muffins, snickerdoodle cookies, prepared gulab jamun twice, learned the technique of making good masala chai, etc.,

A pat on my back as I don't enjoy the cooking space much :-)

Strawberry Muffins
PC:www.pixabay.com

Blogging:

Last, but not least! 
Every year I get tempted to take A2Z blogging challenge. this year too.. 

But, the situations were not that good to take part in the challenge. More work daily stretching beyond office hours, the stress of guiding kids, and helping them in online learning while office work is going on etc ., making me super tired by 6 PM. Then, cooking follows, eating, and sleeping.

But, every blogger gets an itch for writing, right? I couldn't resist that itch. Just on April 1st, I made a quick list of places to visit in Colorado for each alphabet, registered for the challenge, and jumped into the bandwagon. 

I have spent just 30 to 40 mins a day to quickly write a post, add photos, links, review, and publish. I could complete the challenge! 

You can check all my posts of A2Z Challenge here.

So, that's it from my side! Of course, a lengthy post. We are all longing for a friendly , face to face talk right?

How about your April? How did it go? Did COVID impact you a lot? Do let me know your comments.

Until next time,

Linking this post to #GratitudeCircle blog hop hosted by Vidya Sury.

Pin it for later!

Ultimate Mindfulness Activity Book by Christian Bergstrom - Book Blitz

150 Playful Mindfulness Activities for Kids and Teens (and Grown-Ups too!)

Non-Fiction, Children, Teens

Published: January 2019

Kick-start and sustain a fun mindfulness practice with kids and teens.

“This book makes it easy and is a must-have for every parent and teacher!” – Denise Besic, Mother and Teacher

Give kids lasting life skills to de-stress and calm down, navigate difficult emotions, control impulses, focus on what matters, and nurture empathy, kindness, and joy.

In Ultimate Mindfulness Activity Book you will find:

    150+ playful mindfulness activities

    Tools for calm, focus, joy, kindness, and emotional intelligence and regulation

    A 21-step guide to kick-start and sustain your practice together

    Inspirational examples of how mindfulness makes positive change

    Easy to understand explanations on how to explain mindfulness to kids and youth

    A FREE audio course for grown-ups and more

About the Author




Chris is the founder of BlissfulKids.com, a blog dedicated to children's mindfulness, and a dad who is thrilled to practice mindfulness with his son. He is a certified mindfulness facilitator and trained to teach mindfulness to students in K-12. He's also an executive consultant and has taught meditation for more than 15 years.

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Promo Link

Purchase Link 

Amazon

 

Until next time,