Detangle by Kinjal
Detangle is a podcast created by health psychologist and writer, Dr Kinjal Goyal. Each episode is a conversation with an expert in their field, as they dive deep into their journerys and experiences. The conversations are full of insight and a great way to hear, first hand, how the mind plays a pivotal role in almost everything that we do. The guests range from doctors, to writers, to those in entertainment and of course, those from mental health fields.
Detangle by Kinjal
Detangle with Gunjan Adya
What happens when we slow down enough to truly listen to ourselves? In our chaotic, fast-paced world, the simple act of putting pen to paper has become a revolutionary form of self-care.
Gunjan Adya, founder of Tula Journey and recipient of the Vogue Wellness Award, joins me to explore how journaling can become a gateway to deeper self-understanding. Her journey began unexpectedly when she trained as an art therapist and discovered the transformative power of creative expression. As an empty nester searching for meaning, Gunjan created beautiful journals that merge functionality with artistic design - because as she notes, "I personally do judge a book by its cover."
We delve into Tula's immersive workshops, including the meditative practice of mindful tea drinking, where participants observe brewing leaves and changing colors as a form of presence training. The conversation flows into how our relationship with our cultural roots is evolving, as many Indians rediscover the wisdom and traditions that were once dismissed in favour of Western approaches.
Perhaps the most powerful segment is our discussion about vulnerability. Gunjan shares how workshop participants physically shake when asked to write down their fears, while I explain the psychology behind this resistance - writing something makes it concrete and real. We explore how men are reconnecting with their creative expression after decades of emotional suppression, and the beautiful changes happening as more fathers engage in childcare and rediscover play.
Join us for this gentle reminder that in a world obsessed with speed, slowing down might be the most revolutionary act of self-care.
Welcome to Detangle, where we untangle the complexities of life one conversation at a time. I'm your host, dr Kinjal Goel. A psychologist and a writer, I personally have always found journaling to be a very, very therapeutic way to calm my mind and to center my thoughts. My guest today is Gunjan Adhya, the founder of Tula Journey and the recipient of multiple awards, including the Vogue Wellness Award, for her journal. Welcome, gunjan, it's so lovely to have you on my show today.
Speaker 1:Thank you, kinjal. It's a pleasure to be here. Well, Gunjan, I'm sure most of my listeners have tried journaling at least at some point of their lives. We've all picked up journals on our travels. We pick it up when we see something beautiful. It'll be so interesting to know the story of a journal being created. From the other side, though. Tell us a little about yourself, your journey and your company ethos.
Speaker 2:So thank you so much for this question. It's honestly been a very personal journey, kinjal, which started in 2016, I would say, when I started to become an art therapist, and I would really like to share this fun thing. So I'm also an artist and I stumbled upon this art therapy course thinking that I'm going to better my skills as an artist Little that I knew that it was nothing to do with making perfect art, but otherwise. And that's where I learned to express myself freely and, you know, get into the nooks and crannies of my mind and heart and have the most transformative experience. And that's where the journey began for me.
Speaker 2:And Tula journey started as a quiet need, actually, you know, a need to pause, to reflect, to understand myself better first, and it was never built with a business blueprint. It was always, you know, coming from a space which was sensitive and vulnerable. And if you ask me about the ethos of Tula Journey, it's, you know, as the name suggests, tula. It's rooted in balance, and not the perfect, polished kind of balance that we see around, which is a lot of pretense actually, but it's the real one, that kind of ebbs and flows. So, yeah, that's what the brand is about so, so, yeah, that's.
Speaker 1:That's what the brand is about. How lovely. But was this like a sudden inspiration that you had around 2016, or was it a long-standing dream? Did you always dream of making something of your own as a product and being out in the market?
Speaker 2:uh, so no, no, it wasn't a childhood dream. Um, I, I was an empty nester and my kids had just flown the nest and joined their respective boarding schools. And I think, as women, we have a very strong need to nurture something. And, of course, you know, this inception of creating something came from that space. But it was also like this tiny voice within me that kept getting louder.
Speaker 2:I used to hear people talk so I used to wonder what is this? And in my late 30s I actually could hear that voice and recognize that in a voice, and I began to notice a gap, also voice. And I began to notice a gap also, not like in the market or in the industry, but in people's hearts. I felt that we were surrounded by so much like, are surrounded by so much noise, that most of us are starving for that honest connection with our people, with families and ourselves also. So the inspiration didn't really hit me one day. It was kind of you know, getting unfolded over time and it also came after lots of observation, gauging people's personalities, patterns, and I love, you know, observing people and human behavior. So this kind of you know led me to this.
Speaker 1:I think what I find most intriguing about your journals. I've of course seen it, I've used it. A lot of journals come from the psychology space, but very few come from the artsy space. So this one is very beautiful to look at. There are very poignant facts inside which you can read, which you can answer. There are beautiful questions. But I personally love the art. You know, the beautiful flowers, the little gold etching inside it's just stunning.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. In fact, the illustrator who's done the design is from Pune itself, from your city. Yeah, so, yeah. So, of course I mean, when I created it, it looked like a little black and white notebook, very clinical looking, and I thought to myself I'll never pick up a journal which looks like this and it'll never invite me to pour my heart out.
Speaker 2:And, being an artist, I thought that this is not something I can put out there. It has to be beautiful. There has to be some art, some creativity which draws in people. You know, I personally do judge a book by the cover, so I think most of us do. Yes, yeah, yes. So for me, it was really important to make it look special as well and I think, yeah, it works, because even if people don't want to journal, if they find it uncomfortable, at least they are drawn to it and they want to take that one step to at least open a page and read and, you know, just kind of get used to the idea, absolutely so now that you created something so beautiful and you've put it in the market and it is doing so well, of course you have to take care of the creative and the business side, but which segment of your work do you enjoy more?
Speaker 2:very emotional, intuitive, creative, not at all analytical, not at all logical. So the business side kind of suffers, I feel, and I don't enjoy that side at all. So while I deeply enjoy the creative process of building our wellness tools, what fills me up the most is the Tula Journey experiences. So under the brand I offer these immersive workshops where I guide people gently into getting comfortable with themselves using modalities like music, movement, art and, of course, journaling. So there are four experiences currently under the umbrella. One is an expressive arts therapy module. One is Tea Stories with Tula Journey, which is my favorite.
Speaker 2:In this we try and have a cup of tea in the most meditative and mindful manner, and it's my personal favorite because I have my morning tea in a very meditative way. Like I have no distractions at that time, I make my own tea. I watch the leaves while they're brewing, I observe the color of the water when it's changing, so it's almost like an art form, you know, making your own cup of tea. So that's what we try to do in that workshop and a lot of times people say we've never had tea like this before. So that makes me really happy. And then we have floral art therapy, which is done outdoors when the weather is nice. So it's inspired by the Japanese term Shinrin Roku forest bathing term Shinrin Roku forest bathing. So we do this in a garden or a nice green place where we walk in nature, we forage whatever we can, we sit in a beautiful sacred circle and we create something with what we've gathered and we close the circle with deconstructing what we've created and offering it back to nature. Also, you know, it just teaches you that sense of detachment. So, again, that's inspired by the Buddhist monks who create the mandalas. So that is that.
Speaker 2:And we've just introduced something for mothers and children, which is so important. So I recently had a workshop with them and it was so beautiful to see the children, who never express much apart from, you know, the complaints and the things that the parents are not doing. They wrote lengthy letters and for a good 12 to 15 minutes, pouring their heart out, and I can't tell you, kinjal, it was such a grateful and fulfilling experience to see that and the mothers holding those letters and thanking me that you know, this is the best gift we could ever get, and I'm not saying that it's because of what I did. And I'm not saying that it's because of what I did. It's why? Because we don't create those spaces in our daily routines for ourselves to be vulnerable and to bond with our family members, and it's so important to do that. And once you do that, you see the magic unfold, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And in today's day and age, you know, when everything is going at 2x speed, the slowing down has become such a task for everyone that slowing down seems to agitate people more than ever. I recently had an experience where a patient was telling me that they watched a particular meditation video and I asked them did you follow through? Were you able to get any benefit out of it? And before they could talk about their benefits, they said you know, it was so boring and slow. I watched it at 2x speed. I said that's not the point. I mean, if you can't watch a meditation video slowly, how are you ever going to unwind? So I think that is what we have done to ourselves. With technology, everything, even slowing down, has to be done quickly.
Speaker 2:Like come on please slow down, get done with it. Yeah, and you know. In fact, I also feel like what you're saying. Slowing down wellness rituals, minimalism, all these terms. Don't you think they are being packaged and sold now? Yeah, it's like pop psychology, everything has to sell Exactly, and that's what I see. I mean, people are not really diving into the root of these things, but they're just doing it for the gram. A lot of times I see that and which is really sad.
Speaker 1:Well good, you called it out. You know what I really like about Tula as a wellness concept. It's this beautiful, subtle nod to Indian roots. Do you feel it's something that the consumer is relating to more now in these recent days?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, very much, because you know, I believe it's a part of a larger awakening. Currently, and for the longest time, the West has taken these aspects of our ancient Indian wisdom, like yoga, ayurveda, even meditation for that matter, and they've kind of rebranded them and sometimes even selling them back to us. And because of our colonial past, many of us grew up distanced from our own cultural richness, you know, not fully realizing how powerful, layered and emotionally intelligent our traditions are. Including me. I was extremely westernized till about, yeah, till my 30s. I was very proud to be a westernized Indian and much later in life, when I started to visit these Ayurveda centers and attend these meditation, you know, ceremonies, I understood that we, what we have, nobody has that Like. There is so much wisdom in our Vedic scriptures that there's no match of that and I wish it's taught in schools. So, coming back to your question, you know that is shifting. That perspective is kind of changing and people are returning to our rituals, philosophies, also languages, and I feel that, you know, wellness isn't something new or imported. It's always lived in our country, in our homes, in our grandmothers' practices and in my journal also I've actually tried to gently bring that vernacular diversity in, because I'm always very drawn towards different dialects and I also noticed that, like you are from Pune, in Maharashtra, people are very proud of their native language.
Speaker 2:I see a lot of you speaking in Marathi, of course. Yeah, even in Gujarat, people, youngsters also they converse in Gujarati. Yeah, even in Gujarat, people, youngsters also they converse in Gujarati, and whereas when I was growing up, it was really looked down upon to speak in Hindi, like you, were only cool if you spoke in English.
Speaker 1:I think there's also a different Hindi in every state. I mean, forget about the state languages. Even the way you and I deal with Hindi is so different. I mean, although I'm from up north, but when I talk to people in Maharashtra, my Hindi changes. When I'm, you know, maybe in a southern state, the Hindi has a different tinge to it, so everything kind of melts, you know.
Speaker 2:So when I was doing my research for. So, for example, you know, there is a prompt which says, which is a gratitude prompt, so it starts with thank you, dhanyavad shukriya. So it's English, Hindi and Urdu. And when I was doing the research for all these words, languages, I noticed that we speak so much Urdu.
Speaker 1:For example, I'll ask you what do you call a book in Hindi Kitab.
Speaker 2:Okay, and what do you call a building in Hindi?
Speaker 1:Imarat.
Speaker 2:Okay, and when you have to praise someone, what do you say? Humne uski Shabashi Taarif kari. Haan, aap Urdu mein ja rahe hain, Hindi mein ja rahe, but usually you hear people say that, okay, this is a tough one. What do you call a matchbox in Hindi?
Speaker 1:Machis ki teeli ki dabbi. This is a tough one. What do you call a matchbox in?
Speaker 2:Hindi. So a book in Hindi is called pustak, a building in Hindi is called sadan, matchbox is called a diya silai, and we are always drawn towards Urdu because we heard our elders speaking in Urdu. Like so many words, it's really, you know, very evident in our language. So when I was doing this research, I figured this out, because a lot of times my editor would ask me something and I would answer in Urdu and she's like no, I'm asking about Hindi. So it was really interesting. There was lots to learn from that whole exercise.
Speaker 1:So I had this same exercise with Javed Akhtar Saab on one of my earlier podcasts and he said Urdu, Hindi. You know, these are all bifurcated by borders, but what we actually speak is Hindustani. This medley of Urdu, and you know, kuch purane shabd hai, kuch naye hai, it's all coming together and we've kind of twisted it, turned it and made it our own.
Speaker 2:Yeah, bilkul so tell me now.
Speaker 1:Someone once told me long back that you should either earn money doing what you love or spend money doing what you love. So what do you love to do apart from work? What hobbies are closest to your heart? How do you spend your time when you're not working?
Speaker 2:I love long walks and I love slow conversations where people are present and listening to each other, and my most favorite thing is silence, because I feel there are so many answers in silence. There is so much depth in silence, and music is also a big part of my life, but strangely now, like I said, I enjoy silence more than any sound. Of course, the sounds of the nature are beautiful, but I find myself really drawn to just sitting in silence with my thoughts and I journal, of course, course, not because I have to, but because it's like coming back to myself every now and then and, yeah, and just like I value just being with the people I love, without any agenda and laughing oh my god, how scarce is that laughing.
Speaker 1:Laughing is my favorite thing to do you know, this whole sense of being over stimulated is getting to the most of us. I mean the sense of constant, not just noise, but there's white noise, there's lights, there is. You know, there's everything. I mean, from daily traffic to too many conversations, to too many emails, to too many whatsapps or too many notifications. We are drowning ourselves in sounds that we don't even hear. So that silence has become more precious now? Absolutely so. Tell me. There are so many wellness products in the market. You know it's saturated right now. Everybody's making something. Some things do well, some things don't. But what have been the greatest challenges you faced while marketing a wellness product?
Speaker 2:This might sound surprising, but I really don't feel that I struggle with marketing because because my agenda is not to market in the conventional sense. I believe that if someone is in the space where they want to align with you, know themselves, or begin a healing process, they'll kind of, you know, somehow, with some divine intervention, cross paths with my work or some other person's work in the similar space, maybe through a friend or maybe while scrolling. So my intention has never been to reach everyone, but it's always been to, you know, deeply, connect with whoever is meant to find this. And even if I reach just a few people but have an impact that is transformative, that's, that's like more than enough for me.
Speaker 1:I think you've made this beautiful mix of a tangible and an intangible feeling, so something which you can hold, but something which you can feel, and they've come together in a product beautiful, thank you. So tell me, uh, something very, very close to my heart again. I don't think that anybody lives in a constant state of inspiration, happiness, joy. You know, there are so many times of anxiety, stress, so many emotional disturbances. We think that the taboo around mental health is now lifting. People are seeking help when they need it. But do you see this as well? Do you see others around you seek mental health support when they need it?
Speaker 2:I think, yeah, now it is changing, thankfully. Thankfully it's changing. Back in our growing up days it was a taboo, and I also noticed that our elders, like my parents or my family, they are not very expressive and they find it very difficult to talk about their emotions. They've been taught that this is how it is and this is what happens. So just go through it. And I feel that when I see my parents or my other members of the family, I see that they were just going through life. They weren't really living it and enjoying it. I see that a lot. But also we are becoming more open now, especially in urban spaces, because, you know, there is so much awareness and talk about mental health, but there is still a bit of hesitation as well, because vulnerability is not easy, doesn't come naturally for most of the people, especially when we've been taught to you know, hide our cracks, but people don't understand that cracks are where the light comes in, right absolutely.
Speaker 1:I just read that on somebody's feed today I think it was kajol. It is true, it is true, and I think we need to celebrate it. I mean, kintsugi is exactly that, if you know, the japanese term for filling up the cracks with gold. But yeah, mental health, from a professional perspective, I still see it lacking in many, many ways. Sometimes I feel like we've raised so much awareness that now people are aware they need help, but we don't have enough professionals. So that's another angle to where we are falling short.
Speaker 2:Sorry, but I do think, kinjal, that once you understand practices like journaling, of course it's not a therapist, but it does help you like a therapist. But it does help you like a therapist Because, at the end of the day, when we are writing out our thoughts and answering questions, only we can answer those questions for ourselves, because we know what is best for us.
Speaker 1:So it's a therapeutic tool? Yes, it is definitely used with therapy, but I really hope that we have more professionals, because sometimes we end up opening parts of our heart when we are working with ourselves that then need a professional intervention. That has to be present and available, correct. So let me tell you something more personal now. I've always struggled with using empty journals. The pages stare at me and I stare back at the pages. Eventually the inspiration is gone, and journals with prompts like yours make it much easier, as one can channelize their thoughts and emotions in an easier manner. You know, you can see a question, you can decide which one to answer, you can take another page, answer another question. But what do you personally prefer? Free flow, guided journaling? What's your space?
Speaker 2:So I of course started with free flow long back when I was a teenager. Remember those little diaries where we used to write our stuff and lock it up. So of course it was free flowing back then. But both have their space. Free flow is raw and it's honest and it allows what's hidden to rise. But guided journaling is like a gentle hand. You know that helps you explore corners. You didn't know that existed in your mind. And for someone new to journaling, I feel prompts can feel like an anchor and personally now I use both. Some days I need the structures and other days I need that messiness.
Speaker 1:You know, when you spoke about the old diaries and when we wrote Dear Diary and we locked it up. It brings me to this thought that a lot of people differ. You know, they kind of don't want to write down their thoughts in their raw nature because they're scared that they will, you know, probably be found out. Somebody will pick up their, be found out. Somebody will pick up their journal and read Somebody might be privy to their innermost demons, and it's usually something that you can't avoid. So what I have started doing is I tell my clients that if you need to write, it's okay if you write in the third person, if it's okay if you write about somebody else. Sometimes even creating a fictional story about your emotions works. Change the ending as you like, it's therapeutic in its own way there are so many ways to dance around this.
Speaker 1:You can't completely guarantee that you're going to write something raw and honest and nobody will find it.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's disastrous but, kinjal, I've noticed in my workshops, when we are journaling, a lot of times people hesitate to write down their fears and I can't tell you, their body shakes, their, their, their hand is shaking and they feel that we, they feel terrified to write down their fears because, you know, they just don't have the ability to face them. And when I discuss it with them, they say that we don't even want to write it down. So I want to know from you how do I, you know?
Speaker 1:from you. How do I, you know, channel them or help them over here? You have to start very, very slow. It's okay if somebody is unwilling to write it down, because writing everything makes it real. Like we say, if you have a dream and you write it, it becomes a plan because we're making it concrete. So the same thing goes for fears. If somebody, somebody has a phobia, then definitely a therapist is needed. But if somebody has a certain irrational fear, then talking to somebody is the first step. They need to be able to start sharing it, talk about it, laugh it off, because sometimes when you talk you can just erase it. You know, the memory is gone, it's gone. It'll take a while for them to be able to put it down and make it real, concrete and then overcome it.
Speaker 2:So that cannot be the beginning. It can be the end of overcoming the fear, like so many quotes that come across on on instagram social media you hear. You must learn how to face your fears, become the strong person, but it's not easy for everyone and it's not even needed.
Speaker 1:I mean, there's also another misconception which goes by what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Now we hear it and so we believe it. We hear it enough to believe it, but I don't think that is true. Sometimes, what doesn't kill us leaves us with scars, with marks, with fears, with certain personality traits which become issues as we grow up. Didn't kill us, but it transformed us, and that's all right. We don't need to be stronger from every experience.
Speaker 1:It's okay to be weaker because of some absolutely so I think this is also a space I delve in a lot with my clients that not everything that we have been listening to, not all quotes are true. Not everything needs to be that way. Like they say, no pain, no gain. And I tell people that's not true. You don't need to put yourself through pain, and sometimes if people gain without having suffered enough, they don't even validate that gain for themselves, like they don't have enough pain for it. So a lot of things made sense, maybe earlier, but they don't make sense anymore.
Speaker 1:But we're still stuck to them that's so true so tell me, gunjan, tell me what is the most inspiring thing that you have experienced in your field of work.
Speaker 2:So what inspires me is when people share their experiences. It just inspires me to work harder and, you know, keep going on this path and reach out to more people. So we just recently launched this conversation game called Sook, and there was a little activity that I had planned in my workshop where we all played that game. And after playing that, a day later, someone reached out and said that they finally sat down with their father after years of distance and had an honest and healing conversation that ended in tears and hugs, and for me that was, you know, everything Like that's the kind of impact I quietly hoped for. How beautiful.
Speaker 2:And also I wanted to really share this with you and know your point of view that a lot of times there are some men also who attend my workshops and when I just find it really amazing that when they start to journal or when they are using art as a modality to express themselves, it's just so difficult for me to ask them to stop because they just wouldn't stop and they're like you know, the last time we touched a color or a paintbrush was in kindergarten and it's so magical to see that they're so much in flow, reconnecting with that playful, uninhibited part of themselves. And that moment when you know an adult remembers the joy of just creating without judgment, that's gold for me. So I want to know from you that what do you think about? You know men expressing themselves? Because society teaches men to wear strength like this strong armor, but inside they are carrying just as much, if not more.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely, and I've been saying this over and over again. I mean. A simple example is a wedding. Everybody's, you know, bothered about the bride, her emotions, her feelings. But the groom is also going through a lot. The groom is also now going to be adulting. The groom will have responsibilities, so it's not just a woman who goes through emotions.
Speaker 1:What I'm really enjoying right now in the last decade or so, is that men are taking on responsibilities of childcare also. This allows them to unlock their kinder, softer, more aesthetic side. So the men who have now been taking care of their children have had experience with crayons, they are playing with Lego, so they're doing things which also keeps their inner child alive. It's something we probably didn't take very seriously a couple of decades earlier, where men were the only breadwinners. But things are changing very slowly, subtly but substantially, and it's very nice to see that. Okay when they're playing with kids, so that not just it's not just the men taking care of the child, the child is also taking care of the father. You know, they're kind of unlocking things which men had kept locked away for long and if this trend continues, I'm sure we'll strike a balance soon enough fingers crossed.
Speaker 2:We must yes.
Speaker 1:Tell me, as a woman entrepreneur, what doors have been harder for you to open and what paths have you found easier, being a woman?
Speaker 2:so this might sound surprising, but in my experience, being a woman in, especially in the wellness space has actually made some doors easier to open, because wellness is a space that deeply values emotional intelligence, intuition and, you know, our ability to hold space, qualities that are often naturally associated with feminine energy. So there's a certain trust that people place in women when it comes to emotional safety healing.
Speaker 2:So, on the contrary, you know, I found that the path has left, has felt more aligned and open. Because of who? I am not. Despite it and, of course, like anyone building something from the ground up, I've had to face some challenges, but they've never been gender specific.
Speaker 1:Lovely. Now let me ask you a question that I ask all my guests on my podcast. It's my favorite question because I just love collecting these answers. We've all heard of a physical first aid box. I'm sure you have one at home, something in which you keep your painkillers, antiseptics etc. For the minor cuts and bruises. But what if you had to keep a mental first aid box? You know something which would make you smile on those low days when you're emotionally drained, you're a little bit unhappy, and something which you open and gives you instant joy tell me what would you put in it.
Speaker 2:Oh my god. First of all, I love this question. I never thought about this. Oh, my box would have my journal and a little candle of my favorite fragrance, a handwritten letter from a loved one, maybe my child or my husband, a photo of my family and what else? An affirmation card from my deck of cards, very, very important, and maybe a piece of dark chocolate, because sometimes comfort is very simple, of course.
Speaker 1:I think it's this question more than the answer. The process of answering it puts you in a space of actually rethinking what makes you happy yeah, and how little we need yeah, how little we need and try and make this. Try and genuinely keep a box like this in your space and you'll notice that you will open it one day and you will be very thankful that you have it all handy on that day.
Speaker 2:I will, I really will.
Speaker 1:This is so beautiful, well now we've gone into a long beautiful talk about slowing down, but I'm going to take you to the other side and put you into a rapid fire round. But I'm going to take you to the other side and put you into a rapid fire round.
Speaker 2:I need answers real quick. Okay, okay, tell me what's your favorite book 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. Your favorite movie character, will Smith in the Pursuit of Happiness? Oh wow, you're a woman after my own heart. Your biggest pet peeve. Pretense and dishonesty the one thing you believed in, but no longer do that wellness or healing has to look a certain way, but I now I understand it's messy and it's just uniquely yours.
Speaker 1:I love this your most prized possession.
Speaker 2:Pomegranates, which I pick up from all my travels. I am really drawn to pomegranates, Wow that's intriguing.
Speaker 1:Well before we come to an end of this discussion, I leave the floor open to my guests.
Speaker 2:Is there anything you want to ask me as a psychologist? Yeah, so I want to know that you know, as a psychologist, how do you take care and protect your own emotional energy while holding space for others? Like doesn't it drain you? And then how do you fill your own cup?
Speaker 1:Very nice question, actually, because not a lot of people know this. Most therapists, including myself, we undergo psychotherapy on a regular basis. We have a lot of people know this. Most therapists, including myself, we undergo psychotherapy on a regular basis. We have a group of trusted counselors, of therapists, of colleagues, and we do it for each other. We also need to talk not just about our patients, not just about what we are doing at work, but about life in general. There are challenges sometimes which we can't overcome on our own, and this is more like maybe going to the gym before you are out of shape or before you really need to work out. It's like a preventive, protective layer that we create and this is something which is taught to us when we are studying. That always goes through the same process and on a continuous basis. Also, journaling helps if you have the time, personality and inclination for it.
Speaker 1:I personally love to do it. I love collecting journals, so I have journals from probably every country in the world by now. I don't finish most of them. I prefer picking up the undated ones now, because I've burnt my fingers picking up dated journals and not finishing them. But I love it. I love I have my own little things that I collect. I love stationery, I love ink pens. So, like you spoke about a mindful cup of tea, for me, filling up the piston of an ink pen with ink, cleaning the nib and starting to use the pen is a little small mindful practice that I, you know, do on a daily basis Beautiful. So, yeah, there's lots of things that help help, and I hope that all the therapists who are listening to this also do it, because, like you said, you need to fill your cup. You can't pour from an empty cup so yes, this is important thank you so much.
Speaker 2:This really helps me look into my own practices also.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for sharing well, it's been such an interesting conversation, gunjan. We've had so many people on this podcast so far, but we've never really delved into journaling or the mental space of putting your thoughts on paper, and it's something which is very close to me. I always encourage people to write and not many people listen honestly because they feel it's. You know it's too slow, it's, it's non quantified, but it's a process. I mean, once you start writing, you realize what you've been missing so far. Thank you for creating the brand, thank you for sharing it with us. I'm going to put a link to your brand and to your website just below the podcast so that people can reach you, find you and try what I have loved. So thank you so much for your time, Gunjan.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for this deeply nourishing conversation and I hope whoever's listening walks away with a little softness and inspiration in their heart. Thank you so much, Kinjal. My pleasure, Kinjal.
