Wellness Cafe Gup Shup 

Today I am grateful for the wellness cafe gup shup session, facilitated by Abdul Rashid Athar, with the collaboration of the Afghan Women Organization (AWO) and United Way Greater Toronto. These sessions offered in various languages, for instance, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. Today I am thankful for attending a session for a variety of reasons, for instance:

• Today's session was started with sharing quotes related to the food and related practices of eating meals

• Today's sitting was innovative in the sense to have two guest speaker for sharing useful information regarding Oats and the uses of bananas and other fruits, recipes also shared at the end

• Nutritious and healthy food was discussed, everyone got a chance to share a special relationship with the food

• It was an awesome session to hear other stories regarding their emotional connection with the food or meal

• Gup shup session was an excellent way to uncover, reveal and exhibits association or attachment with specific food

• Today I learned how food describe a certain culture and attached emotions and feelings, and at a deeper level understood the culture and the food, as it goes hand in hand

• At this time of the COVID 19 pandemic, wellness cafe gup shup is the great support for the community, while staying at home 

• Great source of learning and discovering evidence from each other

• Find your interest cafe at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic and have gup shup, this is the recommendation of the day

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

 Reflection-Gratitude practise 365

Today I am grateful for the continuation of the series of blog "gratitude practise 365". Today 31st blog would be uploading and I am satisfied with the continuity for uploading blogs without any delays or pauses or missing a single day since January 1st, 2021. I am absolutely hooked on writing and drafting these blogs, here are various reasons, for instance:

• "gratitude practise 365" blogs continue motivating me to address something for being grateful in my life

• Writing blogs, itself is an excellent source of satisfaction and gives a sense of achievement on daily basis in my life 

• These blogs, I still admire the writing, so will be continuing writing till 31st December 2021

• It is giving me a sense of innovation and creativity 

• These blogs bring opportunity for many children or people to draw, make, paint, sketch and capture a photo for these blogs

• Now at this stage, I felt that everything is enough in life, shifting the paradigm to look at the situation precisely

if you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

 Facebook Live Streaming

Today I am grateful for attending Facebook live streaming by the child welfare social welfare department in collaboration with UNICEF hosted by the Department of Psychology, University of Karachi. I genuinely appreciated these efforts and contributions to creating awareness in Pakistani society. I acknowledged that it was a blessing for attending over Facebook, as I am residing in Toronto. There are several reasons for appreciating today's live streaming, for instance:

• Today I get a chance to listen to one of my favourite teachers Rubina Feroz, over Facebook, it reminds my golden days of life at the Department of Psychology. It is eternally pleasing to listen and see my mentors

• The speaker was Dr. Uzma, one of my senior fellows, progressing very well in the field of mental health

• The theme was the psychological impact and challenges of COVID 19 at the workplace. It was adequately connected with the existing situation around the world and challenges 

• Today's live streaming was truly convenient, time-saving, especially with no need to travel or get ready. You just need to turn on your device and check internet connectivity

• The guest speaker shared many strategies for better coping with COVID 19 pandemic and mental health or well being

• Today's session encouraged the audience to get trained or be aware of the impact of COVID 19 and its concerning influence on the well being

• Discover live streaming over Facebook for awareness and a better understanding of the current situation and be informed, this is the recommendation of the day

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

 

Socks

Today I am grateful for having pairs of socks. Socks are the things we don't closely pay attention or in other words, we take them for granted. Imagine life without socks, then you will understand its significance. Socks harmonize very well with a variety of shoes, particularly with joggers. I acknowledge and recognize its importance in my life for many reasons, for instance: 

• It gives comfort, warmth and relaxation to the feet

• Socks absorb sweating and keep drying feet all the time

• Socks serve various purposes with different shoes

• It's kind of the shield to protect feet from shock or minor injury

• Socks are the icon or symbol of fashion when it comes to the matching part

• The most important aspect is that wealthy and impoverished both wear socks

• It helps fit the shoe and gives the sense of finishing touch or sense of completion

• Sometimes people wear socks only and move around especially in the winter if they are staying at home

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

Virtual treatments webinar

Today I am grateful for attending a virtual webinar, "Not Created Equal - Virtual Treatments for Mental Health in a Socially Distanced World" offered by EHN Canada. I genuinely appreciate EHN Canada's efforts to promote mental health awareness as well as helping practitioners to be knowledgeable and informed. This series of webinars is remarkably influential as far as mental health is concerned. At this time of the COVID 19 pandemic, while social distancing is enforced, this series of the webinar is a blessing over the zoom. It is convenient, comfortable and suitable for many reasons. Today I learned various perspectives concerning virtual modes of treatments with safety and privacy, especially wagon platform. I would encourage the audience to find something at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic to carry their knowledge and wisdom to the succeeding level, this is the recommendation of the day

 

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

 Break the silence - Webinar

Today I am grateful for attending a virtual webinar offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association on the topic "Break the silence" co-hosted by Nick Petrella, a Community and National advocate in Mental Health and Wellness. Nick’s ability to share openly and authentically is what he is best known for and I acknowledged his every single effort to engage the audience. I appreciate this webinar for many reasons, for instance:

• It was an awesome opportunity to learn over the zoom, time-saving and convenient for many people like me living in Toronto

• Great offer to learn new statistics, for instance, the statistics show that 2/3 Canadians suffer in silence due to fear and rejection and today's session is the effort about breaking that silence

• I recognized that through this webinar series, getting educated on mental health and mental illness can make a world of a difference

• learned about the different diagnoses, treatment options and how to foster positive mental well-being

• It helped further professional advancement in my career and a better understanding of mental health issues

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

My Supervisor - Eva Saphir

                                 Photos courtesy by Eva Saphir

 

Today I am grateful to Eva, my supervisor, mentor, trainer, coach and instructor. These are a few signatures to define her various roles, however, her contribution to my professional development and advancement in my career is beyond explanation. I am thankful to connect with her professionally and I acknowledged her contribution to supporting and promoting me to further growth and excellence in the mental health field. Eva is a registered psychotherapist (RP), OAHMP certified, supervisor and an art therapist. I appreciate her as my supervisor for several reasons, for instance:

• Eva is highly supportive and sets milestones in my professional development and further advancement in my career

• She is skilled in recognizing individual strengths and helped me to fully utilize and optimize my strengths to succeed, for instance, "parenting is a journey and gratitude practice 365" are the selected examples

• Eva is highly trained in providing supervision and guidance as far as clients are concerned, especially I acknowledge her understanding of mental health issues

• She is a veteran psychotherapist who proposes comprehensive knowledge and experience as a creative, respectful mental health practitioner

• I always found her providing books, articles, notes and reading materials for a better understanding of clients and their mental health issues

• Eva is a compassionate and encouraging supervisor with the insight to identify my areas of personal and professional development 

• Her  creative abilities have provided me opportunities in developing innovative plans and deeply focus on reaching my goal

• I noticed and admit that she is an excellent person with positive vibes, I am blessed that Eva is my supervisor and mentor

Current Photo: Eva Saphir

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

 Heart to Heart 

I am grateful for attending a session yesterday, Heart to Heart by Creative Initiatives Community Canada (CICC) and Global Peace Services (GPS). I feel blessed with the community I am engaged with right now, very supportive and encouraging in all regard especially at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic while everyone staying at home. This session I am appreciating for many reasons, for instance:

• This session was about a heart to heart communication or conversation, sharing your very intimate and  personal experiences  

• It was a very safe and nonjudgmental environment, share your feelings and thoughts 

• Everyone was welcome, regardless of their gender, religion or ethnicity, that's the most striking feature of this session

• It was a magnificent opportunity to learn from each other experiences and discover new information

• If I investigate this session at a deeper level, I found an awesome way to ventilate deep emotions and instant recovery or relief

• At some point, during the session, I found it soo touchy, when it comes to immigration, I could deeply connect with considerable stories

• It was a highly engaging and interactive session, especially personal stories, poetry and immigration experiences

• Find your nearby heart-to-heart sessions for the emotional and psychological well-being at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic, this is the recommendation of the day. These sessions you might be found with different names, for instance, wellness cafe, self-care or all is well sessions

• Keep zooming and keep enjoying your life at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

Systematize 

Afterimage

Today I am thankful for my daughter, who systematized this kitchen drawer for me. I genuinely appreciate her efforts and applications of ideas to arrange and make it functional for me. She is 11 years old though and takes an interest to organize stuff. I am grateful for her for various reasons, for instance:

• If children start at a younger age to organize things, they can organize things later in life

• Sometimes it is good to let them implement their personal impressions for systematizing or organizing articles, it will heighten their self-esteem and self-confidence

• Youngsters can explore their creativity and strengthen their sense of planning or managing surrounding

• As a parent, you can give them a responsibility on weekly basis to organize anything, although they organize toys and supplies daily, the weekly task can take their skills to the next level

• Be creative and use your imagination to explore creativity among youngsters, this is the recommendation of the day

Before image

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

Perspective - Toronto

                                 Photo courtesy by Haaniah Idress

Today I acknowledge and appreciate the perspective and wisdom regarding Toronto. This sketch is made by the daughter of my friend, and she named it Toronto. I asked permission from my friend for publishing in the "gratitude practice 365" blog series. Permission was granted and that gives me immense satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment in my life, given the fact that it is an extraordinary piece of creativity, with all the appropriate details. The motivation behind thankfulness, this perspective regarding Toronto relating my spirit and soul with the aspects of innovation and the excellence of the sketch. It is surprisingly remedial for me and I noticed some appealing aspects to this sketch. This sketch is packed with a blend of creativity and provoking thoughts, for instance:

• The background is colourful that gives a sophisticated sense that is full of enthusiasm and liveliness. Colours are life and life is with a variety of colours
• It is packed with patterns with defined lines and that shows the formation of boundaries and the limits in her life
• Following certain patterns indicates that the artist is having defined values and excellence
• If investigate at a deeper level, it highlights very pointed fine motor skills and excellent eye and hand coordination
• Perspective concerning Toronto indicates high rise building, overcrowding and symbolizes overpopulation. Life seems black and white, or monotonous at some point
• Sketch further explaining some feeling of neatness, planning and system in the atmosphere or context
• This sketch is thought-provoking and captures your attention at a deeper level

Find something in the environment for appreciation, for the sake of your emotional and physical well-being, this is my recommendation of the day

Share your own thoughts on this perspective regarding Toronto, if you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

 Mental Health

Today I am grateful for this awesome session, offered by Queen's University with the collaboration Bell Let's talk series of creating awareness of mental health in the community. I am thankful for attending and gaining insight concerning the state of mental health in diverse communities and engaged in a discussion about resiliency and mental well-being. I acknowledged this session for many reasons, for instance:

• It was an excellent opportunity to learn about resiliency and mental well-being 

• This session was over the zoom, really time-saving and brings comfort in life 

• It  was a great opportunity for professional development and very insightful

• Today learned concerning the challenges faced by diverse communities impact their emotional and mental well-being

• I am genuinely thankful for learning ideas, approaches and the best practices for taking care of my own mental health

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

Self-care

Today I am grateful for this session, offered by TNO, FCSS and the Woodgreen and facilitated by the Asmita and the Norin. Today's session was about to share COVID 19 pandemic diary. The facilitators asked all participants to manifest and share their COVID 19  log with the audience. I found so much inspiration from the audience, creativity was at its peak. It was magnificent support for the community at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic. I am genuinely thankful for these wonderful sessions, well served the community's needs. I appreciated the sessions for multiple reasons, for instance:

• It is an excellent learning opportunity over the zoom, learn from each other

• Time-saving, and easy to join at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic

• It provides the platform for getting insight from a variety of perspectives

• It is the floor of encouragement, acceptance and the non-judgemental context 

• It is a kind of an open window for the audience to relax and calm down

• These sessions serve the purpose to engage in and share information 

• It is the safe and secure platform to land in, find new inspirations and motivation

• Self-care sessions truly focusing on the significance of self-care at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic while staying at home 

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

 Listen, Ask & Always Be Kind- Webinar

I acknowledged and uploaded the following description on the topic "Small (and big!) acts of kindness can have a profound impact on someone’s mental health. One of the best tools for supporting someone is being a good listener and letting people know you care about them. Join us to discuss how you can have a positive impact on someone’s journey to recovery as well as information on both local (Hamilton) and National resources".

Today I am grateful for attending a Virtual webinar, co-hosted by Nick Petrella, a Community and National advocate in Mental Health and Wellness by the Canadian Mental Health Association - Hamilton Branch. I am so thankful for this excellent opportunity for educating myself. The topic itself engaging and exciting, opening up related perspectives and will help further growth in my career. It was the open and honest conversations about mental health and mental illness that are crucial to the well-being of all Canadians. 

Find your own local webinars or seminars/conferences or groups for educating yourself is the recommendation of the day. You can find many. Good luck 

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

 Curtain 

                                            Photo courtesy by author

Curtains are the source of privacy, however, at the next level, it carries elegance to the environment and also serves countless purposes. Now I am grateful for this black and white curtain for providing me privacy. The unique characteristic regarding this curtain is that I purchased textile from fabric land, stitched material from Ikea, and sewed it by myself. These are the secondary stuff in our living, serve a purpose but most of the time we take it for granted or do not acknowledge its worth in our life. While lettering this blog, I got to realize its significance for many reasons, for instance:

• The most significant purpose is to provide privacy

• Sometimes, It represents a divider in the room

• Curtains provide shadow from the sunshine or daylight 

• Curtains embellish the view and echo with the surrounding

• Curtain provides an incredibly soothing and calming effect in the environment

• It prevents heat radiation in the room from summer and cold vibes in the wintertime

• In the daytime, whenever we watch TV, it helps to create a comforting environment

• Curtains bring a specific even tone, and shadow of your thoughts and reflection of your culture 

What is your curtain story? If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

 Wellness Cafe Gup Shup Session

Today I am grateful for this wellness cafe gup shup session, collaborated by the AWO and United Way Greater Toronto. The session commenced with the introduction and telling one strength and the weakness of your personality. Today's topic of interest regarding "3 things you learned from COVID - 19 pandemic" and everyone welcomed to share personal experience. This is an awesome session for many reasons, for instance:

• Wellness cafe gup shup session offered in the Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi languages and well connected with the culture and the values related to the specific community 

• This session is a source to connect with the community at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic and get supported 

• Every time a specific topic was discussed, for instance, last time gratitude was the topic of interest and everyone discussed thoughts related to the gratitude

• It provides the platform for getting insight from a variety of perspectives

• It is the floor of encouragement, acceptance and the non-judgemental context  

• These sessions are the source of information and learning from each other

• It provides a safe and supportive environment for the audience and a great opportunity for spending quality time at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic

• I found these sessions a great learning opportunity, indeed, learn from each other

• Wellness cafe gup shup session also offers relaxation and having soothing effects on nerves

• My personal experience regarding wellness cafe gup shup session, to be very honest, I am hooked with these sessions, I am busy though, but always find time to join it. If I investigate at a deeper level, surprisingly, found it a source of relaxation or indeed, recharging myself

• Find your own nearby wellness sessions for relaxation, this is the recommendation of the day

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

Mehndi design

Photo courtesy by Ayesha Raees

Today I am grateful for this mehndi design, created by my daughter. She is just eleven years old and the first time she holds that mehndi cone, started applying it to my hand. I was amazed at the way she began applying mehndi with confidence. I discovered various patterns, fine lines, dots, flower and at the end my name

It was a delighting experience for me and so grateful for having these mehndi patterns and a daughter like her. Having a daughter, itself is a blessing. Keep enjoying your life and be grateful for everything in your life. Here is the final product

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below

Lockdown

Today I am grateful for this lockdown. This is a great opportunity to be with my family and has quality time with them. Lockdown has various meanings for everyone. Life is changing day by day and evolving differently than before. This time I just changed its meaning, so the relevant theme already changed. Why am I mentioning it as an opportunity because of  the given facts:

• Eating breakfast, lunch and supper with my all family member

• We are roasting, frying, baking, cooking and preparing meals together

• Communication is at a deeper level since lockdown, yes we are communicating and listening to each other - plenty of time

• Variety of activities planned and enjoyed throughout this lockdown

• Playing board games and mindfully enjoying well-spent moments

• Lockdown provides us with an opportunity to connect with each other deeply

• Spending some time on painting, sketching, drawing and creating art pieces

• Watching every day one documentary related to different cultures, getting insight and being aware of the cultural differences

• For every single need, we connect each other at this time of the COVID 19 pandemic

• Therefore, try to discover or notice some positive purpose in every circumstance, this is the recommendation of the day

What is your way to spend lockdown? what are the purposes you find during this lockdown? Please comment below 

Friday Celebration

Today is Friday, and I am grateful for this day. Friday always reminds me of the end of the routine life and the commencement of something calm and soothing. All seven days are not the same, however, at this time of the COVID 19, everything has changed and is celebrated otherwise. We can not go or invite anyone because of the limitations imposed by law. So, I chose to cook at least 2 main dishes and a sweet dish for enjoying my weekend with my family. What is your Friday celebration at this time of the COVID 19?

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

Professional development

Today I am grateful for attending the webinar via zoom, by EHN Canada. This webinar was regarding suicidal ideation and with lots of related information. All of the knowledge will truly benefit me in future in dealing with a person who is suicidal. The most important aspect is that the webinar presented me with an idea about how to better tackle or handle the situation if you find a person in the crisis as far as suicidal ideation is concerned. Be aware of the environment and your surrounding, if someone genuinely requires your support, that's my recommendation of the day

Keep practice gratitude, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or comment below

Sketching

Photo courtesy by Yasmeen Shareef

Today I am grateful for this sketch, given the fact that it is an astonishing piece of creativity, with all the relevant details. The motivation behind appreciation, this sketch connecting my spirit or soul with the aspects of innovation and the excellence of the sketch. It is surprisingly therapeutic for me and I discover some fascinating insight into it. This sketch is packed with the feminine blend and provoking thoughts that feminine sketch seems relaxed, full of life, sitting quietly, or looking straight or might be waiting for someone, coming from a party or going somewhere. Her body posture is also appealing. This sketch also revealing me some sense of tidiness, organization and neatness in the environment. This sketch is thought-provoking and mindful for me.  I asked permission from my niece for publishing in the "gratitude practice 365" blog series. Permission was granted and that gives me immense fulfillment and a sense of achievement in life. Find something in your surroundings for appreciation, for the sake of more enjoyable emotional and physical well-being, this is my recommendation of the day

Share your own reflections on this sketch, if you have any question or concern, please feel free to ask or comment below