@MONICAPUDDY What’s your favourite color? It changes all the time but I love blue and green for the sky, ocean and trees.
What self-care habits do you intertwine into your daily routine? Every morning I make a breakfast I know I’ll really enjoy, this is usually my oatmeal packed with natural peanut butter and fresh fruit, it is healthy, fills me up and starts my day off perfectly.
What's your favourite book? I just finished The Secret and I loved it. What we think is so powerful and I think anyone can take something from that book.
Who can you go to when you need to get something off your chest? My husband Aris and sister Serah. I think having friendships with your family members is underrated, my sister has always been my best friend and who could I trust more with secrets than my own sister?
What’s your safe place? Around the people I love. There is no place I would rather be than with my family when I am feeling down.
Have you ever dealt with anxiety? If so, how do you calm your mind? I experience anxiety when I feel out of control and in high school I had extreme social anxiety. I have taught myself to think of anxiety as fear and if I am afraid to do something, that is all the more reason to do it because we must push ourselves out of our comfort zones, in order to grow. Embrace fear and overcome it, I promise you can do it. Message me if you want more of a pep talk, I got you.
Have you ever gotten yourself out of a dark place? Or have you ever needed to help someone else out? If so, how? I think we all go to a dark place sometimes, we must remind ourselves of the simple pleasures in life; blue skies, birds, the beauty of a sunset, music, The Secret says that all of these things are made for us and they are if you believe they are.
Do you think social media affects your mental health or has any other negative impacts on you? If so, how do you best deal with it? Social media definitely affects my mental health, I will post something I am proud of only for it to get a few hundred likes, I wanted a thousand! Sadly the cycle never ends because for someone, thousands isn’t enough. Social media isn’t real, experiences and memories are real. Limit your time online and make more memories.
What’s your biggest fear? Losing someone I love.
What’s the biggest change you can identify within yourself in the past year? I think a lot about how short life is, we have no idea how long we have. I want to do more for other people,I want to hug people a little harder, I want people to know I am always here if they need to talk, I want to give more love and receive more love.
What’s one of the hardest things you’ve had to go through in life? How did you get through it? Every time I have experienced some form of hardship, I have known I would be okay in the end and that life doesn’t give you what you can’t handle. Time heals all, take time for yourself and one day you will realise the pain has gone away.
What advice would you give to your 16-year-old self? Do whatever you want because you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be in the end. Drink water, be a good person and save your money.
If you could change one thing within society, what would that be? I would make everyone vegan. Hehe.
