NihshabdBlog

Tag: Personal reflection

  • Let It Go 2.0: When I Stopped Borrowing Other People’s Opinions

    Let It Go 2.0: When I Stopped Borrowing Other People’s Opinions

    Describe one positive change you have made in your life.

    .

    Positive change?

    Oh, I basically upgraded my life to “Let It Go 2.0” 😌

    Earlier, if someone said anything, I would hold onto it like a precious package

    .

    open it, analyze it, overanalyze it…

    and then replay it in my head like a full Netflix series. 🎬

    “What did they mean?”

    “Why did they say it like that?”

    “Was there a hidden message?”

    .

    Honestly, my mind was doing overtime… without getting paid. 😭

    .

    But now?

    Now it’s a completely different story.

    .

    Someone says something, and I just go:

    “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” 🐒✨

    .

    Because let’s be real

    people will always have something to say.

    You could do everything perfectly, and still someone will go,

    “Hmm… could’ve been better.” 😏

    .

    So I decided

    they can talk, I’ll stay happy. 😌

    .

    Now I don’t take things to heart.

    I treat opinions like random notifications

    seen… and ignored. 📲❌

    .

    That mountain of overthinking I used to carry?

    Yeah, I turned it into a scenic view

    I look at it from a distance… I don’t climb it anymore. 🏔️

    .

    And the best part?

    I don’t wait for a reason to be happy anymore.

    .

    Because I finally realized

    peace isn’t a luxury,

    it’s a choice… and I chose it. ✨

    .

    A smiling woman sitting on a mountain hillside, letting papers fly away in the breeze, symbolizing letting go of thoughts.
    Let go, breathe, and choose peace 

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

  • Some Companionships Don’t Need Words

    Some Companionships Don’t Need Words

    What animals make the best/worst pets?

    .

    Some animals don’t just become pets…

    they quietly become a part of your life.

    .

    The best ones are not always the most perfect,

    but the ones who stay…

    without asking for much.

    .

    Like Kiwi. 🐾

    Not perfect, not trained,

    but somehow always there —

    in small moments, in quiet ways.

    .

    A dog, maybe —

    loyal in ways words can never explain.

    .

    Or a cat —

    silent, distant, yet somehow always around

    when you need that quiet presence.

    .

    And then there are some animals…

    not meant to be kept,

    not meant to be owned.

    .

    Because not everything that looks beautiful

    is meant to stay with us.

    .

    Some are better loved from a distance.♥️

    .

    A woman sitting by a lake at sunset, holding a Shih Tzu dog, symbolizing quiet companionship and emotional connection.
    Some bonds don’t need words… they just stay. 🐾✨

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

  • When “Being Big” Was the Only Plan

    When “Being Big” Was the Only Plan

    When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

    When I was five,

    I didn’t want to be something…

    I wanted to be everything

    (with zero effort, obviously).

    .

    Doctor

    because I owned a plastic stethoscope

    and confidence levels higher than actual doctors.

    .

    Teacher

    just to say,

    “Silence!”

    to people who weren’t even talking.

    .

    Pilot

    because I thought waving hands

    could control air traffic.

    (Still think that sometimes in traffic jams.)

    .

    And sometimes…

    I just wanted to be my mother.

    .

    Wearing her saree,

    standing in front of the mirror,

    fixing pleats that never stayed,

    pretending I had somewhere important to go.

    .

    No job title.

    No big dream.

    .

    Just… her.

    .

    Then came the real ambition

    to be “older.”

    Not successful.

    Not happy.

    Just… older.

    .

    Because older people

    had no homework,

    no bedtime,

    and unlimited authority

    to say “because I said so.”

    .

    Scam of the century, honestly.

    .

    I also wanted to be rich

    so I could buy

    all the chocolates in the world…

    and still cry over the wrong toy.

    .

    Priorities were clear.

    Logic was not required.

    .

    Funny thing is

    nobody asked,

    “What will you actually become?”

    .

    Because at five,

    dreams didn’t need backup plans,

    or Excel sheets,

    or self-doubt.

    .

    They just needed

    a random Tuesday afternoon

    and a little imagination.

    .

    Now people ask me that question

    with deadlines in their eyes.

    .

    “What do you want to be?”

    .

    And I almost say

    five again.

    .

    Because back then,

    I wasn’t confused…

    .

    I was just

    limitless without pressure.

    .

    Now I’m focused…

    .

    …on pretending I know

    what I’m doing.

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • Life Didn’t Give Me One Teacher… It Gave Me a Full Faculty

    Life Didn’t Give Me One Teacher… It Gave Me a Full Faculty

    Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

    Who was my most influential teacher?


    I wish I had a simple, respectable answer.
    Like a name. A subject. Maybe a life-changing lecture.

    But no.

    My life clearly didn’t believe in “one teacher theory.”
    It went for a full faculty.

    My two sons?
    Oh, they are my senior professors —
    unpaid, unpredictable, and permanently unsatisfied with my performance.

    One teaches me patience.
    The other makes sure I practice it. Daily. Intensively.

    And then there are others…

    Some people came into my life just to test my emotional stability —
    and left after completing their assignment.

    Some taught me practical things…
    like where files are saved.
    (Let’s just say… that lesson had to be repeated. Multiple times.)

    Some introduced me to recipes,
    and some to reality checks.

    A few taught me how not to overreact —
    which, honestly, felt like a very personal attack at the time.

    Someone taught me to laugh loudly,
    without worrying about who’s watching.

    And someone else had the audacity to prove
    that it’s never “too late” to start again —
    which is inspiring… but also mildly inconvenient.

    Some held my hand when I needed support.
    And some didn’t —
    which, in hindsight, was their way of saying,
    “Welcome to the advanced level. Figure it out.”

    From embroidery threads to iPad tools,
    from breakdowns to breakthroughs —
    my education has been… extremely hands-on.

    So no, I don’t have one “most influential teacher.”

    I have a whole syllabus.
    A slightly chaotic, emotionally charged, occasionally uninvited syllabus.

    And life?
    It didn’t ask me to enroll.

    It just started the class.

    —Rajeshwari🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved
  • Sometimes All the Heart Needs Is a Song

    Sometimes All the Heart Needs Is a Song

    What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?

    .

    Negative feelings never send a warning.

    .

    They don’t knock.

    They don’t announce their arrival.

    .

    One moment the day feels normal,

    and the next moment

    something inside the heart

    becomes strangely heavy.

    .

    Suddenly my mind

    starts doing what it does best

    .

    overthinking.

    .

    My brain, honestly,

    deserves a gold medal

    for creating problems

    that may not even exist.

    .

    And then…

    the eyes decide

    to join the drama.

    .

    One tear appears.

    .

    Then another.

    .

    And before I know it,

    my emotions have opened

    a small water supply project.

    .

    Very efficient.

    Very dramatic.

    .

    That is usually the moment

    I reach for my simplest cure.

    .

    Music.

    .

    No advice.

    No lectures.

    No motivational speeches.

    .

    Just one simple song.

    .

    And something quiet

    begins to change.

    .

    The storm inside

    slows down a little.

    .

    The heart loosens its grip

    on whatever sadness

    it was holding five minutes ago.

    .

    Strange thing about music is

    .

    it understands emotions

    without asking any questions.

    .

    Sometimes I even laugh

    at myself thinking,

    .

    “Really?

    I was this sad just a moment ago?”

    .

    Because somewhere

    between one lyric and the next,

    .

    the world feels

    a little lighter,

    a little kinder,

    and slightly less dramatic.

    .

    Which makes me believe

    something very simple

    .

    sometimes life doesn’t need

    big solutions.

    .

    Sometimes all it needs

    is a simple song,

    .

    a few honest tears,

    .

    and a heart

    willing to press play again.

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • Between Logic and Lucky Charms

    Are you superstitious?

    Between Logic and Luck

    .

    “Are you superstitious?”

    Someone asked me once

    with that half-smile

    people wear

    when they already know

    they will judge the answer.

    .

    I thought for a moment.

    .

    Well…

    I don’t exactly believe in everything.

    .

    But also…

    I don’t exactly risk everything.

    .

    If a black cat crosses the road,

    I don’t panic —

    I just pause…

    you know…

    to let the cat finish its important meeting.

    .

    If someone sneezes

    just as I’m leaving the house,

    I don’t cancel my plans.

    I simply sit down again

    for thirty seconds

    like a very disciplined scientist

    waiting for the universe

    to reset itself.

    .

    And if someone says,

    “Don’t cut your nails at night,”

    I don’t argue with centuries of aunties.

    I quietly respect

    their mysterious research.

    .

    Do I know if any of it is true?

    .

    No.

    But here is the strange thing.

    .

    Some beliefs

    are not about logic.

    They are about memory.

    .

    They carry the voices

    of grandmothers,

    mothers,

    and the quiet instructions

    of childhood evenings.

    .

    Tiny rituals

    that followed us

    into adulthood

    without asking permission.

    .

    Maybe none of it changes fate.

    .

    Maybe the universe

    doesn’t care

    whether we step out

    with the right foot first.

    .

    But still…

    sometimes I do.

    .

    Because some habits

    are not about fear.

    .

    They are about comfort..

    .

    And honestly,

    if avoiding a ladder

    or knocking on wood

    gives my heart

    two extra seconds of peace—

    .

    why would I argue

    with peace?

    .

    So yes…

    maybe I am

    a little superstitious.

    .

    Not because I believe

    everything will go wrong

    if I don’t follow them.

    .

    But because life is uncertain enough

    already.

    .

    And if a tiny ritual

    makes me feel

    a little safer

    inside this chaotic universe….

    .

    I think

    I’ll keep it.

    .

    —Rajeshwari🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • Confessions of Someone Who Is Terrible at Shopping Sprees

    Where would you go on a shopping spree?

    Woman holding books and coffee in a warm bookstore with the title “Confessions of Someone Who Is Terrible at Shopping Sprees” and Nihshabd.

    .

    If someone handed me

    a card with no limit

    and said,

    “Go. Shop your heart out.”

    .

    I would panic first.

    .

    Because people like me

    don’t know how to shop our hearts out.

    .

    We know how to

    compare prices,

    close tabs,

    and say “maybe later.”

    .

    Shopping sprees belong

    to people who can walk into a store

    and say confidently,

    “I deserve this.”

    .

    Meanwhile I am in aisle three

    arguing with a ₹200 notebook.

    .

    Do I need it?

    No.

    .

    Do I want it?

    Yes.

    .

    Will I buy it?

    Let me walk around the store

    seven more times

    to emotionally prepare.

    .

    If I ever went on a shopping spree,

    it probably wouldn’t be in a mall.

    .

    You would find me

    in a quiet bookstore

    collecting stories like souvenirs.

    .

    Or standing too long

    in the stationery section

    touching notebooks

    as if inspiration comes

    with better paper quality.

    .

    Maybe a pen

    that writes smoother than my thoughts.

    .

    Maybe a candle

    that smells like peace.

    .

    Maybe a plant

    that I will accidentally over-love with water.

    .

    And somewhere between

    the books and the plants

    I will still whisper to myself .

    .

    “Okay but…

    do we really need this?”

    .

    Because old habits don’t leave easily.

    .

    Even with unlimited money

    I would probably leave the store

    with three small things

    and a mild sense of guilt.

    .

    But also a quiet happiness.

    .

    Which, honestly,

    feels like the only kind of shopping spree

    I know how to have.

    Not loud.

    .

    Not extravagant.

    Just a small bag of things

    that make life feel

    a little softer.

    Which, in my case,

    is the closest thing

    to a shopping spree.

    .

    –Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • The Beauty I Grew From♥️

    The Beauty I Grew From♥️

    What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

    .

    What helped me grow?

    Honestly… my habit of finding joy

    in places no one even checks.

    .

    I grew when life handed me small moments—

    a pretty sky,

    a good song,

    a silly conversation,

    a smile from someone who didn’t know

    they just made my day.

    .

    I grew because I laugh easily,

    love openly,

    and get excited over the tiniest things

    yes, even perfectly crispy dosa.

    .

    I grew when I realised

    life doesn’t have to be perfect

    to feel beautiful.

    Sometimes it’s just one good joke

    away from being amazing.

    .

    I grew when I loved someone

    with my whole, bright heart

    and loved myself

    with even more sparkle than that.

    .

    I grew through the “oops” moments,

    the “lol forget it” moments,

    and the “thank God nobody saw that” moments.

    .

    I grew by staying kind

    even when sarcasm deserved a trophy.

    And by staying soft

    even when the world tried to act tough.

    .

    Most of all

    I grew because I never stopped choosing happiness.

    Not fake-happy.

    Not show-off happy.

    But the honest, warm,

    “I’m grateful for my life” kind of happy.

    .

    So yes

    my growth came from joy.

    From dance-in-the-kitchen joy,

    laugh-with-your-friends joy,

    sit-in-silence-and-smile joy.

    .

    And from knowing that

    no matter what life brings…

    I’ll always find something beautiful in it. ✨

    .

    ✨The Support Behind My Smile♥️✨

    .

    And through it all,

    I grew because I was never alone.

    .

    Because my family held me

    no matter who I was becoming.

    Because my friends stayed close

    even from miles away.

    Because life kept sending

    small lessons wrapped in kindness.

    .

    If I shine today,

    it’s because of every heart

    that quietly walked with me. ✨

    .

    —Rajeshwari🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved.

  • Do I Believe in Fate? (Unfortunately… Yes.)

    Do I Believe in Fate? (Unfortunately… Yes.)

    Do you believe in fate/destiny?

    Some days, I swear I’m the CEO of my life

    I plan, I hustle, I re-plan,

    and then Destiny just walks in like,

    “Cute. Anyway…”

    and presses backspace on everything.

    .

    I try hard,

    I pray harder,

    I even Google

    “why am I not getting what I want despite trying so much”

    like some desperate midnight researcher

    but the results?

    What I wanted: Nope.

    What I did not ask for:

    Here, take it. Urgent delivery.

    (Sincerely,

    The Universe,

    with terrible timing.)

    .

    Sometimes I feel Fate is that silent old man

    sitting in the corner

    calm, harmless

    until the moment I make a decision.

    Then suddenly he whispers,

    “Let’s add a twist.”

    .

    And then there are those uninvited out-of-nowhere moments

    the ones I never called, never manifested,

    but they show up anyway like,

    “Hi, I’m here to confuse your life,

    derail your plans,

    and maybe… accidentally make sense?”

    If that’s not destiny,

    then what is?

    .

    Because honestly

    Some things just slip out of our hands,

    no matter how tight we hold.

    And I keep trying to control everything,

    like a responsible adult-in-the-wrong-movie,

    while the Universe upgrades

    its drama budget every month.

    .

    So yes,

    I believe in Fate

    but not the glittery, magical kind.

    More like the kind where Destiny looks at my effort and says:

    “Effort: 10/10.

    Result: Lol, no.”

    .

    And me?

    I get up again,

    add some sarcasm,

    fix my eyeliner,

    and try once more.

    Because maybe Fate is secretly wondering,

    “When will this girl give up?”

    .

    And I’m like

    Never.

    You’re a twist.

    I’m a twist.

    Let’s see who wins.😁

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved.

    .

  • If I Could Be Someone Else… I’d Still Pick Me 2.0

    If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

    A digital illustration of a woman in a white and gold saree standing gracefully between two ornate green pillars. She has long dark hair, a magenta blouse, and a soft confident expression. The text above her reads “If I Could Be Someone Else… I’d Still Pick Me 2.0,” and “Nihshabd” is written elegantly at the bottom. Illustration by Rajeshwari.
    Illustration by Rajeshwari

    **I’D STILL PICK THE UPGRADED ME**

    .

    If I could be someone else for a day,

    honestly—

    why borrow anyone else’s chaos

    when my own evolution is already iconic?

    .

    I’d choose Me 2.0 —

    the version with fewer meltdowns

    and better brain Wi-Fi.

    The me who eats chocolate on impulse

    and refuses to feel guilty about joy.

    .

    The me with built-in auto-replies like:

    “Not today, darling.

    My peace is running on premium mode.”

    .

    A me with a radar

    that detects energy vampires

    from two emotional miles away.

    .

    The version of me

    who doesn’t argue with the bathroom mirror—

    just lifts an eyebrow and says,

    “You’re doing amazing.

    Stop underestimating your own sparkle.”

    .

    A me with

    better boundaries,

    cleaner eyeliner,

    and a much smarter list of people

    whose opinions are allowed to land.

    .

    A me who knows

    when to raise the sarcasm

    and when to raise the silence.

    The Nihshabd version—

    just with a software update.

    .

    A me who says

    “I deserve softness”

    without whispering it.

    A me who dances

    like people are watching—

    and still doesn’t care.

    .

    If I could be someone else for a day,

    I’d pick the woman I’m already becoming:

    sharper, softer, louder, quieter—

    all in the right places.

    .

    Because honestly?

    Why be someone else…

    when the next version of me

    is already legendary in the making?

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    Poem & Illustration © Rajeshwari — All Rights Reserved. Do not repost or reproduce without permission.