Triveni Goswami Vernal
Registered Special Educator
CRR: A64010

I was recently invited to share my story as a Human Book as part of the second cohort of a course on Bibliotherapy, wonderfully curated by Dr.Vibhuti Sharma  and Sagarika Sukhija (batchmates and now friends from my Expressive Arts Therapy training in 2024).

There was another speaker, Shveta Kapur, a Mindfulness and Wellbeing coach  who shared her story. And although we both had very different backgrounds and spoke about different experiences in life, there were several common themes that emerged. I will share a few insights:

1) There is so much emphasis on being positive all the time in life , but “toxic positivity” will do one no good. Staying upbeat is good but not at the cost of one’s mental health.

2) “Maternal Strength“: Everyone talks about how mums are all powerful and how strong they are, but often forget that mums are humans too. And they need to take out time for themselves.

3) Mental Health and Self Care: As the famous saying goes, “one cannot pour from an empty cup”. Being ever present and carrying out the responsibilities of a caregiver, can prove to be an emotionally draining experience and ultimately take a toll on the caregiver ‘s mental health. Hence, taking time out for oneself is soo very important.

4) Grief: Acceptance of a diagnosis or a life experience, doesn’t erase the feelings of grief one may experience from time to time. I think it’s natural and can go hand in hand. One may accept a new reality (that one wasn’t prepared for earlier)  and get completely immersed in it, yet allow oneself to grieve over things that didn’t unravel the way it was hoped.

5) Pause:  Burn Out is real. One can always Pause, take a break, undergo  a mental reset and then jump back into action!  Pausing provides new perspectives …it allows one to breathe, recalibrate and approach the situation anew.

6) Embrace Your Vulnerability: We can be vulnerable and keep alive our authenticity.  We need not repress our emotions–anger, sadness and frustration, all the time. That will take a toll on us-emotionally, psychologically and physically.

7) Be Kind to yourself: We are often our worst critics. Be kind to yourself. You are doing the best you can, given your circumstances, at this moment in time.

On the whole it was a wonderfully  curated session. It was my first  time  ever being a Human Book. The empathy and thoughtfulness of Sagarika and Vibhuti  sparkled through and made it all the more magical 🪄✨!

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Dr.Triveni Goswami Vernal is a Registered Special Educator (CRR: A64010), a Psychologist and an Expressive Arts Therapy Practitioner (UNESCO-CID). She is an Avaz Certified Educator and Certified in Dyslexia Teacher Training. She is also an art educator for children with additional needs. She has a 14 year old on the Autism spectrum. She is presently working as a Consultant Special Educator at Oyster CDC, Begumpet, Hyderabad.

“Mars”
Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Kabir Vernal