Forget the grand declarations and signing up for ambitious goals. If you really want to start the new year on the right note, try getting more sleep and frequently practising your breathing.
These are some simple and effective tips Deepak Chopra recommends for those seeking a healthier lifestyle.
The Indian-American author and leading voice in the self-help movement says New Year’s Eve resolutions often focus on grandiose goals, while neglecting smaller yet critical ones.
While many appear simple on the surface, these incremental steps all serve to expand our sense of self-awareness, a catalyst for self-growth.
Chopra further expands on this idea in Mindful Moments, a new book dedicated to younger generations.
“Mindfulness is an old term and it is basically about being conscious of the choices, of the decisions we are making as opposed to simply reacting to our reptilian brain," he tells The National.
"This is an important concept we need to learn because many people are going through a whole lifetime between the fight and flight reactive responses and it doesn't have to be that way."
While the book offers more deep analysis, Chopra has provided five steps to kickstart your own personal awareness campaign.
1. Get a good night’s sleep
It may be age-old advice but it is more important than ever.
When it comes to how long a healthy night’s sleep is, Chopra is pragmatic. He states that it needs to include at least 90 minutes of deep sleep, in addition to another 90 minutes of dream or REM sleep.
Without it, we face a groggy start to the day.
“A lack of sleep or disruptive sleep is the number one cause of premature death and that can come from a range of cardiovascular illnesses,” he says.
“It also causes an inflammation of the body as well as fatigue and a lack of creativity.”
2. Manage your stress levels
Following the pandemic, many feel more anxious than normal these days.
Fortunately, the skills to alleviate those tensions can be learnt.
"When it comes to stress management, what we are really trying to do is quiet the mind and that doesn't mean replacing it with positive thinking; because if you try to do that and you don't feel positive it will result in you in being more stressed," he says.
“While meditation is one of the most reliable ways of relieving stress, there are other options also such as watching comedies as humour is a way to tap into the paradox of ambiguity, uncertainty and contradiction while being comfortable.”
Chopra also encourages regular bouts of gentle reflection to reorient the mind.
“This can be done by asking some questions such as: 'Who am I? What is it that I want? What’s my purpose and what am I grateful for?'” he says.
3. Get your mind and body aligned
Practice mindfulness through yoga or t’ai chi exercises.
“They also incorporate breathing exercises they are useful in coordinating the mind and body,” Chopra says.
“These kinds of activities stimulate a part of our nervous system which has the vagus nerve. Taken from the Latin word meaning vagabond in English, it is a nerve that goes everywhere within your body and it is often viewed as the ‘healing nerve’.”
4. Build your interpersonal skills
As many industries adopt a hybrid model of working from home and the office, building skills to adapt are paramount.
"Your professional relationship is a reflection of how you deal with your personal relationships and you can't separate the two," Chopra says.
An important step in melding both together is understanding what makes you tick emotionally.
"You have to be in touch with your emotions and feel in your body what you are going through. Ask yourself if you are feeling angry, hostility, shame, mistrust, fear or depression. These are dysfunctional emotions that separate us from others," he says.
"To build that compassion and empathy in order to connect with others, we need to consciously communicate our needs. This way we limit conflict because hostility comes from the notion that you have your idea of how things should be and everyone else should feel the same.
“All conflict is ideological and this inability to consciously communicate or ask for forgiveness creates a state of emotional belligerence.”
5. Understand what true love is
Chopra disagrees with the portrayal of love in media, describing many of the relationships seen on screen as rooted in insecurity.
“People think of love as a mere sentiment or emotion or melodrama,” he says. “That's not really love. That's self-importance and self-pity and self-concern and insecurity that it often follows this idea of: 'I love you, so do you love me?'”
Chopra says a more accurate description of love is found in the ancient traditions, in that it often follows several stages of emotional growth.
“At the source of it all is awareness,” he says. “The more we understand that the more we can expand our awareness, show more compassion and empathy and become less judgemental.
"True and authentic love is attained when you only grow together and go through these stages. And no, you cannot skip the queue."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.4-litre%20four-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Starting%20from%20Dh89%2C900%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Fight card
- Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (Nigeria) beat Artid Vamrungauea (Thailand) POINTS
- Julaidah Abdulfatah (Saudi Arabia) beat Martin Kabrhel (Czech Rep) POINTS
- Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) beat Mourad Omar (Egypt) TKO
- Michael Lawal (UK) beat Tamas Kozma (Hungary) KO
- Zuhayr Al Qahtani (Saudi Arabia) beat Mohammed Mahmoud (UK) POINTS
- Darren Surtees (UK) beat Kane Baker (UK) KO
- Chris Eubank Jr (UK) beat JJ McDonagh (Ireland) TKO
- Callum Smith (UK) beat George Groves (UK) KO
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The view from The National
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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