From Afghanistan to America, crossroads of life

Weight loss, almost everybody's problem. Its the number one new-year's resolution, with a very lucrative market. Anyways, I am not here to write a scientific research paper on this. I did a simple calculation and came up with a solution for my own weight problem. I need to lose 1 lb every week, starting next week (or two days) and by new year, I will be at an acceptable weight and shape. This doesn't look so overwhelming. To lose 1 lb every week, I need to have a calorie deficit of 3500 weekly. That comes to 500 cal or Cal per day. So a deficit of 500 cal per day will get me to my ideal weight. To create this deficit, add exercise, do portion control, and curb calorie intake. This is where lazy people like me lose hope:) I don't want to resort to diet pills, but I don't mind more natural or herbal ways of curbing my appetite. I will use the Yogi blueberry tea for that purpose. Water! Water before my meals. Smaller portions, meaning smaller plate and bowl. Add varie...

Still haven't accomplished my peaceful state of mind, but I am making progress. I plan on going jogging or spending some time in the gym and really focus on studying. The weather is still cold, so I need to also take my princess somewhere for fun, mall or grandma's house or sth. What I really want is to spend some time with my husband. Let's see if that happens:) Every stage of life has its pleasures and trade offs. I enjoy being a student and learning. I want to spend as much time as possible studying and learning. The trade off is not having an income and the feeling of guilt. Guilt for not spending time with loved ones and missing on family time. I think the trade offs of being a  nursing student (of accelerated track program) have been stressing me out a little more than they should. When I talked to couples of my classmates with families, they shared the same feeling, the guilt of not being there with your family. Let's not forget not having any time for yourself ...

I have lost my zen. I was doing really well. For a period of few weeks, I was in control, I was peaceful. It felt really good. I was surprised at how well I was doing. Problems didn't seem so eternal and grandiose. I wasn't easily depressed and in tears. Now, I have lost my zen, my peaceful state of mind. People close to my heart annoy me, I am short tempered and tearful. And I have finals ahead of me. I just don't know what to do. What would you do if you couldn't get rid of the source of your annoyance and worry? The reason I am hesitating is what if my annoyance and dissatisfaction still exist and even get more obnoxious even after I rid myself from this source of annoyance. I will just close my eyes and try to listen to some kind of music, maybe jazz. Hopefully that will help.

Focus. It's one of the hardest things to do when u need it the most. I have two topics to review for my exam, but all I can think of are the unfinished things or what I would like to be doing instead of studying, like jogging, shopping n napping. I need to study n ace my exams. I need to prepare for comprehensive finals and NCLEX. Come on, Focus. Thinking, planning n reflecting should be minimized to once or twice a week. The most of your time and energy should be spent on focusing focusing on now, the present , and what you need to achieve at the moment, cuz every moment counts.

It is no news that all humans especially women think thousands thoughts per day. I am no exception to this group. From the moment that I wake up till I go to sleep, my mind doesn't rest or take a break from thinking about something. And you know how it goes, you start at one simple and single thought and before you know it, it has turned into a giant ball of weird, very dark and highly improbable sequence of events that scare the hell out of you. By then,  you are all tense and worked up and start acting on negative emotions and energy that have built up inside of you. I have heard "positive thinking" and such related terms. I didn't believe much in them and didn't actually acted upon them or didn't know how to. Lately, I have been reading about subjects like changing your life etc. I am starting to seriously watch my train of thoughts and how they affect me. What I like to hear was "purposeful thinking". It makes more sense than positive thinking. ...

Marriage is hard especially when there are other impeding factors like, age gap, finances, family, differences in basic principles etc. marriage is the essence of having a family n civilization. However, when you marry someone, you have all the intention of spending the rest of your life with that person but you can never know what life has in store for you. As you grow up n find your way in life, you transform into a more refined person, with slightly different Values n preferences. In this case, you can only hope that your partner grow up with you n his/her preferences match yours otherwise you are in a pickle. Growing up is a pleasure just try not to grow up apart in a marriage.

Some times, I feel as if I have a ton to say but can't put it in words. With school, personal thoughts, family matters and uncertain future ahead, my mind is overcrowded but my tongue is empty. It is like looking into my closet, with tons of outfits and items but it is all so cramped and unorganized that I can't find anything in there. Maybe I am over thinking everything in life. I plan, predict and reflect a lot of times and that steals my focus on the present. I am starting to notice this and am working on it to break this wasteful habit. However, we all know that breaking old habits are much harder than adopting new ones. Nothing is impossible though. This time, no planning, no looking up strategies and methods of change, just doing it. Just not thinking forward or reflecting backward. At least not constantly. It is here and now. I have the tendency and willingness to constantly read and educate myself on personal matters. I read through the book Emotional Intelligence. It ...