The Game of Change

Geeta Ramakrishnan

Zen Success

Stress to Zen

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I was invited to talk at OPM52, Harvard Reunion at Portugal on 7th Oct 2019.

The topic being :From Stress to Zen. Set at a relaxed atmosphere at a winery near Lisboa, with leaders and change makers from OPM/ Harvard , I couldn’t have asked for more.

Interestingly I noticed I was in stress and tried the breathing technique I recommended to the audience. I call it 3-3-6 technique. Breath in to the count of 3, hold to the count of 3 and slowly breath out to the count of 6. But nothing helped calm my racing heart beat. I did go ahead and deliver my speech. After-all, my new motto was ‘I am not perfect’.

What was the reason behind my stress. My perception of the ‘Harvard’ audience, how will people judge me…  The best part of life, in my opinion is, it is a good leveler. It grounds you and offers lessons at every nook and corner. It is for us to take that pause, do the 3-3-6, helping us be aware of our thoughts and feelings, and use these awareness and learnings to a better ‘I’.

It was an awesome and humbling experience and I am truly grateful to OPM52 for offering me this amazing opportunity.

Jadui Badlav: The Game of Change in Hindi

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Pleased to announce the release of the hindi version of my book: Jadui Badlav, The Game of Change.

The amazon link:

https://www.amazon.in/dp/9388247507/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=geeta+ramakrishnan&qid=1569904838&s=books&sr=1-3

 

Book Release: Tamil version : ‘Maatrum Yenum Manthiram’

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The Tamil version of my book: The Game of Change’, titled ‘Maatrum Yenum Manthiram’ was launched in Chennai’s Humour Club on 21st July 2019. The book was  released in the august presence of  carnatic singer Kalaimamani P Unnikrishnan,  K R Nagarajan, founder and chairman of Ramraj cotton, Actress Radhika Sarathkumar, Carnatic singer Dr Nithyasree Mahadevan, Lawyer K Sumathi, Dr Vijay Shankar amongst others.

Sharing coverage of the following portal:

Online: AFAQS: Link: https://bit.ly/2Gwnd9f

Online: Mumbai News Network: Link: https://bit.ly/30PFJB8

Rediff : How can women fight stress, solve problems

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My article on Rediff.com

How can women fight stress, solve problems

Dated: 22 April 2019

All it takes is physically taking a step back, inhaling a deep breath and exhaling it out slowly, says Geeta Ramakrishnan.
Take time out for coffee-breaks with friends, a movie, perhaps.
Learn to let go, to forgive.

It may be debatable, but I believe women have to work twice as hard as men in several aspects of life ranging from personal to professional to sustain in a world full of competition and stress.

Women wear multiple hats and have acquired the skill to juggle them successfully.

We are daughters, mothers, professionals, managers, homemakers, dreamers, achievers.

We want to be seen as strong and confident in all that we do and that comes at a cost — our self-esteem.

Soon, resentment and stress become a part of life.

We need to learn to step back, pause and introspect.

While navigating through multiple roles in life, our confidence takes a beating because of the stress we are subjected to.

Therefore we need to give ourselves time and validation to sustain our confidence level.

So how do we identify a problem when it has become a habit?

Certain facets of our life may not feel right. But we have accepted them as a way of life.

We have been conditioned over generations about how a woman should come across as.

When we were young, our mothers unconsciously led us to believe that we must maintain a demure image and not argue, fight or talk too loud.

We grow up accepting a lot of ‘inequalities’ or have to work hard and fight against such ‘norms’.

Although men have different qualities than women, both important and useful, we bring our own unique attributes to this world, our society, and our family.

We can be fantastic nurturers, we are emotionally stronger, we are likely to have better focus, we turn out to be excellent managers and have an edge when it comes to offering greater attention to details.

It helps us to be aware, accept as well as focus on our uniqueness and derive our strength from it rather than complaining about or resenting it.

What will help us in our quest to be the ‘ideal’ women and be seen as achievers and allow us to dream big?

Does multitasking overwhelm us instead of boosting effectiveness?

Perhaps, it may be harder for us to climb the corporate ladder.

Can we change the male-dominated trend in this world be being aggressive or by complaining?

Maybe we are devoting more time to our family and our children which is undoubtedly a lot more than our spouses.

Are we giving any time or value for ourselves?

Are we putting ourselves in constant stress?

As a woman, a wife, a mother and a professional, we constantly struggle to give our best to the different roles we play in life.

We often think we can handle the children better and allow the strain of child-rearing to rest longer on our shoulders.

We often do not expect, let alone ask for help in household responsibilities.

To be seen as equally efficient in office we take up more work and work for longer hours.

If there is physical or emotional abuse, we may end up tolerating it due to the lack of a better option.

If we choose to fight we could be termed aggressive.

Where is the balance? How do we cope with all this stress?

While smoking and drinking socially may not be harmful, as an escape from stress, it could result in addictions.

We cope with stress by procrastinating, denial or ignoring the problem at hand and end up playing blame games.

My maid is often late and irresponsible; my office staff never gives the report on time, why can’t my children be more responsible?

The list is endless.

Our body needs rest when certain symptoms arise.

These could be aches and pains for which the doctors have no remedy.

It might be genetic or it could be just a niggling headache.

How many times are we in denial when there is physical or emotional abuse?

We might want to ignore and wish the problem away as we have neither time nor energy to deal with them now.

Yes, it takes courage. It takes courage to say ‘No’.

Yes, there is fear. But everything we want is often on the other side of fear.

How to change

Now that we recognise the problems and pitfalls, we want to change. But most of us do not know how to change.

Often, all it takes is physically taking a step back, inhaling a deep breath and exhaling it out slowly.

Sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Yet it is potent.

These few seconds are enough to allow our brain to move from its default 24/7 ‘stress’ mode to a ‘creative’ window.

All the solutions are within us, right there in the creative side of our brain. This method of stepping back and observing ourselves is an effective first step.

What the other tools are to helps us access our creative side, other than a few slow breaths?

If we, as women want to give our best in all the multiple roles, we first need to give ourselves ‘Me Time and Me Space’.

If we don’t pace ourselves, take a pause, validate ourselves, how can we add value to others, be it in our personal or professional life?

Take time out for coffee-breaks with friends, a movie, perhaps.

It is a good platform to share, even bitch a little and laugh our heads off.

Learn to let go, to forgive. Forgiveness is only complete when we forgive and forget.

It lets the big burden off our shoulder.

Empathy helps one look at issues from another perspective, while not necessarily agreeing with it.

Try to understand a colleague’s issues, sometimes beyond work.

It will lead to healthy conversations, even if it is a difficult one.

Looking for and focusing on even the smallest positive aspect in our spouse, our children, and appreciating them is a great step forward to building that solid trust.

All these steps help us to define our boundary better and making it easier to say ‘No’ and be assertive and confident. It boosts our self-esteem, your image, and self-worth.

The more we exercise these mindful practices, the more we will access our creative brain and find that perfect balance.

It helps us be in choice, from resentment and stress to happiness and excitement, seeking opportunities in challenges.

It allows us to blossom into strong, confident women with abundant energy, sharing that happiness while nurturing others, while we also unleash success in whatever we want to do.

Geeta Ramakrishnan is author of the bestselling book The Game of Change.

*Photograph used for representational purposes only.

Geeta Ramakrishnan

Tags: Geeta Ramakrishnan, Creative Commons, Drew

Interactive talk with students and parents on ‘Winning THE game of Change’

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Some articles on my interactive talk with the 9th and 10th graders and their parents in Thakur International School, Kandivali, Mumbai.

  1. Online: Mumbai News Network.

Dated: 17th April 2019

And In

2. Web News Wire:

And in

3. News Patrolling:

Ani in

4. HB.COM portal

Viewership : 67,900
By :Hitesh Brahmbhatt    an ex-DNA newspaper writer, now publishing on his own website.
Thakur International School initiates ‘Winning the game of change’ workshop with Bestselling Author Geeta Ramakrishnan

 15th April 2019, Mumbai – Thakur International School has always been committed to the welfare of students.  This is evident from their stance on consistently making an effort to organize workshops for students as well as for parents. The sole purpose behind these workshops is to make the students capable and knowledgeable to raise an opinion in society. These sessions are conducted by renowned and credible professionals who understand the critical parent-child dynamics.

One such workshop was held by the bestselling author Geeta Ramakrishnan. It was called ‘Winning the game of change’. It was held for the students who had given the tenth standard board examinations as well as the students who were about to enter the tenth standard and their parents. The session was an interactive one. It focused on helping students, parents, and teachers cope with the changes that would occur once the students pass out of school and enter college.

The need for such a workshop has been felt by students and parents all over the city. This has been primarily due to the absence of a formal mechanism which smoothens the transition from school to college life for the students. As these students are at an impressionable age, they find it difficult to cope up with several changes related to lifestyle, expectations, studies and social interactions once they enter college. Parents too aren’t sure about what to expect unless they have an older child who has been through the rigor. Yet, every child is different and therefore would require mentoring. Students are often unable to handle the stress related to academics or social life in college and end up taking inappropriate steps to deal with pressure. Geeta Ramakrishnan’s workshop highlighted the need for open interaction between parents and their wards as a solution to deal with such challenges.

Ms. Shunila Joy Chauhan, Principal of Thakur International School – Cambridge, says – “The workshop was an interactive and insightful experience for our parents, students, and teachers. The session was all about motivating and encouraging students to shed their inhibitions and speak their mind. The interesting part was the innovative and practical examples given by the author on handling change skilfully and constructively. Being proponents of ‘dialogue and discussion’ as an integral life skill, we believe that such value-adding workshops go a long way in preparing our students for the future.”

  “It’s always fun engaging with kids and identifying what interests them. It is important to understand their problems because they are hesitant about sharing their thoughts and opinions with people, especially adults. The best part of this workshop was that these children were very interactive and open about their peer pressure. They expressed keenness on achieving their goals and focusing on managing their time. I personally believe that as parents, we have to be enablers and not intruders for our children. It is better to share our thoughts with them, ask their opinion and have a conversation with them rather than telling them what to do”, mentions Ms. Ramakrishnan

“We are extremely happy that this workshop was conducted; it was the need of the hour. Ms. Ramakrishnan was warm, interactive and engaging throughout the workshop. The session added tremendous value to the relationship that I share with my child. I learned new parenting techniques such as preparing my child for teenage years and shaping her attitude to deal with peer pressure. We are keen to be a part of similar such workshops in the future- they’re real eye openers”, says the parent of a Grade 9 student.

Posted by Bharat Jesrani at 11:37

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Labels: Thakur International School