Creative Healing: The People, Places & Practices That Held Me in 2025
Creative Healing: The People, Places & Practices That Held Me in 2025 is a reminder that support doesn’t always arrive with big speeches or dramatic moments. Sometimes, it shows up quietly, stays patiently, and nudges you back to the things that make you feel most like yourself.
For me, 2025 was held together by music, movement, meaningful travel, and a few people and communities who kept me going – even on days when my energy dipped.
The Constant Note: Esha
At the heart of this year stands my daughter, Esha. She stayed steady through my lowest phases and how. No pressure, no fixing, just presence. And when I began to find my rhythm again, she did something incredibly special: she pulled me back into joy.
Jam sessions. Choir rehearsals. Evenings filled with sound and laughter.
Because of her, I returned to learning sangeet – something I loved deeply before marriage, before life rearranged priorities, before certain passions were quietly parked aside.
Picking up music again felt like reopening a window. Light poured in. Energy shifted. And without realising it, my creativity followed.
Looking back now, it makes perfect sense: music always makes me happy – and happiness, it turns out, makes writing playful again. Maybe that’s why those ten fun, light-hearted blogs flowed so freely this year.
Miles That Mattered: Travel Highlights of 2025
This year also nudged me out into the world – and every journey added its own spark.
I walked through the endless white of the Rann of Kutch. The white desert is mesmerising.
In February, I stepped onto the ramp for Orra Diamonds in Mumbai; a moment that felt surreal, empowering, and quietly celebratory.
I listened to the jungle breathe during a Pench safari.
September brought familiar comfort in Bangalore and Coorg. This was with my girl gang from home.
November wrapped me in colour, history, and stories in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.
There were deeply personal journeys too – a wedding in my hometown in February, and a June celebration marking my maternal aunt’s 90th birthday. Moments soaked in family, memory, and gratitude.
Travel, like music, did its quiet work. It reminded me that life is layered, generous, and constantly offering fresh perspective.
Quiet Repairs: Health, Discipline & Listening to the Body
This year also asked me to pay attention to something I had long ignored – my body.
After months of dealing with digestive challenges and the side effects of long-term medication, I realised that healing would not come from pills alone. It would come from patience, consistency, and learning to work with my body instead of against it.
A young friend – far younger than me, but astonishingly wise- gently guided me toward small, natural changes. Nothing dramatic. Just thoughtful additions that focused on nourishment, balance, and long-term wellbeing. Slowly, my mornings became calmer, my meals more intentional, and my energy more predictable.
There were other reminders, too. A protesting knee, a body that now asks for more care than it once did, and the realisation that strength needs to be maintained, not assumed. After nearly fifteen years, I returned to the gym – not to chase fitness goals, but to rebuild strength, protect muscle, and age with awareness.
It turns out that self-care at this stage of life looks wonderfully unapologetic. Structured routines. Thoughtful food choices. Movement with purpose. If that makes me sound high-maintenance, I’ll happily own it, with a smile.
This quiet discipline didn’t just support my health. It steadied my mind. And a steadier mind made room for lighter thoughts, playful ideas, and the creative ease that showed up on the page this year.
The Community That Keeps Me Writing: Blogchatter
No creative year of mine is complete without acknowledging Blogchatter.
Their challenges have a way of gently pushing you to write – even on days when motivation feels distant. The A to Z Challenge, the Half Marathon, the Blogchatter Retreat in Goa, and now this Wrap-Up Party – each one becomes a reason to show up, reflect, and keep the words moving.
Some days, it’s not inspiration that matters. It’s accountability. And Blogchatter provides that in the warmest, most encouraging way.
Opening my inbox to a Top Blog badge still feels like a small, unexpected jackpot — a gentle nudge to keep writing, and to write more.
A Cheerful Pause Before Chapter 5
Looking back, I see how beautifully this year came together ; music returning, miles travelled, words lightening, and support appearing exactly where I needed it.
This chapter is pure gratitude. And as I turn the page, I feel ready for what’s next – carrying forward joy, curiosity, and a little more ease.
Chapter 5 is calling… and 2026 already feels promising.
