Journal away your woes: An interview with Shireen Haider by Suhani Dewra

Suffering is a part of life and the remedies we adopt to heal ourselves vary. Sometimes modern medical means, at times ancient rituals. How about using a simple way of gratitude? That’s what Shireen Haider does to heal herself and others. Here’s a quick insight into the woman and her practice.  

What does one do when one is suffering? Complain and crib. However, Shireen Haider, a 47-year old special educator, chose to thank the world. She started gratitude journaling, wherein she wrote down little and big elements of life that brought her joy. “I was suffering from multiple physical ailments. During that time, a friend suggested I read Louise Hay’s book that spoke about gratitude. In those days, I also read up books like Magic, Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I also attended several workshops and eventually moved towards Gratitude Journaling. It helped me unearth the cause of suffering and peel multiple layers within me. I was falling ill because I had stored much grief and anger within. I had a loss of a parent when I was 9 years old; it was natural to have stored unhealed emotions within me,” recalls Shireen. As Shireen healed, she also started a gratitude online forum wherein she conducts sessions for people to use gratitude journaling to find inner peace. People speak about whatever they are grateful for. “During one of our online sessions, an American poetess stopped driving her car and read out something she had written after the loss of a friend. She said it was lying in my drawer for a long time, and reading it to us relieved a lot of heaviness from within her,” shares Shireen. 

“When we have pent up emotions within us, our physical body gets affected. So, when one feels gratitude, one dissolves the animosity/conflict/hurt locked up within our organs. Every situation has a silver lining and one must learn to see the good part of it. Holding on to poor experiences only leave blocks,” she explains. 

Practicing gratitude for two years now, Shireen has made it her everyday habit to wake up in the morning and find something to be grateful for. “The first thing I do after waking up is that I write down the one thing I am grateful for. It also happens on my Yoga mat. It could be the chirping of the bird or meeting a friend, or even being able to gaze out at the greenery, there is always something to be grateful for. There was a time during the pandemic when I almost encountered death and I was having to breath using an oxygen mask. It was then that I realized how I had taken breathing for granted. It occurred so naturally that I never paid attention to it, only to finally feel a deep sense of gratitude for being able to breathe,” says Shireen.    

Conducted free of cost, Shireen’s online gratitude sessions are open to everybody across the globe, while offline sessions are charged. “These sessions are not meant for business purpose. I conduct them because I like to, and I want people to heal. Ideally I would also like the offline sessions also to be accessible without a fee. However, some venue partners don’t agree.” 

Upon being asked how does one tackle situations when somebody in their life has also contributed while at the same time left them hurt, the special educator of grade XI and XII explains, “One must pay gratitude to the person for their contributions. It cannot be left unsaid. It can be done in several ways. By merely thanking the person or by gifting that person with something they like. Talking about the hurt one feels can also be included. Just because somebody has left one hurt, that person’s contribution cannot be overlooked. It could leave a block in the system or be a hindrance in forming real friendships in the future. One may always stay in fear of again being hurt.” Therefore, according to Shireen the practice of gratitude must be imbibed within people. “It’s a practice that needs to be consciously installed. One has to develop the habit intentionally, then it will come naturally,” says Shireen as a signing off note.