Belonging

I have had a whale of a time this holidays. My parents came over and spent time on campus. We did not do too much really. Just sat around and kept talking, laughing and watching movies. It was one of the happiest times of my life. It was the first time they had come to campus and they really loved it. I was happy too... I could share my happiness with them and feel really positive about coming to this place. ( I feel positive about this move otherwise as well, but then there's nothing like sharing your happiness :-))

It was when they left that I really started thinking about how important it is to belong. The feeling that there is someone to care for you and likes you is invaluable. We had this class in IGP(Interpersonal and Group Processes) where we discussed the concept of "strokes". Strokes are stored stimuli which people go over to feel good (or bad) about themselves. I realised that my family gives me the biggest source of positive strokes. They accept me for what I am and are happy for me. That is really a huge source of self confidence and self esteem. This self esteem is reflected in our interactions with other people. Self esteem in turn also helps emotional stability and a maturity in dealing with emotions. The list of positives seems endless.

I consider myself lucky to have such a nice set of people around me- be they friends, relatives or family. It makes me feel good about myself. And this message is for the reader:

Make an effort to reach out and share your feelings with someone you truly care forand who truly cares for you. Be it the kind shoulders of your parents or the gracious arms of your brother or sister (or your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse :-)), you will find that doubles your happiness and halves your sorrows. Well, that seems pretty good arithmetic to me !

A fairly sentimental post this... but then again it gives me a positive "stroke" :-))

Sitan