Manage Mutual Fund Portfolio using Google Sheets

Do you hold a mutual fund portfolio, want to understand a snapshot in a easy to maintain way?  If so, please read on.

1. Create a spreadsheet on Google Spreadsheets.  Name the spreadsheet as you need.
2. Let us create a sheet and name the sheet as "NAV".  This sheet will hold all the latest NAV and will be updated with latest price automatically.  Let us visit this sheet later for automating the price update.
3. Now, let us create a new sheet, call it "Portfolio".  
4. Create columns in the 1st row as follows:
• AMFI Scheme ID
• Account Number
• AMC
• Scheme Name
• Unit Balance
• Cost - Dividends
• Value
• Returns
• Return (%)
• AV Cost / Unit
• NAV
• NAV Date
5. Let us shift the tab to "NAV".  In the column A1 enter the formula as
• =IMPORTDATA("https://www.amfiindia.com/spages/NAVAll.txt")
6. This will update the NAV automatically and we will use this data to update information in our portfolio.  This will have following columns now:
• Scheme Code
• ISIN Div Payout / ISIN Growth
• ISIN Div Reinvestment
• Scheme Name
• Net Asset Value
• Date
7. Now find the scheme you have invested in from the NAV tab and get the Scheme Code and copy to AMFI Scheme ID column on "Portfolio" sheet.  Similarly you can copy the Scheme Name.
8. Get your statement from the AMC and update the Unit Balance, Cost - Dividends columns.
9. In the "Portfolio" sheet enter the formula against NAV
• =INDEX(SPLIT(VLOOKUP(A2&"*",NAV!$A$1:$A$20501,1,false),";"),,5)
10. In the "Portfolio" sheet enter the formula against NAV Date
• =INDEX(SPLIT(VLOOKUP(A2&"*",NAV!$A$1:$A$20501,1,false),";"),,6)
11. Value column is the product of Units x NAV
12. Returns is Value-(Cost-dividends)
13. Return % is Returns / (Cost-dividends)
14. AV Cost / Unit is (Cost-dividends) / Unit Balance
15. Now create a summary line in the bottom for Cost-Dividends, Value, Returns and Return %

Voila! Your portfolio will be updated automatically when you open the spreadsheet.  Just ensure you update unit balance and cost-dividends for accurate computations.

Calendar Finance

Do you use Calendar for time management? Do you also track your finance?  Have you thought about managing finance using Calendar!!  Yes, this article helps you do manage your finance using Google Calendar.

Collect Data 

Get credentials to login your bank account.  Most of the banks provide ability to download CSV or Excel format. Some banks provide facility to download OFX, if so, convert them into CSV.

Prepare the Collected Data

Prepare the CSV with the following columns:
1. Subject: Concatenate all the details except Date in this field
2. Start Date: Date of the transaction
3. End Date: Date of the transaction
4. All Day Event: True
5. Private: True

Save the CSV file.

Google Calendar Settings

In order to perform settings, select a calendar (create a new calendar, this is suggested) using the settings.  Next click on the Import/Export -> Import.  In this process Navigate to the file created in the previous step and select the calendar.  Finally click on the "Import" button.

Review the Data

Review the calendar by the date, all the transactions pertain to the date are displayed on the top of the day.  

Cognitive Distortions - Catastrophising

Cognitive Distortion - Catastrophising

Here you tend to completely blow things out of proportion and make them out to be a lot worse than they should be. The reality of the situation might be quite insignificant and small. However, because you’re in the habit of catastrophising, you always tend to make your problems larger than life — thereby making your problems even more difficult to overcome.

For appointments email nirmalam.lifestyle@gmail.com or whatsapp +919491886881

Video Counselling

Video Counselling

Allows you to have your customized approach to feeling better Right from your home or office directly from your Mobile!

Video Counselling can provide you support and guidance through those challenging times and situations in life.

Video Counselling is done via video conferencing with Google Duo. You have confidential, direct face-to-face communication with a therapist who will provide you with a customized and holistic approach to help you find solutions to your issues of concern. There is no need to leave your home or office!

Online Therapy is NOT suitable for mental health emergencies or crisis intervention, please go to your local hospital or health care facility!

Benefits

• Those with mobility Issues
• Busy executives
• Non-local client
• Existing in-person clients who are travelling and your own home or office provides:Convenience
• No travel time
• Ability to work with a non-local therapist
• Privacy

How do I make an appointment?

Using video conferencing services we are able to talk ‘face-to-face.’ A free video phone service is Google Duo. It can be downloaded here from the here.

Appointments are pre-paid. Once you have purchased a block of time, the appointment is scheduled via email. Purchase your session(s) then contact us or we will contact you within 24 hours.

We will then send you an ‘Pre Session Form’ that must be completed and returned by your second session.

We meet online at the agreed upon time. Just like in-person appointments, 24 hours notice is required to cancel or re-schedule.

How effective is Video Counselling verses in-person therapy?

Online video counselling has been proven to be effective in many cases. Many issues can be discussed, and worked on in this format in the same manner as we would in-person.

There are certain conditions and issues that are not suitable for online therapy such as mental health emergencies and matters of crisis. Certain other conditions and challenges are best dealt with in-person and your therapist will address this possibility in your introductory session if necessary.

Please email to nirmalam.lifestyle@gmail.com to book an appointment or whatsapp +919491886881

Psychological Hygine

On last Thursday I met a 85 years old gentleman making great effort came to attend a meeting called by my colony secretary.  While waiting for others to join the meeting, we both were talking for a while.  He was kind enough with my broken Telugu!  During the conversation I came to know that post retirement he and his wife are staying alone while kids are either in US or elsewhere.  This gentleman is feeling loneliness.  This used to be common in western world where beyond 18 your kids live alone.  But, Indian family system is more closely netted family with parents and kids living in a same place.  Now this disease is gripping India also!! This opens up a new area of illness which is very difficult to distinguish like physical illness, yes this is called psychological illness.

Loneliness

Loneliness creates a deep psychological wounds one that distorts our perception and scrambles our thinking.  It makes us believe that those around us care much less than they actually do.  It makes us afraid to reach out because why set yourself up for rejection and heartache when your heart is already aching more than you can stand.

Loneliness is defined purely subjectively.  It depends solely on whether you feel emotionally or socially disconnected from those around you.  There is a lot of research on loneliness, and all of it is horrifying.  Loneliness won't just make you miserable but it will kill you.  Chronic loneliness increases chance of early death by 14 percent.  Loneliness causes high blood pressure, high cholesterol.  It even supress functioning of your immune system, making you vulnerable for many diseases.  Scientists have concluded that long term loneliness has significant risk to your health equal to cigarette smoking.  Cigarette packets come with warning that "smoking could kill you", but loneliness does not.

Thus it is import that we prioritize our psychological health that we practice emotional hygiene. Because, you can't treat a psychological wound if you don't know if you are injured.

Pay attention to psychological wounds, consult a Mental health professional (Psychologist or Psychiatrist).

Failure

In a day care center where three toddlers were playing with identical plastic toys, one need to slide the red button and a cute puppy would popup.  One girl tried and her lower lip was trembling, another boy watched this and burst into tears without even touching the box. While the third kid tried everything possible and did not managed to slide the button and was screamed. Three different reactions to the same task for failure.

This happens in adults as well, in fact we all have a default set of feelings and believes that get triggered whenever we encounter frustrations and setbacks. Are you aware how your mind would react to failure? You need to be. Because if your mind convinces you that you are incapable of something and you believe it, then like first two toddlers you will begin to feel helpless and you will stop trying too soon, or you won't even try to all.  And then you will be even more convinced that you can't succeed.  This is the reason many in the society function below their actual potential.  Because, somewhere along the way, sometimes a single failure convinced them that they couldn't succeed, and they believed it.  Once we become convinced of something, its very difficult to change our mind.  So it might be very natural to feel demoralized and defeated after you fail.  But you cannot allow yourself to become convinced you can't succeed.

You have to fight feeling of helplessness. You have to gain control over the situation.  You have to break this kind of negative cycle before it begins.

Our feelings and mind are not trust worthy friends as we thought. They are like a moody friend who can be totally supportive once and really unpleasant the next.

Rejection

Rejection is extremely painful. We think about all our faults and all our shortcomings, what we wish we were and what we wish we were not, we call ourselves names.  This is because our self-esteem is already hurting, why would we go and damage further? We don't do physical cut, but we do all the time psychologically.  Why?  Because of our poor emotional hygiene. We don't prioritize our psychological health.  Based on studies it is known that when your self-esteem is lower you are vulnerable to stress and anxiety that failure and rejection hurt more and it takes longer time to recover from them.

How to overcome? When you experience failure or rejection, first revive your self-esteem.  When you are in any emotional pain, treat yourself with the same compassion you would expect from a true friend. Catch unhealthy psychological habits and change them.

Rumination

One of the unhealthy habit is rumination, that is replaying the scene over and over again in your head for days or even months. This can easily turn into a habit, very costly one for you.  By spending so much time thinking about the event negative, you are actually putting yourself at significant risk for developing clinical depression, alcoholism, eating disorder and even cardio-vascular disease.

The problem is the urge to ruminate can really strong and very important, so it is difficult habit to stop. Do you just two minutes of distraction is sufficient to break the urge of rumination in that moment.

By taking action when you are lonely by changing your response to failure by protecting your self-esteem by battling negative thinking you won't just heal your psychological wounds, you will build emotional resilience you will thrive.

Conclusion

Personal hygiene has helped life expectancy, by practicing psychological hygiene quality of our lives would improve.

If you need help, please contact your Mental Health Professional (Psychiatrist or Psychologist)

Essential Oils And Autism

Essential oils also called aromatherapy oils is a natural oil typically obtained by distillation and having the characteristic distinctive smell of the plant or other source from which it is extracted. Over the past several decades, essential oils have rapidly grown more popular among people of all walks of life who wish to enhance their environment, mind, and soul with healing fragrances.

Autism spectrum disorder is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts.

Essential oils are becoming an increasingly used technique for treating children and individuals with autism by identifying the oils that help maintain mental acuity and focus. They allow the mind to react positively and make connection with its surrounding. Furthermore, they ground and unites the body, mind, and spirit with reality while also encouraging positive energy in times of restlessness and unease.

In addition, they are an ideal substitute for children with autism who have a difficulty swallowing pills. Finally, they can help an individual with autism to stay on task, releases negative emotions, and promotes higher thoughts of self-worth.

Lavender Oil

Lavender (lavandula angustifolia) is the most versatile of all essential oils. Most commonly known for its relaxing effects on the body, therapeutic-grade lavender has been highly regarded for the skin. It may be used to cleanse cuts, bruises and skin irritations. The fragrance is calming, relaxing and balancing – physically and emotionally.

Lavender helps in:

• Calming
• Sleeping
• Easing Depression

Vetiver Oil

Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver is a perennial bunchgrass of the Poaceae family, native to India. In western and northern India, it is popularly known as khus.

Technology for Godavari Maha Pushkaram 2015

Godavari Pushkaram is Great Worship of the Godavari River.   Godavari Pushkaram is a Hindu festival being celebrated from 14 July 2015 for a period of twelve days. This festival occurs once every 144 years, corresponding to the 12th recurrence of the 12-year Godavari Pushkaram cycle. The festival starts from the Ashadha (June/July) month on the Chaturdashi day (thithi) (14th day), when planet Jupiter enters the zodiac sign of Leo. The festival is "theoretically" observed throughout the twelve months that the planet remains in that sign, but the first 12 days are considered most sacred. The first 12 days of the Godavari Pushkaram are known as "Aadhi Pushkaram" and the last 12 days are titled "Anthya Pushkaralu". The next Maha Pushkaram will be celebrated in 2159.

River Godavari covers 3 states viz., Maharastra, Telangana and Andra Pradesh.  As on day 6 more than 2 crore people have taken holy bath in the river.  Yes! you read correct, 2 crore people.  This throws challenge to the administration and police to have a peaceful event.

Indian Railways are running 400 special trains to clear the rush to the event.  Both state run transport corporations are running 10,000 buses each for the same.  In addition private vehicles take to the road.  All the roads lead to one of the announced Pushkar Ghat.  Even a small issue can cause catastrophe, hence administration have taken help of technology to monitor and guide people.

Police uses wireless communication to send the information about rush, vehicle regulations, medical emergency.  They are assisted by NCC members.  This information is fed to the control room.  Control room also monitors the camera set at many spots on the roads, junctions, ghats and other sensitive places.

Highlight of the technology is the ariel survey of the ghats and roads to know the real time traffic jams, crowd number, their pattern etc., using drones.  This is the first time administration is using the technology for such an event.

Top Time Wasters

Top Time Wasters

We know these things vacuum up our time-yet it can be SO hard to keep them under control.

Here are some strategies to make that easier:

TV. Instead of plopping down in front of the tube to watch "whatever's on," pick out which specific shows you want to see and fit those into your schedule. If you need a chill session and just want to channel surf, set yourself a time limit.

Video Games. It's one thing to play your favorite new game for two hours on a Saturday, and another to make it a daily habit. Limit your gaming time or use it as a reward for getting other things done, like, "If I get my math homework finished, I can turn on Playstation until dinner."

The 'Net. Like with TV, try to make a habit of only going online for certain things. For instance, give yourself a daily "e-mail period" or let yourself play two rounds of a new game. If you like to IM your friends in the evenings, set aside a specific time for that and let them know that's when you'll be online.

The Social Media. Like The ‘Net, try to restrict your time to minimum.  Comment only when it is absolutely necessary.  Do not spend time follow everyone, derive value from social media interaction.

The Phone. It's easy for a five-minute chat with your friend to turn into a two-hour gossip fest. To avoid this, give yourself a phone-call time limit and ask family members to help you stick to it. If there's something you need to discuss with someone, and you think it will take some time, schedule that phone call like you would any other activity or appointment.

Memorization Techniques

Getting Started

• Have an interest and desire to learn.
• Give the material your full attention and concentration.
• Set realistic study goals.
• Study at times when you are most alert.
• Use your prime time to study difficult material.
• Take breaks during your study time.
• Reward yourself for studying efforts.
• Minimize distractions.
• Put small blocks of time to good use.
• Divide and conquer large projects.
• Be selective about what you memorize.

Understand the Information

The preliminary work to any type of memorization is to work on understanding the information. The more you understand the information, the easier it is to memorize.

Organize the Information

• An organized list of items is easier to recall than an unorganized list.
• The simplest kind of organization is numbering. If you recall that there are 8 items on a list of information, your brain will keep searching until you recall all 8 items.
• Another type of organization is classifying information into groups or categories. It is easier to memorize material that has been organized into a pattern rather than random information.

Make Connections and Associations

The more connections and associations you can make between new information and information already stored in your memory, the better the chance for recall. The more associations that surround a particular fact, the more retrieval cues you have to bring that fact to mind.

Visualize the Information

Create a visual picture of the material you wish to memorize. This can be done either on paper or in your mind. Tables, charts, maps, and graphs arrange information visually. Do not skip over them in your textbooks. Create visual study tools such as visual maps, hierarchies, matrixes, cartoons, pictures, and time lines. Create study tools for vocabulary such as flash cards and vocabulary sheets.

Use Story Lines

Create a story to include the list of words or ideas that you wish to memorize.

Use Mnemonic Aids to Memorize

Acronym

A word formed by taking the first letter of key words in a list of items. The following are good examples of acronyms:

• BASIC is an acronym for Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instructional Code
• HOMES in an acronym to memorize the names of the 5 Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.
• FOIL is an acronym used in mathematics for multiplying binomials. F for firsts, O for outers, I for inners, and L for lasts.
• ROYGBIV is an acronym used to memorize the colors as they come through the spectrum.
• BAR is an acronym used to memorize the "big three" allies during World War II - Britain, America, and Russia.

Acrostic

A sentence formed by taking the first letter of key words in a list of items. The following are good examples of acrostics:

• The sentence "A cow eats grass" can be used to memorize the spaces in the base clef for the left hand on the piano. The spaces are A C E G.
• The sentence "Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally" can be used to memorize the order of operations in mathematics. The order of operations is parenthesis, exponents, multiplication and division (from left to right), and addition and subtraction (from left to right).
• The sentence "King Philip can only find green snakes" can be used to memorize the hierarchy for the classification of organisms which is kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
• Use rhythms, rhymes, and jingles. Formed by listening for words that rhyme or by attaching a catchy tune to a saying, i.e. the jingle to memorize the number of days in each month.

Rehearse to memorize

• The actual work of memorizing is repeating information over and over until it is stored in our mind.
• Recite the information to yourself out loud, from memory, and in your own words. Recitation is an important step in committing information to memory.

Review

• Create study sheets, summary sheets, and outlines for review.
• Create questions and write down the answers to those questions.

Pancha Kosha's

Pancha Kosha

A Kosha, usually rendered "sheath", one of five coverings of the Atman, or Self according to Vedantic philosophy.  There are five known kosha:

1. Annamaya Kosha
2. Pranamaya Kosha
3. Manomaya Kosha
4. Vijnanamaya Kosha
5. Anandamaya Kosha

1. Annamaya Kosha

Annamaya Kosha is the physical body which needs nourishment to survive. The human being is a part of the food chain as any other creature (i.e. the mammals). It is the visible part of our Self and therefore we erroneously identify ourselves with it. It is the most vulnerable of the five bodies and it suffers visibly of the deficiencies of the other bodies. An adequate alignment due to our body type and a physical hygiene (extern and also intern) supports and strengthens our health.

To activate this body it is necessary to do moderate exercises in accordance to age and physical condition. e.g Walking.

2. Pranamaya Kosha

Pranamaya Kosha exists in the physical body, interactive and dependent. It is the vital shell that is full of life. The Prana flows are in the blood, lymphatic and nervous circulation. Breath is a life-principle and is a controllable expression. Through the regulation of the breath (Pranayama) other bodies can be positively influenced. This body can be made visible in high frequency photography (method by Kirlian).

People with a special ability in seeing another persons aura can perceive this body with their naked eye. Basically it is the principle of life that distinguishes between living and dead matter. Maha Prana, the grand vital force is present in all aspects of the universe and pulses with its smallest elements. This shell survives the physical body only momentarily, for it is also transitory.

3. Manomaya Kosha

Manomaya Kosha, the inner organ is also interactive and dependent of the former two. It governs the faculties of perception and instinctual consciousness. It is the mind which can construct and destroy. It is our subconsciousness that is formed by negative and positive experiences and where our Self has developed with its behavior. Within this shell actions happen automatically and it dominates the outer shells.

"Actions are mighty, thoughts are almighty" (Vivekananda). 

To activate this body the former two bodies should "freeze" through a deep relaxation (i.e. Yoga Nidra). With this technique deep sheath of our mind can be penetrated and negative programmings can be changed into positive and constructive ones. This process needs perseverance and constancy. This body is also transitory.

4. Vijnanamaya Kosha

Vijnanamaya Kosha, the conscious body lies deeper than the previously described ones and is also interactive and dependent. This body is responsible for inner growth, for ethics and for moral. It seeks to reach beyond mundane existence into wisdom and subtle knowledge. It actively seeks to move from the exoteric to the esoteric -from the world in front of the eyes to the mental space behind the eyes.

Independent of a specific religion, the studies of holy texts like the the Bagavad Gita and texts of other great teachers, will lead us to the same truth because all religions are based on the same truth and there is only one principle. In this shell we return to life, the knowledge experienced in life is preserved in this body and outlasts.

5. Anandamaya Kosha

Anandamaya Kosha is the most subtle body and without its existence life is impossible. It interacts with the others like the sun affecting our planet. This blissfull body beyond words is perceived in flashes only in short moments, an indescribable experience where duality ends and I AM expresses the unity. We generally assume that if we want to explore new areas of experience, we first need to acquire knowledge and then to apply it. Yet in reality it works the opposite way. In the beginning we experience something new and then only begin to search for concepts that may explain our new experiences and connect them to our current understanding.

The search is mostly intuitively and often subconsciously. This process is specific for all kinds of expansion of consciousness which help us perceive more subtle areas than the material world. Daily meditation (at least for 20 minutes) activate this immortal body.

Positive Change

We learn from our parents, other people and events we experience as we grow up, how to be loved and how to stay safe. Some of the lessons we may have learned, worked for us as children, but are no longer appropriate as adults. Others are the product of difficult or traumatic experiences in the past, most usually during childhood, which have left a legacy of negative beliefs and thought patterns.

If you are seeking to improve or change your life, then to achieve it using spiritual techniques you will have to integrate the following principles into your life.

• Love & Self Esteem - Love yourself and others and the world around you without limitations.
• Forgiveness - Forgive Everyone and Release the Past - When we hold something unforgiven inside, we are nurturing anger, hatred and resentment or maybe even guilt. These emotions lock us into the moment and drain mental and life energy. Holding such emotions inside longterm will create sickness in the soul and in the body
• Awareness - Start Living Consciously - Become aware of your actions, your thoughts and words. When you find yourself off principle or taking a negative perspective, stop yourself. Turn it around into something more positive and self nurturing. You will notice the change in the way people react to you because they will have noticed the change in you!
• Gratitude, Prosperity and Abundance - Be open to and grateful for our natural abundance - Our world is infinitely abundant. However this natural flow of abundance can be blocked by a belief that we do not deserve things or a failure to recognize or appreciate what we already have.
• Honesty - Be Honest with yourself and others - Without the ability to be honest (often brutally) with oneself and with others you will not be able to make progress with your changes. This means abandoning all those little fibs and pretenses that can seem part of every day life. To succeed with change you must be prepared to face your truths and confront the fears that this exposes
• Being Positive - Start seeing the Positive side of everything! - A positive attitude not only boosts our natural immune system for better health but also by thinking positively, we boost our performance in nearly everything we do.
• Taking Responsibility for Yourself - Take control of your life - by recognizing that you alone are responsible for it, no one else. You are where you are today through your choices. By taking responsibility for yourself you are better placed to start leading the life that YOU want and making choices that will lead you to the life you choose.
• Being Open & Trusting - Let go of all fear - and trust in the process of life. Be open to all the amazing opportunities around you. Know that YOU have a unique place in the universe and deserve all the good things that life can bring.
• Self Care - Start looking after yourself - To be effective in life, you need to be performing at your very best mentally, physically and spiritually. Acts of self care are acts of self-love and are essential to your well-being. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself with love

Banana and Diabetes

Recently I visited a friend's home in different town.  Friend is a type II diabetic since few years, but has the blood sugar under control using medicine and exercise.  I found few banana in there, but no one was eating.  On enquiry it became clear to me that their doctor advised them not to eat banana.

Bananas are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, but they do contain carbohydrates. In fact, all fruit has some carbohydrate, so you need to count them in your diabetes meal plan.  Nutrition offered by banana are better absorbed by body than the supplements they are prescribed.  Most importantly this is cost effective with much more benefit than commercial vitamin supplement.

I told them that in order to intake banana, become familiar with portion sizes and the number of carbohydrates in each.

Bananas vary quite a bit in size, so counting the carbohydrates that they provide can be difficult.

Below are some estimates for different sizes.

Extra small banana (6 inches long or less) — 18.5 grams of carbohydrate
Small banana (about 6-6 7/8 inches long) — 23 grams of carbohydrate
Medium banana (7-7 7/8 inches long) — 27 grams of carbohydrate
Large banana (8-8 7/8 inches long) — 31 grams of carbohydrate
Extra large banana (9 inches or longer) — 35 grams of carbohydrate

Be aware that blood glucose responses can vary from person to person. Be aware that you may need to make adjustments the portion size you eat depending on your how your blood glucose responds to eating bananas or other types of fruit.

Since patients believe their doctors, it is the responsibility of the doctors to be aware of the facts before recommending.

Dreams

During certain stage of sleep having dream is common.  Mostly dream occur during sleep state named REM (Rapid Eye Movement), although it can occur in other stages also.   Purpose of the dream is not well understood.  Study of dream is called oneirology.



Dream can be vivid or memorable.  Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind.  A dream could be a reflection of an event in the past or unresolved intent.  Duration of the dream could be from few seconds to minutes.  Mostly, recent memory firm up during the dream.

In order to dream it is important the person reaches REM sleep, rapid eye movement indicates the event in the mind. Dream is an unconscious mind activity.  This means, person's experience is played to either firm or form.  People are more likely to remember the dream if they are awakened during the REM phase. The average person has three to five dreams per night, but some may have up to seven dreams in one night.

Dream interpretation is practiced in religion, and medically.  Without getting into the significance of dream by interpreting, it is an important activity of the mind to imbibe learning, formation of thoughts, view points and strengthen self esteem.

Themes of dream include but not limited to visuals, emotions, sexual themes, relationships, life events, etc.

Do you dream?

Need for Psychological support during pregnancy

Pregnancy, beautiful gift of nature, brings about varied physiological (somatic) and psychological changes to a woman.  Men also undergo some changes, but we will deal with this later.  Pregnancy is a complex phenomenon which also includes social changes.  First pregnancy represents a powerful psychological event.  Lets understand the psychological changes in the course of pregnancy.

Likely changes during pregnancy

Pregnancy is always associated with changes in psychological functioning of pregnant women. It is usually associated with ambivalence, frequent mood changes, varying from anxiety, fatigue, exhaustion, sleepiness, depressive reactions to excitement.

During pregnancy, changes include body appearance, affectionate and sexuality, whereas the position and role of women attains a new quality. Even thoughts of pregnancy can bring about numerous worries about its course and outcome, and especially of the delivery itself, which may be so intense that they acquire a features of phobia (which may be the reason for avoiding pregnancy).

Motherhood, resulting from pregnancy, brings about several positive psychological changes as well, like emotional bonding with the child, affection, feel of family, joy.   Socially, in some countries, motherhood provides special status to women.

Relationship change is another aspect, a social change, affects not only the expecting mother, but also others closely associated with her.

Postpartum depression is another aspect of pregnancy usually requires psychological help.

Conclusion

Pregnancy is an event that involves numerous somatic and psychological changes. However, pregnancy can also be a potent stressor. Existence of prenatal maternal stress may lead to different perinatal complications that may have long-term consequences on the newborn. In prevention of maternal stress emphasis has to be put on partner's emotional support, as well as empathy of the social environment. However, in certain cases, professional psychotherapeutic support is necessary, in form of short supportive treatment. Preventive measures should include adequate psychological support during pregnancy, especially the first one, provided for all pregnant women, but also for those women that plan to get pregnant in the near future.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Internet of Things (IoT) is the new buzz word!! This is an attempt to have the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.   IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and the Internet.

Network of computers, aka Internet, are almost wholly dependent on human beings for information. Nearly all of the roughly 50 petabytes (a petabyte is 1,024 terabytes) of data available on the Internet were first captured and created by human beings by typing, pressing a record button, taking a digital picture or scanning a bar code.   Such manual mega effort is unstructured, mostly wasted.  This resulted in social area like facebook, resulted in structured data.  In order to use such massive data, aka big data, brought in analytics, pattern matching.  Hadoop, similar technologies helped analyse such information.

What to expect?

Recently wearable flood the market, smart watch, iWatch etc are getting popularity.  Such gears identify location, temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and similar information about individual.  Imagine, a cardiac patient requires constant monitoring of pulse, analysis of pulse help determine the condition of the heart.  Based on the threshold setup, such information can be transmitted to the doctor automatically along with several other parameters like body temperature, environment, blood pressure, exact location of the individual.  Even, device can receive instruction to handle the emergency, alert ambulance.... essentially save a life in this emergency situation.

Second example, imagine a smart home having smart devices like fans or air conditioner based on sensors operate to to regulate temperature.  Similarly, washing machine can fitted with sensors to connect to internet, take care of creating service requests and report exact fault.  Even better, get automatic upgrade of its intelligence!!  Your water filter can order cartridge refill automatically! Television is already hooked to internet, so it is more evolved of the device so far.

Diabetic patients know their the pain of taking insulin every day.  How fixing a device in the digestive system to release insulin based on the setting of the doctor?  Health psychology deals with a challenge of patient consuming the medication as prescribed by the doctor.  Internet of Things can help increase the compliance!

Many other usages can be listed!!  The list is huge.

My view

Internet of Things are expanding the networking of devices, according to one study, 2 billion devices are expected to be interacting by 2016.  This humongous blast of information generates several petabytes of information. Life style of human being is set to change towards greater automation.  Such a change also has social challenges, relationship challenges, basic human challenges.  You need to decide to what extent this is useful or barging in to your privacy!!!  Only time will tell!!

Internet of Things are here to challenge human smartness for sure!  In this battle of smartness and intelligence, lets see who wins.

Depression

Depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration.

Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s ability to function at work or school or cope with daily life. At its most severe, depression can lead to suicide. When mild, people can be treated without medicines but when depression is moderate or severe they may need medication and professional talking treatments.

Depression is a disorder that can be reliably diagnosed and treated by non-specialists as part of primary health care. Specialist care is needed for a small proportion of individuals with complicated depression or those who do not respond to first-line treatments.

Levels of depression

Mild or no depression indicates that you are not suffering from depression or that what you are feeling are signs of depression within the normal range of human experience. 

Mild to Moderate Depression All of us are apt to experience at least mild to moderate levels of depression due to environmental or situation factors that are less than favorable. Feelings of depression from time to time are normal. What's most important is our ability to cope with that depression, resolve it's contributing factors and elevate our mood and thinking to a more positive state. Failure to resolve moderate depression can result in stress-related illness and interfere with sleep, work, family, and social functions.

It's best to get help or do whatever it takes to resolve feelings of depression as soon as possible, as left untended depression will build on itself and become deeper and harder to deal with.

Moderately Severe to Severe Depression should be treated as an illness and professional attention should be sought. Severe depression is a debilitating disorder that interferes with sleep, work, family, and social functions, leading to great impairment and isolation. Severe depression is treatable and treatment can help people lead productive and fulfilling lives.

Visit your mental health care professional to seek care.

Are you hypnotised?

Every life event is stored as an experience in our conscious mind, while sleeping this is prioritized and stored in subconscious or unconscious mind.  Unless required recall of subconscious experience is restricted.  There is managed by a filter/layer.  Hypnosis is one such tool manages to breach this layer.

During a session with hypnotherapist, you could experience accessing your subconscious mind to understand or resolve conflicts/issues.  But, certain emotions also enable you to similar experiences.

Imagine you are at grief, have you wondered why do you recollect all the events, which otherwise not accessible?  Similarly the case in anger, we recollect all the points against a person whom we are fighting?  Meet someone after long time, all nostalgic moments pop.

You are basically breaching this barrier in such emotional states.  Try and place your feedback!! 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). It's also possible to have only obsessions or only compulsions and still have OCD.

OCD is a common disorder among individuals, may or may not realize that your obsessions aren't reasonable, and you may try to ignore them or stop them. But that only increases your distress and anxiety. Ultimately, you feel driven to perform compulsive acts in an effort to ease your stressful feelings.

Examples are obsession:

• Fear of being contaminated by shaking hands or by touching objects others have touched
• Doubts that you've locked the door or turned off the stove
• Intense stress when objects aren't orderly or facing a certain way
• Images of hurting yourself or someone else
• Thoughts about shouting obscenities or acting inappropriately
• Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions, such as shaking hands
• Distress about unpleasant sexual images repeating in your mind

Examples of Compulsion:

• Hand-washing until your skin becomes raw
• Checking doors repeatedly to make sure they're locked
• Checking the stove repeatedly to make sure it's off
• Counting in certain patterns
• Silently repeating a prayer, word or phrase
• Arranging your canned goods to face the same way

This leads to more ritualistic behavior — and a vicious cycle that's characteristic of OCD.

Checking emails, SMS, social media updates are also kind of OCD symptoms.

There's a difference between being a perfectionist and having OCD. OCD thoughts aren't simply excessive worries about real problems in your life. Perhaps you keep the floors in your house so clean that you could eat off them. Or you like your knickknacks arranged just so. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have OCD.

If your obsessions and compulsions are affecting your quality of life, see your doctor or mental health provider. People with OCD may be ashamed and embarrassed about the condition, but treatment can help.

A type of therapy called exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the most effective treatment. This therapy involves gradually exposing you to a feared object or obsession, such as dirt, and having you learn healthy ways to cope with your anxiety. Exposure therapy takes effort and practice, but you may enjoy a better quality of life once you learn to manage your obsessions and compulsions.

Therapy may take place in individual, family or group sessions.

See earlier article on Emotions

Emotions

Emotions seem to rule our daily lives. We make decisions based on whether we are happy, angry, sad, bored, or frustrated. We choose activities and hobbies based on the emotions they incite.

As per Hockenbury & Hockenbury, "An emotion is a complex psychological state that involves three distinct components: a subjective experience, a physiological response, and a behavioral or expressive response.".  This is a resultant action of human nervous system using some of the chemicals.

Emotions can be highly subjective, may not be pure in form.  your own unique experience of these emotions is probably much more multi-dimensional. Consider anger. Is all anger the same? Your own experience might range from mild annoyance to blinding rage.

Responses

As defined earlier, emotion exhibits physiological and behavioral responses.

Physiological 

Many of the physical reactions you experience during an emotion such as sweating palms, racing heartbeat, or rapid breathing are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, a branch of the autonomic nervous system.

Brain scans have shown that the amygdala, part of the limbic system, plays an important role in emotion and fear in particular. The amygdala itself is a tiny, almond-shaped structure that has been linked to motivational states such as hunger and thirst as well as memory and emotion.

Behavioral

Actual expression of emotion is behavioral.  Our ability to accurately understand these expressions is tied to what psychologists call emotional intelligence and these expressions play a major part in our overall body language.  A smile indicate your degree of happiness.

An emotion is normally quite short-lived, but intense. Emotions are also likely to have a definite and identifiable cause.  A mood on the other hand is usually much milder than an emotion, but longer-lasting. In many cases, it can be difficult to identify the specific cause of a mood.

Some Emotions

Uneasy

Nervous, tense, anxious, flustered, insecure, angry, cross, confused, bored, flat, apathetic, weak

Angry

frustrated, cross, irritated, annoyed, furious, livid, enraged, hurt, inadequate, trapped, tired, scared

Frightened

uneasy, weak, insecure, inadequate, tense, anxious, nervous, anxious, scared, petrified, threatened, trapped, horrified

Happy

pleased, glad, wonderful, elated, excited, content, surprised, proud, relieved, satisfied, confident

Negative

distress, suspicious, scornful, disdain, bitter, stupid, shame, worthless

Positive

determined, forgiving, hopeful, motivated, inspired, daring, energetic, loving, eager, excited, receptive, happy

Unhappy

 hurt, upset, lonely, guilty, miserable, bereft, despairing, devastated, lost, down

Upset

angry, frustrated, sad, tearful, hurt, miserable, weepy

Confused

hurt, upset, lonely, inadequate, cross, miserable, shocked, mixed-up, nervous, scared, discontent, stupid, foolish

You would have experienced at least three of the listed emotions.  

Anxiety Disorder

What is Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress characterized by thoughts of apprehension and autonomic
symptoms such as sweating, palpitation, tremor and butterflies in the stomach.

This is useful for a person in day to day life in most of the cases, for example…..

It helps...

• A student to study harder for an exam, 
• An employee to deal with a tensed situation in the office, 
• A person to keep focused on an important speech….. 
• But when this Anxiety becomes excessive and disabling, thus affecting day to day functions........, 
• it becomes an Anxiety disorder.

Five major types of Anxiety Disorders:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Specific Phobic Disorders (Including Social Phobia)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder, is characterized by 

• Chronic free floating anxiety, 
• Increased worry and tension, even when there is very little or even nothing to provoke it. 
• General worries are accompanied by fatigue, headache, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty in 
• swallowing, trembling, irritability, sweating, etc