Aging Gracefully? Let's Briefly Talk About Menopause

 Decades ago, talking about menstruation in front of men was considered a taboo. But the growing awareness on menstrual health and hygiene has made it easy to break the uncomfortable barriers, paving ways for healthy conversations to take place regarding menstruation. Eventually, some of the men join hands in various menstrual health initiatives. One of such is, Arunachalam Muruganantham also known as, ‘The Pad Man of India’. 

Although, over the years, there has been numerous awareness campaign promoting menstrual healthcare, but there is something else we have to know about. Menopause! Topics, talks and discussions when it comes to menopause have been negligible. 

Menopause is the stage of a woman’s life when her menstrual periods stop permanently, and she can no longer get pregnant. While men can theoretically produce sperm and remain fertile throughout their lives (PS.Sperm quantity and quality can decline with age, potentially impacting fertility), women’s fertility declines significantly after their late 30s and 40s, eventually leading to menopause and cessation in egg production. 

Menopause is neither a disease nor a disorder. It is a normal part of aging for women. The times leading up to menopause is called the menopausal transition or perimenopause. The average age of menopause is around 51 years old. Perimenopause usually starts in the mid 40s, with symptoms like irregular periods and hot flashes and mood swings brought about by hormonal changes. Menopause occurring before age 40 is considered premature, while menopause between ages 40 and 45 is considered early and menopause that occurs after 55 is considered late onset menopause.  

Some of the celebrities have shared about their experiences with menopause, which helps to normalize the topic and break down taboos surrounding women’s health. World Menopause Day is celebrated annually on October 18th. This day aims to raise awareness about menopause and the support options available for improving health and well-being. 

Holistic care about women’s health goes beyond menstruation and pregnancy. Hence, it will be good if even in our small state, along with menstrual health, menopausal health is given a space to be talked about.  

Naga Kitchen Garden Diaries: Organic Tomatoes

 

Most of us may have heard of ‘La Tomatina’ also known as, The Tomato Festival, celebrated in Spain. It started off in the year 1945, and is known as the biggest food fight in the world. The origin of this festival is crazy, mainly based on speculations. However, the largest producer of tomatoes in this world is China, followed by India, in case; it comes as a multiple choice question in one of the competitive exams. 

However, that is not the thing though. Just look at the pictures of freshly plucked red tomatoes from our kitchen garden, isn’t it amazing? They not only look good but they are tasty too. I just want to thank the Creator for blessing my mom with a green thumb. Last year, the price of tomato rocketed all time high to 90INR per kilo. That is when, my mom decided to grow our own tomatoes and the rest is tomato hi tomato. 

Anyway, tomato is a fruit that are considered vegetables by nutritionists. 

What are the health benefits of tomatoes?

• Help improve Heart Health
• May prevent Constipation
• Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk
• Support Brain Health 
• Improves Vision 

Who should be cautious with tomatoes?

People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Acid reflux/GERD, Kidney stones and obviously, those have tomato allergy. 

In conclusion, I just want to say, I am learning, how to make tomato ketchup. Happy!

Love, Romance, and Pursuit of Self

Let’s discuss about, ‘The Idea of Love and Romance’. We must have come across this quote, ‘Romantic comedies are to women what porn is to men’. No matter how amusing it may sound, there is an element of truth in it; just that generalization should not be made. The love and romance in reel life is, the result of someone’s imagination and it goes through a rigorous process of editing whether in books or in movies to fit the likeness of the readers and audience. Love and romance in real life is much more than that, planning a romantic get together can be inspired by books and movies but one’s love is more organic and has higher personal feelings attached to it. Likewise, romance, a feeling of emotional attraction expressed through courtship/dating behaviours like thoughtful actions, gestures of affection, and through words or actions, often evolves through experiences or inspirations. But, maintaining the some level of love and keeping the same spark for years need effort, dedication, loyalty and time. In books and in movies, an issue is resolved by the end of the movie or book and it heads to happily forever but in real, the picture is different and sometimes, it never gets resolved leading to a fresh new chapter or scene in one’s life. 

The journey is filled with ups and downs made harder by choices, and in worst case, better options. Being practical is one thing and knowing the real meaning of sacrifice is another but in all these, knowing one’s self-worth and finding one’s happiness is supreme. How far can you go to keep your love and romance alive? We need not go too far, staying in one place and making wise decisions can save us from becoming the slaves of our disillusion. At the end of the day, we may not end up with the love of our life, and that’s okay but we should never fail to discover our own personal passion…because that’s the thing that keeps us alive. 

For A Bitter Reunion

Do you still talk about your poverty and daddy issues? 

I hope it gains sympathy and get love where ever you go,

Play all the cards, that's how you get invited,

The intro. 

I've heard, you've found someone new, 

And they say, the one who loved the least move on fast,

I never made any promises, you did, 

The main text. 

I don't count the penny or the time spent on you, 

I was always the generous one, that's the truth, 

You should have told me when you were leaving, 

The sub-text. 

Someday, when you will have mental issues, 

Think of me, but I promise, I won't haunt you, 

May your new love stay true and forever, 

The conclusion. 

Passive Aggressive: The Way We Are

 Many of us are not even aware that we practice passive aggression in our daily lives. We don’t want to be aggressive but we embrace aggression in a passive way. Maybe, we are too timid to offend or confront or we are conditioned in such a way.

In simple words, passive aggression is being unwilling to be friendly or helpful, without expressing annoyance or disapproval openly or loudly. While aggressive behaviour can be direct and forceful, passive-aggressive behaviour is indirect and less obvious. Passive aggression can happen at home, at office, with friends, with strangers or online. Aggression uses physical, verbal, confrontational and relational ways. On the other hand, passive aggressive uses indirect ways like non-verbal in approach, giving backhanded compliments, cynical, sarcastic remarks etc. Someone who is passive aggressive takes control over the situations in a less direct or observable ways. One might use this behaviour because one might feel angry, frustrated and indignant, but might act all neutral, pleasant and even cheerful, followed by indirect ways to show how one really feels. 

One can argue that passive aggressive is better than being aggressive but both are capable of damaging relationships. Passive aggressive people express negative feelings indirectly, create confusion and manipulation, wherein passive aggressive people can use ways to control or punish someone without taking direct responsibility. 

To overcome passive aggressive, we should learn to express our thoughts and feelings, we should be assertive like standing up for our interests, be firm and direct, and be able to communicate clearly, be honest yet respect other’s opinions and talk about our frustrations and anger, and adopt an open minded approach and set boundaries. At the same time, we can try to be understanding and empathetic.