The Dose
Every Dose Ever Published!
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Tying the Not
“When are you getting married?”
The world may be ending, a pandemic has taken over our lives, unemployment is killing us, but the shaadi question is not going anywhere. Thanks to work and study from home, and living with family 24x7, it seems that almost everyone is suddenly interested in finding their saccha pyaar.
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But why? What’s the deal with our IG feeds becoming one big PDA-fest?
One simple answer is loneliness.
Tying The Not
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Care, For Self
In COVID-19 times, often the only difference between a weekday and a weekend is how we use our computers.
On weekdays, we sit in front of a screen to attend online classes, or say “yes” to work meetings.
And on weekends, the same screen becomes our entertainment centre, or a portal to nibhao-ing friendships.
We have no structured…. anything!
Care, For Self
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Am I Good Enough?
Who amongst us doesn’t know this question? You, that girl in college who tops every exam, that friend on Instagram whose life is #goals…and Michelle Obama? That’s right. In her memoir “Becoming,”
Michelle Obama writes how she too was troubled by this question of being good enough.
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Now, take a second to think about that. Michelle Obama. Former first lady. Princeton and Harvard law grad. An inspiration for women worldwide.
Am I Good Enough?
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How To Win Friends?
You don’t need us to tell you that 2020 has been a terrible year. So terrible that even YouTube decided not to do a rewind! But if there’s one thing that has made this year a little bearable, it’s family, and friends who feel like long-lost family, no?
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It’s no secret that friendships are the best! Having someone you can talk to, discuss your world domination theories with, laugh over silly films, and learn new things from is what makes friendship an absolute joy of life.
How To Win Friends?
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Where's The Stree In Politics?
Let’s do a quick exercise, you and I. Think of the word “politician” and the translation of that word in whichever language you speak. My mother-tongue is Hindi, so for me, “politician” in Hindi means “neta.” But a "female politician" in Hindi? Nothing.
Does your language have a specific word for a female politician?
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The objective of this exercise is to make a small point...
Where's The Stree In Politics?
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How To Heal A Broken Heart?
The thing about heartbreak is that it’s astonishingly tough to convey. You can sing along to all the Atif Aslam songs in the world and you can sob your way through your fav rom-com.
You can order the best brownies in town and bury yourself in work emails. And yet, when someone asks “how are you,” it can be hard to put a broken heart into words.
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The other thing about 2020 is that we’re all heartbroken...
How To Heal A Broken Heart?
How To Make NYE Resolutions Actually Work?
Do you make New Years’ resolutions? I gave up doing that a few years ago — basically, the year when I realised that a regular yoga routine was just not going to happen.
But I have always been fascinated by the idea of a New Years’ resolution. A fresh start, a chance to do things you’ve always wanted to, and a brand new year to do them in. It’s tempting, no? Even more so as we come to an end to 2020.
How To Make NYE Resolutions Actually Work?
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Hi Mind, How Are You?
Did you listen to your mind today? It’s such a simple question. After all, we listen to our bodies so many times in a day. If it’s too cold, if we are hungry, if we are thirsty — we’re almost always talking to our bodies, no?
But not so for our minds. Sure we hum along reluctantly to that annoying song our cranial jukebox is stuck on, or make mental notes to remember birthdays. But when was the last time you paused and asked, “Hi mind, how are you?”
Hi Mind, How Are You?
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Do I Look Fat?
We all know this question. It doesn’t matter what the numbers on the weighing scale show, or how much we've worked to love our bodies.
Somewhere, someday, we have all looked at our perfectly nice bodies and asked ourselves, “Do I look fat?” The fact that our society, pop culture, family, and that one door ke rishtedaar echo the fear of being fat back at us, doesn’t help. Body positivity, or the impulse to love our bodies as they are, thrives in resistance to a society that tells us we aren’t “enough.”
The Dose #9
Do I Look Fat?
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Thank God For Girlfriends!
As your friends on Instagram, every brand you’ve ever shopped at, and the barrage of hearts everywhere would have reminded you — it’s Valentine’s week!
A week to fall in love, think about love, celebrate love, and also for some of us #singlefolk, to pine for love. But what if the Big Love of Our Lives is not romance, but friendship?
Thanks God For Girlfriends!
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Yes, I Talk Too Much. No, I Won’t Shut Up.
“Meetings with women take too long...If one person raises their hand, others probably think, I need to say something too. That's why everyone speaks.” If reading this sentence accidentally made your blood pressure shoot up and your eyes see red, you’re not alone.
This was said by the head of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee Yoshiro Mori.
Yes, I Talk Too Much. No, I Won’t Shut Up
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What Women Really Want!
It’s Women’s Day! Which I am sure you must know by now, unless you’ve successfully managed to isolate yourself from hundreds of WA forwards, IG posts, Twitter promotions, and the like. (In which case, what’s your secret? I’d really like to know.)
Brands, influencers, workplaces, politicians, friends...you name it, and everyone has a women’s day message going. Most of these messages are trying to answer one question: what do women really want?
What Women Really Want!
"Text Me When You Get Home, Okay?"
“Text me when you reach.” How many times have you said this to a friend after an evening out? When the hugs are done, farewells are said, there’s always a whisper that remains. “Let me know when you get home.”
If I search my Whatsapp history, I will find countless results with variations of this line. In the endless rituals that women instinctively know that will keep them safe, this text is right on top of the list.
"Text Me When You Get Home, Okay?"
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Learning the JOMO!
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I am writing this to you at the end of a long weekend. Unlike most Mondays, people actually looked forward to today — both because it was Holi, and also, because it meant a respite from the routine of work and college.
But one of the things that the long weekend also brings with it, is the pressure to do things. You plan a movie marathon, for instance. And then you go on Instagram and see that one friend who has taken a trip to the mountains.
Learning the JOMO!
Why It’s Okay To be Not Okay All the Time :)
In my latest doom scrolls, I’ve been inundated with positivity content. The ‘be positive’ people and their algorithm have found me.
They want me to join their cult of happiness, manifest joy into my life by shutting down any negativity, and focus on myself and my goals with the singular focus of being happy all the time. They come with cute graphics and ready-made daily affirmations for me to live by. Sounds great, right?
Why It’s Okay To Not Be Okay All the Time :)
“Be the Heroine of Your Life”
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“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” When Nora Ephron said this iconic line in a commencement speech at Wellesley College in 1996, she knew what she was talking about. After all, this was the same writer and filmmaker who had given the world beloved rom-com films. Like “Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “When Harry Met Sally,” among many more. When talking about heroines, and supporting acts, there are few people I’d trust more than Nora Ephron. (Except, Jane Austen.)