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Ravi

Ravi Mittal  |177 Answers  |Ask -

Dating, Relationships Expert - Answered on Feb 20, 2024

Ravi Mittal is an expert on dating and relationships.
He founded QuackQuack, an online dating platform, in 2010 with just two people. Today, it has over 20 million users in India.... more
Asked by Anonymous - Feb 20, 2024Hindi
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Relationship

My husband caught me flirting with my ex who is also my best friend. I explained to him it was just healthy flirting and nothing else. Though he and I have never met or had any physical relations, my husband has now stopped talking to me. He feels we should file for divorce. Isn't he taking things too far?

Ans: Dear Anonymous,

While you might have no wrong intentions, it is understandable for your partner to feel that your husband felt betrayed. It does not mean you were wrong, but at the same time, you should not be invalidating his feelings. Relationships are built on trust, and flirting with an ex, even if there's no intention of pursuing anything further, can still breach that trust for some people.

Your husband's reaction, while it may seem extreme to you, is a reflection of his feelings and boundaries. What might seem like harmless flirting to you could be interpreted differently by him, especially when you have a history with that person. Communication is key in situations like this. The best thing here is to talk things out, instead of assigning blame to each other.

Yes, there's a certain amount of "healthy flirting" that is acceptable in many relationships, but not all relationships. You have to figure out what is and what isn't acceptable in yours. It isn't a huge issue, but then again, it isn't our place to decide how much of a big deal it is for your husband. Sit together once things calm down a bit, talk openly, validate his feelings, and let him know that your intentions were not wrong. Also, couple's counseling might be beneficial in navigating these complex emotions and working through trust issues in your relationship. Ultimately, whether or not to pursue divorce is a decision that you both need to make together, definitely after careful consideration and discussion.

Best Wishes.

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 I have been married for 9 years now with 3 kids. But my husband negates everything I say to him thinking I want to hurt him. When he says something and I try to see it the other way, he sees it as confrontational and also flares up during the conversation. He does not allow me to talk saying he already knows what is in mind. He complaints about everything in the house. In terms of sex, he does not want to know if I am tired or sick.Even though we usually make love at least two times in a week, he talks as if he is denied of his rights. He says any time he wants, he must have it. The main issue now is I’ve noticed he has locked his phone. I know he has a date with someone because he told me he has a concert to attend and won't be coming home that night. When I asked if I could go with him, he said No. Now that I have also locked my phone, he's accusing me of infidelity.
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Dear RT,

He’s playing the cool guy who wants it all and when doesn’t get it wants to act all hurt and instead of taking responsibility of his emotions finds it convenient to blame you and make you feel guilty for not fulfilling his emotional and physical needs.

How do you solve something like this? Kindly ask him to speak to someone who can make him see sense else all you will do is clean up the mess caused by his baseless emotions.

This will be the constant pattern until he realises that his self-esteem and self-worth are not something that others can create for him.

If he refuses external help, do ask a person close to him to drive some sense into his thoughts where he sees an alternate perspective.

To keep your sanity intact, dissociate from his emotions and start behaving like they don’t impact you; over time you will realise that he is just trying to be a child asking for your attention in an inappropriate way.

Take time our for yourself to indulge in a lot of self-care and self-love that will go a long way in managing your emotions and self-worth as well.

Depending on him for your sanity at this point in time is like hitting your head against the wall.

So, be right to yourself from this moment on and make sure that you spend a lot of time nurturing the children as much as you nurture yourself.

All the best!

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Dear Anu, I would like to be anonymous. Long story short, after two years of my marriage, my husband’s best friend’s wife shifted to India from abroad and applied for divorced, because she found her husband was a womanizer. Both husband and wife stayed with us during that time, husband tried his best to persuade me to have an intimate relationship with him, I refused, I told my husband about it and he asked me to keep quiet. Somehow a friend's wife filed a divorce case and the husband was virtually thrown out of the house, the case went messy. We supported her in all possible ways. For 4 years every weekend we spend with her. And I saw that she was getting too possessive about my husband, I told this to my husband, he refuted. In front of him only she would insult me and he would just keep quiet. Our intimacy was gone, it was he who said he is not interested in intimacy anymore. We stopped sharing a bedroom, during this lockdown after 8 years of stay at home mother, I was applying for jobs and attending interviews. I was at my possible lows. Suddenly my husband became friendly and started talking about dogs, he wanted a pet, since he doesn't have time to care for it and I was not mentally prepared for any extra responsibility so I said no for the time being. Instead he went ahead with her and asked her to buy one for us without informing me. She called to inform me that she had ordered one from the breeder and it would be delivered the next morning. I told her to cancel that. Not only this, she has called my daughter and informed her too that she is gifting the dog to her. I told my husband that I want to walk out of this marriage, we had fought for more than a month. I called her and told that 'This is it,' never to call my house or talk to me again. After a month my husband went to her house with our daughter. He has asked her to lie that they did not go there but my daughter came back and told me. I feel cheated by my husband whenever the dog is around, it’s a poor animal. I give food and take care of it but my anger and resentment is not coming down. I want to leave the marriage, because I feel there is no end to it. Please help me.
Ans: Dear S D, This seems all very M&B type of romance. Well, who am I to judge?

But, do be aware that it has slowly but surely progressed into a connection that obviously doesn't make you feel comfortable.

You have questions about it that are unanswered and doubts that are eating at the foundation of the relationship.

Now, to make it more messy, your daughter seems to be part of this too without her knowledge. Time to intervene. Sit your husband down and please sort this mess out before it grows bigger.

Does he want to continue in the marriage or not? If yes, lay down some ground rules and a strict NO to the other lady stepping in even if she cries foul.

And if he wants to move on, that’s a different situation at hand.

Talk to a therapist to deal with separation/divorce and if through the sessions, there are chances of working on the marriage, great! Take a call and do that NOW.

Make wise choices and best wishes!

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Asked by Anonymous - Aug 20, 2023Hindi
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I am a 52-Year-old man, relatively happily married with a son & daughter. I was having a relatively smooth life till a few days back when a sudden incident happened in my Life. Like a lot of people, I also have a past where in in the Prime Of my youth I had a very passionate love affair which resulted in a brief marriage some 25 Years back with someone whom I had grown up with. But due to certain differences with her Family it resulted in a very bad break up with a brief tussle in the court. The Incident had shaken me a great deal & with time I managed to shrug it off & move Forward. I had done relatively well in my life till now when suddenly I was taken aback when me ex called me up. We had a brief Interaction over phone & this is now persisting. Although the affair was long gone but somehow It was there in the back of my mind, I had an inclination someday she Might come back which has exactly happened. I am feeling guilty to my Spouse as she has stood with me thick & Thin but However, I tried hard I end up speaking with my ex every day. As far as I can gather is my ex is not happy with her Husband although she has exactly not spoken about her intention of such sudden turnaround. I am aghast at myself that I could Not put an end to the conversation & in fact I feel very happy speaking to her remembering my old days. Leaving my ex unilaterally is not an option as I have tried Many times but failed. please advise.
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
Are you fine choosing to ruffle things in your marriage?
Because that's exactly what you might be leading into!

Love stories from the past belong there unless your current situation allows you freedom to invite it back. It surely has caused ripples in your heart which has possibly stirred you of the usual routine married life.

Will your spouse accept the situation as is?
How will you handle the complications that might arise?
What are the expectations of you from the lady from the past?
How will this impact the children?

For some reason, things had not worked in the past...it ended in a divorce. Maybe there's a lot of unspoken things. Then talk about it with her.
Remind yourself and her that you are in r=current relationships. Even if she does not share a great relationship with her husband, you are not obliged it responsible to be her knight in shining armour. You have a life and so does she...you owe a lot to the current relationships and the people in it.
Anything beyond this is a CHOICE that you will make and a lot of people will be hurt by it. Draw boundaries before you get drawn into it further!

If you really want to be in touch with her, ask yourself: Am I mature enough to handle a connection that has boundaries? Can we maintain a connection that is more based on friendship and support?

Only you know the answers to all the questions above and you will draw conclusions based on that. from what I know of people, no one likes ruffling feathers and no one wants a complications unless they specifically CHOOSE it!

All the best!
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Asked by Anonymous - Sep 26, 2023Hindi
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Hello My husband and I took mutual divorce before 1.5 years. this was my second marriage and I married him because he assured me that he will be a father for my toddler. after 7 years of adjustments in marriage (as he was not good as a, neither emotionally nor financially) father, he filed for divorce in just 20 days of our arguments. He raised his hand so I was upset and angry so I too signed the papers. Just after filling divorce that he started asking me to come back else he will get married. I denied to go back and he started seeing girls within a week of filling divorce. With the court procedure, he used to ask me to come back but I was heart broken bcoz he was seeing bride so I denied again. This was continued and our divorce granted. Now since six months again he started approaching me by saying that I only love you and so could not get married. for your kind information, he is very impatient and aggressive by nature. Due to his nature and behaviour I and my family decided to cut him off because it is creating stress only. but till today he is trying to contact me by one or other means. I am already very stressed and emotionally broken down because this happened to me second time. Some times I feel that I should give him one more chance but when looking to my kid, who is 12 now, I am giving up on this thought. and I am not sure whether he is doing this for feelings or just because he is not getting a woman of his choice to marry. My family members are saying that he has no feelings for me and my son but he is just calling me back for his adjustments. I don't know I should trust him or not.
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
What sort of a game is this? Like children fighting on one day and not speaking with one another and then making up the next day only to fight again...
Why so much of vacillation on your part? When you two separated, was it a conscious move or was it on an impulse?
Also, be very cautious as to why he is insistent on getting back with you?
Also, has he changed his ways and will he be more available to the family now? Wasn't this the reason that actually things went downhill for you?
Plus, he's looking at prospective brides...and you say that he is aggressive and impatient...

So, what is your confusion here?
What will you get by getting back with him?
What will you lose or not gain by not getting back with him?
Are you willing to make compromises to be with a person that you call aggressive?
How is this going to affect your child given that your ex-husband is not emotionally or financially stable?

Weigh it all out and then make a decision that is right by you and for you and for your child.

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Dear Guru, I work in the technology space, and as with most careers, it is challenging and stressful. I work long hours (10-12hrs on avg). My problem is that I get disturbed sleep and am unable to get work related thoughts out of my mind wherein I even dream about solutions to work problems. I am afraid this is going to hurt my health and burn me out soon. Please advise on how I can detach from work to get a refreshing sleep.
Ans: Dear Bhawik!!

Pat yourself on the back for being a committed employee. The problems you have stated happen to most people who give their 100% to their work. Since you already know what it is to be 100% at work, it is time for you to give your 100% at home and to yourself.
You need to mentally detach yourself from work the moment you step out of the office building.
How will you do this? Adopt the following-
1. before leaving the office list out all the activities for tomorrow , prioritise them and mentally commit to them as tasks for tomorrow.
2. as soon as you exit the office building take three deep breaths , inhale and exhale deeply - this is called a transitioning breath which helps you transition from activity to another
3 establish rituals like listening to music( which you love) the moment you leave the building
4. if your transit form office to home takes some time, then practice being in the moment by looking around - the people, the trees, the sky, let all your senses be involved- use your eyes to see, nose to smell, ears to hear the sounds around, feel the breeze in your hair/ on your skin. This makes you feel 100% alive. Stay in the moment.
5. when you reach home, greet your loved ones with a smile
6. spend a little time doing nothing , just be
7. enjoy your meal mindfully
8.take a small walk after your meal
9.spend min 10 mins doing something that brings you joy, for me it is reading a book, what is it for you?
10.go for a guided "Yog Nidra" before sleeping.

Do not intellectualize these suggestions. Just do them. They are tried and tested methods for a proper demarcation between work and home life.
Best wishes for a life well lived and restful sleep..
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Hi, i have completed my masters in food technology and want to work as freelancers as a auditor in food industry could you guide how to go about doing.
Ans: Transitioning to freelance work as a food industry auditor can offer you flexibility and autonomy in your career. Evaluate your qualifications, experience, and skills in food technology, quality assurance, and auditing. Identify areas where you have expertise and experience that are valuable to potential clients in the food industry. Familiarize yourself with the requirements and standards for food auditing, including regulatory requirements, industry standards (such as ISO 22000, HACCP), and customer specifications. Understand the auditing process, documentation requirements, and audit protocols. Consider obtaining relevant certifications or training in food safety auditing, such as Certified Food Safety Auditor (CFSA), Lead Auditor Training, or other accredited programs. These credentials can enhance your credibility and qualifications as a freelancer. Network with professionals in the food industry, including food manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and regulatory agencies. Attend industry conferences, seminars, and networking events to connect with potential clients and collaborators. Determine the specific services you will offer as a food industry auditor, such as food safety audits, quality management system audits, regulatory compliance assessments, or supplier audits. Identify your target market, including food manufacturers, processors, retailers, or food service providers. Develop a professional brand identity for your freelance auditing services, including a business name, logo, website, and marketing materials. Highlight your expertise, qualifications, and unique value proposition to attract potential clients. Determine your pricing structure based on factors such as the complexity of audits, scope of services, and industry standards. Establish clear policies regarding payment terms, project timelines, and confidentiality agreements to protect both your interests and those of your clients. Promote your freelance auditing services through online channels, social media platforms, industry forums, and professional associations. Create content related to food safety, quality assurance, and auditing best practices to showcase your expertise and attract potential clients. Cultivate relationships with potential clients by offering value-added services, such as training, consulting, or ongoing support. Build trust and credibility through transparent communication, professional conduct, and delivering high-quality audit reports and recommendations. Establish systems and processes for managing your freelance business, including client communication, project management, invoicing, and record-keeping. Prioritize time management and organization to balance your freelance work effectively. 

Keep learning, networking, and refining your approach to meet the needs of your clients and achieve your professional goals as a freelancer.
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Asked by Anonymous - Apr 29, 2024Hindi
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I retired earlier now at 53. Invested 7L in ELSS and using 60L on short term equity trading (with monthly average gain 2L) and having own apartment home worth 40L. Having dependent widowed mother, wife with 13 yrs old daughter. Intended to raise daughter as doctor. Please suggest better investment options.
Ans: Congratulations on your early retirement! It sounds like you've made some good initial decisions, but there's definitely room for improvement to secure your family's future, especially considering your dependents. Here's how you can optimize your investments:

Reduce Risk in Short-Term Equity Trading:

While a ?2 lakh monthly gain from short-term trading sounds impressive, it's a very risky strategy. The market can be volatile, and these gains may not be sustainable. Consider allocating a much smaller portion (maybe 10-20%) to short-term trading and focus on more stable options for the majority of your investable assets (?60 lakh currently in trading).
Focus on Long-Term Growth and Stability:

Increase Investment in ELSS: ?7 lakh is a good start, but for your daughter's education and your retirement needs, you'll likely need a much larger corpus. Consider increasing your SIP amount in ELSS or similar diversified equity mutual funds with a long-term horizon (10+ years).
Explore Debt Options for Regular Income:

You mentioned having a dependent mother and daughter's education to plan for. Consider investing a portion (maybe 20-30%) of your investable amount in safer debt options like Public Provident Fund (PPF), Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) for your mother (if she's above 60), or fixed deposits to generate a regular income stream.
Plan for Daughter's Education:

Doctorate studies can be expensive. Start an SIP in a dedicated child education plan or invest in aggressive equity funds specifically for this goal. Talk to a Certfied Financial Planner for personalized recommendations based on the estimated cost of medical education.
Utilize Your Apartment:

While your apartment fulfills your housing needs, consider if it could generate additional income. Explore options like renting a room if feasible.
Seek Professional Guidance:

Given your multiple financial goals and risk tolerance, consulting a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) can be highly beneficial. They can create a personalized investment plan considering your risk appetite, time horizon, and financial goals.
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DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

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