Make a chit

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan
64

Take a small piece of paper. 


Write down, in no particular order, ten memories of your life that always bring a smile to your face. 
You can write it in any language, use codewords, symbols which only you know or draw smiley faces, if you wish. 
You can write about your first kiss, a moment with your parents, the school picnic you went to with your friends or the moment you woke up after two days of sickness to find your pet dog at your bedside worried about you. It could be a memory of an sms chat with a crush that lasted all night or that party where you had a vodka too many and sang to your hearts content. It can be an exam you topped or a cultural program you participated in. 

Now, take that piece of paper and fold it carefully and keep it safe in your purse/wallet. 
Don't tell me what you wrote. It is yours and yours alone to cherish.
Go back to whatever you were doing. 

You may not always have the best of times. You may not always have your closest friends to talk to while you lie awake at 2 am in the morning. You may feel alone even in a crowd of a hundred peers.  

Don't let your insecurities slowly destroy you. 
You have an inbuilt treasure-trove of happy pills that can get you through your worst insecurities : precious moments and fond memories. 

Memories that remind you of how good things have been in your life. Memories of times you felt everything was right with the world. Moments where you  had the most fun when you least expected it. Moments that you need to remember once more to instill in yourself the belief that in spite of how bad things seem, happiness is right around the corner.

But, as is common with us all, we tend not to think of our best moments during our times of despair. 

Hence, the need for this chit. 
Remember those small white pieces of paper that 'we' may have made to 'jog our memory' through a tough exam ? That's all this is. Only this time the exam is the very realistic game of life and many people tend to give up when they find the questions too tough to handle. Turns out, just like in those earlier days, a chit could prove mighty handy in real life too.

You may not need the chit today. Touchwood, you may never need the chit at all. 
But someday in the future, if you find yourself down and wondering how this isn't the life you dreamt of, it is always helpful to have this chit around. 
When you feel that insecurity or inner suffering creep in, take out your purse/wallet and randomly read any one of the points you have written. 
Remember the reason you wrote it in that list.  
And smile again.


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64Comments

Let me know what you think.

  1. So what's on your list, doc? :)

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    1. There are a few more but I think I can escape this question by saying 'some of the things I've mentioned' in the 'fr example' part of the post :)

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  2. Roshan makes a lot of sense. I haven't done writing things on a piece of paper, but I enjoy going through old photographs. They instantly bring a smile to my face. Another thing I do is to reiterate to myself all the fabulous qualities I have; that instantly works for me :).

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    1. I would do what you said but I'm afraid once I see how awesome I am, I may fall in love with 'me' even more :D

      But I know what you mean - this is exactly what you are saying - only sometimes in weaker moments, I see friends forgetting their own worth or good times while wallowing in personal pain. At such times, I always felt that they needed to fall back on their own memories to remind them of how its a passing phase and how good things can be

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    2. I think it is the most amazing feeling to fall in love with yourself, isn't is Roshan? :).

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    3. True.. but it helps when you have someone else who recognises your awesomeness besides yourself...
      Just as a confirmation :D

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    4. If course you are right :).

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  3. oh wow..such a simple exercise but I bet must be very effective. I am going to do just that very soon :)

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    1. Please do so... its easy to say just think of happy times, but sometimes u need a gentle written reminder

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  4. Counting one's blessings, eh? Makes complete sense..... Gonna do it!

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  5. so old school Roshan but completely love the idea! Sometimes I wonder we are so paralysed, do we ever write these days??

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    1. exactly.. its old school to the core. And no, we dont write anymore... its definitely a lost art

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  6. :) :) your post itself brought smile to me..... I think this nostalgia about the good old days is a good way to remind during the blues that

    " This shall also pass..."

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    1. Thats the key to the whole chit - to remind yourself at your worst moments that 'This too shall pass'.

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  7. It is indeed an awesome idea! Sometimes talking to an old friend about the good times also helps. .

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    1. exactly.. a good friend can replace a qualified psychologist anyday Rohan... this is for those moments when you find yourself alone or unwilling to turn to your friends even..

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  8. Splendid idea Roshan. In fact I think we should have some kind of machine or software where you store all nice memories and it throws you one random sms every morning...so that you wake up with a smile :)

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    1. The first part sounds like Facebook itself :)
      But yes, sometimes the best moment of joy is a happy memory from the past.. leaves you warm and hopeful again

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  9. Just the thought of writing that chit itself makes me all happy happy. What a lovely thought! Sometimes I find old bills, check-lists and some grocery lists while scanning my wallet and even that makes me smile.

    Joy always,
    Susan

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    1. then definitely I feel this would be great for u... its a simple 10 min job at most.. but it can be cathartic some day. I really believe so.

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  10. haii am new member of your blog.. and i loved your thought of these chit... :)nostalgia and our memories are good medicine whenever we are sad or alone and i must say i loved this technique :)

    Anjali
    Time To See Dreamzz.......

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    1. Thanks Anjali... I'm glad u liked it. Its exactly what I wanted to convey - a medicine from within. Our own happy pills.

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    2. yea.. our own happy pills... datz such a nice concept.. :)

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  11. true.. sometimes it just takes a minute to open it and just happiness floods back..

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    1. exactly.. it sounds so silly and childish now.. but it could really mean the difference between a broken spirit and a hopeful spirit someday.

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    2. Its always the silly and childish stuffs that actually heals ones self when one is on his own.....

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  12. That is such a simple and effective way to lick the bad times! After all, if Harry Potter could vanquish the dementers by conjuring up a patronus with his happy memories, why can't we get over a depressing phase with our good memories too?

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    1. Brilliant. I never even thought of it, but ur absolutely right - the patronus was summoned to give him strength by getting to think of his happy memories, wasnt it ?

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  13. Amazing..! This is the best ever prescription of yours.. :)

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    1. Haha.. thanks Libu :) Its something simple which anyone can do... and I personally believe it will work

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  14. I have never done this and not felt the need todo so.In my opinion,one needs to be a positive thinker.
    There is No one who hasn't seen different and difficult times.
    However,I will try what you suggest just to ensure I don't miss out on good advise.

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    1. Thanks sir for stopping by.
      I agree that one needs to be a positive thinker - but thats a statement usually easier said than done. In the end, how people react to moments of sorrow, loss or heartbreak varies from person to person. Everyone may not have the same mental strength to survive through pain they've never faced before.

      This is just a simple method to hold on.. to have faith and not give up just because there is a trial. Its something I've noticed - that people tend to forget that they were once happy, during bad times. The best person to decide which memory can be a booster is the individual himself. Thats why I asked to make a simple chit and hold onto it.

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  15. This is such a wonderful thing to do.
    I read about this wonderful thing and shared it with my son and he used to write his 'Happy Moment of the Day" in a note book. He did it for 6 months or so and now, whenever we read it, it brings so many smiles... how small things can give you joy and happiness.

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    1. exactly.. save those.. no matter what, dont let them get lost. It will be real treasures years from now

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  16. Somehow... Whenever i am the lowest... Somehow when i think i am miserable... Somehow when everything looks worth not living for.... You somehow find the perfect way to make me feel better... To make me feel i am worth something in life... How do you know what i am going thru Rosh?? Every single time???

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  17. This is a wonderful idea but somehow I get the feeling if I read it when I'm low I'll just burst into tears:-)

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    1. I can see how that would happen. Its just an idea... something to get people to stand up again after a fall.

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  18. Very novel idea Roshan! We tend to forget the blessings and only crib about the bad in our lives. This will help us realize how great our life is despite the problems.

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    1. Thats the plan Binu.. its just a simple 10 minute task when you're happy. During a bad phase, people tend not to be able to find the will to look beyond the suffering.

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  19. There is a song we sing at church which goes 'Count your blessings name them one by one , Count your blessings see what God hath done...Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done'.
    I think this song is the spiritual version of the post above. I was singing this song in my head from the first line. Yes doc we tend to brood over the difficult times and forget the good part.

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    1. I checked it out just now on Youtube.. such a sweet song.
      I'm putting the version I liked best here :

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fMjgS4vu4o&feature=fvwrel

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  20. Perhaps, the other side of Docs, moral healing could be seen throughout the post. Loved the idea , I remember recollecting school memories when I recently wen thru my school thrash and found out a slam book there, written memories and photographs bring lot of nostalgia with them

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    1. Thanks Revathi. And yes, I wonder if kids today have slam books and autograph books like how we had once upon a time.
      But it holds so many awesome memories of fun times in our lives..

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  21. Have been doing that... but not on pen or paper.. but in the B+ drive in one corner of my brain... and it is indeed pretty effective!! I can vouch for it :D

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    1. sadly my C, D and E drive in brain is all corrupt due to old age and grey hairs ( COUGH COUGH my George Clooney look COUGH ).
      But the reason I asked to write is because during our worst moments, many friends I know never look back for something to hold on. Ironically, I knew their best moments and had to remind them of it. It just got me thinking - everyone needs a backup : something easily accessible - hidden email/note in mobile. I said chit because of the personal touch of our own handwriting as opposed to a Times New Roman font ( COUGH COUGH nothing to do with those thousands of minichits I ..sorry, 'my friends' used to make :D )

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  22. I do this at times. I do not write it down, but sometimes access memories from the remotest corners of my brain.
    I think writing it down is a good idea.

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    1. I personally recommend it - as I mentioned, write while ur happy and the memories flood in easily. Later when ur down in the dumps, it maybe hard to motivate urself to look beyond the sorrow.

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  23. aarey wah simple idea ... and surely an effective one I can say :) :)

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  24. I always jot down my thoughts on paper when I am angry or sad.Writing furiously,helps me calm down considerably and when I go back to the chit at a later date,I feel-Was it such a big deal after all ?
    Haven't tried writing down happy memories ever..I wonder why ?
    Loved the post Roshan

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    1. Thanks Sharmila... its good to write while you're angry and get it out of your system.. but I would really hope those papers get thrown away later :)
      They can lead to some horrible misunderstandings if they reach the wrong eyes.
      Much better to write while ur happy than rage while ur pissed :D

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  25. I always write little notes on my cellphone. Mostly embarrasig incidents that make me laugh really bad later. Well, lets just hope no one else reads them :P

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    1. hehe.. if I had an embarrassing list, boy... they could make a hindi movie out of it :)

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  27. Nice idea...reminder of the good times should help to overcome tough times...i have preserved old greeting cards i have received and going through hem brings smile and even tears in my eyes..hand written letters / cards have become pleasures of past!

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    1. true.. coming across those old cards can bring back so many awesome memories.. we may have forgotten so much over the years.. inside jokes, silly incidents

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  28. Roshan....very good idea...will do that from now on.

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  29. Lovely post (h) have book marked this page, as i can not write down the post and the comments in a chit :>) other good things in life, i will write down in chits and keep :)

    as rachna said, i do this with old photographs, will try out with chits from now on :) thank u

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