How I Conquered Acrophobia in Rishikesh

Feeling scared at the gorgeous mountains of Rishikesh was the worst feeling ever in my life! Conflicting emotions were going on in my mind. On the one hand, I was enjoying the feeling of being there on the breathtaking mountains and taking delight in the soft wind streaming past me. On the other hand, I knew that I had to go for Bungee Jump in a few hours, and just the thought of jumping from a height of hundreds of meters was taking my breath away. My friends were talking about the rush of adrenalin in their bloodstream, and I could feel my throat getting choked.

I have seen people jumping at the thought of going for skydiving, bungee jumping, and whatnot. But acrophobia is something that never lets me think about any such activity. I had never agreed to enroll for the bungee jump in Rishikesh, but my buddies had signed up for me as well along with them. During the entire journey in our Car Rental that we had taken from Delhi, I was googling about the ways to overcome acrophobia. Everything I read went into my mind, but it was hard for my heart to accept that I would have to take a huge, actually more than just huge leap! 

Nevertheless, I had already paid for the bungee jump, and I had to do it this time. I had already skipped many such activities in the past just because I did not want to be at an altitude in my life. Let me share how I finally overcame this fear of heights before and after coming to Rishikesh. 

· Seldom would I go to the hills before I had agreed for coming to Rishikesh. In Delhi itself, I had started increasing the height of places where I would hang out with my friends. Inch by inch, and then meter by meter, I was finally standing on a small hill at Purana Quila in the city. The monument is a historical delight, and while scaling a few meters each time, I noticed myself standing at a significant height. I saw the view of Delhi from there, and spend half an hour there just alone. Being alone and safe gave me the courage to go for more heights in future.

· After being on the heights, I tried to test myself in the water and sea. While being on a beach once in Chennai, I let myself be when I had to be in the water for a long time. I attempted my level best to stay determined to face the waves even when I did not like them much. 

· After a few such attempts on the hills and waters, I noticed that my condition was improving. I decided to go to the higher elevations, and I chose Rishikesh as my destination. However, my besties knew about my irrational fears, and my attempts to conquer it. They booked the bungee jump for me, and all I could say was a weak No.

While we were waiting for our turn for the jump, I meditated as best as I could. Finally when my turn to jump from a terrifying height came up, the trainer at the spot told me not to look down at any cost since I was sweating badly. They said to me in advance that they would not push me at any expense. If I had to prove myself, I had to leap on my own. I knew that I could not let myself down, and finally, after being there at the jumping spot for more than five minutes, I did the bungee jump. Finally! I was liberated from my fears of heights when I landed safely, and the staff took off the ropes and body harness.

We took our two Self-Drive Cars from the parking, and throughout my journey to home, I felt my heart feeling freed from all the inhibitions I used to have. The “I’ve Got Guts” badge that I got from the jumping site still flaunts on my desk in office!

Just Talking to Someone Changed My Perspective for Life

What else would you want in the world, when you have nothing else in mind, but lose weight! Being fat (or plump) is not easy, no matter which corner of the world. Name calling, body shaming, and feeling inferior are just some of the issues associated with only a few extra pounds. It has been a roller coaster ride for me to shed those extra inches on my body for more than three years. I would always try to make an effort to adopt any method that can help me to go slimmer. 

I had already done the most conventional thing: stopped eating all those fatty foods. I would always say No to Malai Tikka, Chicken Shaurma, Burgers, Pizzas, and Paneer Butter Masala. However, a typical Indian mother can never let you lose weight. As soon as I would get ready for college, she would come to me with a tiffin box packed with Aloo Parantha or Paneer ki Sabzi. What more could I say to her when she sees me every day drinking honey lemonade? It is impossible to make her understand my state of mind; she is a mother after all. Desi ghee never makes anyone fat, you know. Just one Parantha would not make you fatter; she would convince me. And then remembering her delicious cooking, even I would have to give in every time.  

I would drink green tea in place of regular milk tea. I would always ask for an espresso, the tartest drink on earth, but I developed a taste for it no matter what. Still, I would face the struggle to look how I wanted. Rather than taking cabs, I would commute by metro just to work out a little. In place of using an elevator, I would take the staircase. Nevertheless, whenever we have to go out of the city, my first preference of the mode of transport would be buses and trains so that we do not feel lazy in the car. On the other hand, I would again give in when my friends would use the Car Rental Apps and book a Self-Drive Car Rental immediately. 

After doing all this for some years of my college and office, I finally talked to myself. I thought of all the things that I had to hear when I felt that I was fat. However, I was fortunate to have a friend, Shreya, who made me realize that at every point in time, there would be people who would try to let you down. She made me hop on the weighing scale right then, and read my weight measurement. I was 55.6 kilograms on the scale and had a waistline of 29 inches only! She said Only, not me! I had known all these measurements earlier as well but had always thought that they exceeded the perfect shape and size that I should be.  

However, just by talking to Shreya, who is not so stunningly beautiful herself, I thought that it made sense to love yourself. She has a fantastic personality, which is based on her sense of humor and brains; the looks of her face and body came only second. She convinced me that it is essential to maintain a lean body to remain fit, rather than look skinny all the time. After a certain age, the looks are going to fade away, no matter what. Even if I were the most gorgeous woman on earth, I would have my critics if my talks never made sense. Just a few words by this wonderful woman made sense to me. I decided to keep up my routine of fitness foods, but never again in my life; they became my priority. My work, love for life, traveling around the country, and working on my mental health are now the first few things that occupy my mind and keep me happier than ever.

How It Was Worth Every Penny to Take a Self-Drive Car

Sometimes, little decisions of life consume a lot of brain and thoughts. When I used to work in Mumbai for a Japanese MNC, I always thought of flying to places like Bali, Mauritius, or London. However, I was always pressed for time when it came to making actual plans. Many of my friends would go to exotic destinations in India and abroad. They would come to office talking about the breathtaking adventures they participated in, the mesmerizing sights of the hills and beaches they saw, and the delectable food they tried. Every bit of their talk would pound my heart like I was about to die in a minute or so. 

Even though I was not jealous of none of my friends, I would still shy away from them because their talks would make me feel bad again about my helplessness. My work profile never allowed me more than a day off in a week. Even if I got free for some time, I would look for some freelance work online and keep myself engrossed in work. However, it was not too late when I realized that with the pace that I am working, I might earn a lot of money, but I will definitely lose the precious memories that I could make on vacations with friends or by spending some free time with my family.  

I was desperate to take a break from my busy life and just leave for a place where I could not receive the mobile network. Without thinking much one day, I looked up for a random date in the month of October and booked the hotel in Lavasa. Since I had already scheduled my dates to leave, now the only work left was to figure out the mode of travel. I did not want to go by bus or train as I had used them for a significant part of my life to travel to my hometown for the last seven years. After the mind-boggling search for car rentals on the Self Drive Car Rental Apps installed on my phone, I finally settled for a sedan. 

The thought of going to such a beautiful place like Lavasa was not so tempting, so the last issue that I had to sort was to find company for this trip. I asked a few friends from college and a couple of colleagues from office. Against my expectations, it was so easy to convince people for this getaway because the major things were already booked. They only had the choice to say Yes or No since I had already devoid them of adding to the confusion of deciding a destination and way of travel. If they were comfortable with both the things, they would hop in for the vacation. A few of my friends did not find the bookings according to their expectations, so they would just refuse to join. Nonetheless, three people were ready to join me on my first road trip to Lavasa. 

I would not say that I had done something unique in taking a road trip, but this getaway is close to my heart because I could manage to have the peace of mind after a long span of time. A vacation does not become special because of the destination or the exotic things we do; it becomes exceptional on account of the memories we make with our friends and family. The events and occurrences make the time special rather than the money we spend on a trip. I would never regret that I took the decision to go to Lavasa in a moment of impulse.