“Your story could be the key that unlocks someone else’s prison”
~Anonymous
Well, this is exactly what our friend Joseph Rajni Asir decided to do! Share a story of his life and in turn encourage thousands of us who can relate to the same.
Joseph, 29, is a Visual Designer at Anant National University, Ahmedabad. A graduate of the prestigious National Institute of Design, Joseph first approached YourDOST in February 2019.
Joseph had been dealing with anxiety, depression, identity confusion, and self-harming thoughts for a while. A series of traumatic experiences in his teenage years had left him deeply scarred. Unable to share his pain with anyone, Joseph shut down emotionally. He was so angry from the inside. He also found his assertiveness severely affected where saying “No” to anyone had become extremely difficult.
Joseph found his professional life affected as well. Joseph struggled to cope with tight deadlines and work pressure, and when it would come to managing or organizing any given task with a tight deadline, he would feel stressed and anxious. This would make him procrastinate thus affecting his performance. Being an introvert, he also found it very difficult to communicate properly which only increased the pressure he was under.
In the midst of all this, Joseph found himself resorting to self-harm, repeatedly. It is then that he realised he needed help. Joseph made numerous attempts to consult therapists, which didn’t prove to be helpful.
I experienced a series of failed attempts at meeting a few counselors who didn’t prove helpful at all for my depression and anxiety.
This changed for Joseph only when he met YourDOST Expert, Ms. Shruti Singhal. He had finally found someone who understood him. Just talking to Shruti helped him get a better understanding of his own issues.
For the first time in my life, I was just talking to someone without them immediately suggesting solutions to what I was going through. She sat there, listened intently and asked questions that only made my narrative clearer to her and me.
This exercise of meeting and speaking without suggestions enabled him to start the practice of active journaling which helped him structure his thoughts better. Little by little, Joseph started showing great progress.
In the subsequent sessions, we discussed every possible aspect of my life and living, my ideologies, my encounters with trauma and incidents that were never really discussed out in the open. This helped me design a new truth for myself.
After 8 months of hard work and religiously attending therapy sessions with Shruti, Joseph is a new person. He is now able to deal with emotional fluctuations or negativity at a faster pace and in a manner that isn’t harmful to him or anyone else.
The feeling of anxiety has now become a mild discomfort, and depression has moved on to become a tired body from time to time. Both of which can be easily managed with efficient sleep and yoga.
It has been a long journey to becoming the resilient, confident and calm person that Joseph is today. As he puts it himself:
I began 2019 with an inquiry into my own life to make sure that I wasn’t an unknown individual to myself, and YourDOST has been a constant support in helping me enable my thoughts, questions, feelings and meanings.
It takes a lot of courage to openly share something so personal. We are really grateful to Joseph for not only trusting us in his time of need, but also sharing his story to inspire a lot of others who’re still unsure if counseling can help them or not.
If you’re also struggling, please know that we’re here for you. Talk to an Expert today, for personalized guidance.
Many more such #YDWarriors decided to share their stories with us to inspire others. If you have also gone through a difficult phase and emerged stronger and better, share your contact details and we shall get in touch with you. Click here to share your details.
Joseph’s Warrior Tips:
1. Therapy can help you discover yourself and your truth
2. Active journaling is a habit we all should cultivate
3. You don’t have to suffer silently, reach out
