“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” and Vikas (name changed) has known this too well. As a Business Development professional based out of Chennai and an assertive person, Vikas has always had a risk taker approach towards adversities. However in recent times, he found himself struggling to hold himself together when he experienced a major turning point in his career.
It was affecting me all at once and my mind was not at peace. Due to the pandemic, I knew at some point that my company was about to lay me off and that’s when I decided to leave my organization.
Things only got worse when Vikas suffered the loss of a loved one and could’t travel home initially due to COVID-19 lockdown.
I had always been really attached to my grandfather and when he fell sick, I knew that I had to be with him, take care of him. Due to the lockdown, I got an e-pass somehow, went home and after his demise I became detached and depressed.
Something that also pushed Vikas to the edge was the constant pressure from family for marriage considering that he was 29 years old. Such pressure from family made him feel overwhelmed and felt completely disconnected from others. He didn’t have anyone to share his thoughts with which further aggregated and added to his issues.
I wanted to talk to someone who can help me for real but I thought counseling is only for people with mental disorders so that they can become normal. However, I had no idea how wrong I was until my colleague recommended YourDOST to me and I said if it’s helping him, maybe I can also give it a shot as I had nothing to lose otherwise.
Vikas first connected with Madhura Saha, his expert, over a telephonic conversation and found the very two things he had been looking for ever since the unfair episodes occurred – peace and relief.
I liked that the expert listened to me. The sessions were more like two friends catching up over a friendly interaction. She was patient, understood my past and current situation, went into the core of my issues and made a note of all my cases.
Vikas decided to first implement the techniques suggested by the expert and in case they didn’t work for him, he would go back to taking sessions from her.
And I’m so glad that it worked for me. She asked me to practise mindfulness, leverage the present, and mediate on alternate days at least
For a long time, Vikas had felt no less than a pressure cooker and after his sessions, he realised that he could finally take those too many things that were originally bothering him, off of his head.
He started working towards small goals as suggested by his expert, such as reconnecting with his friends, building his network and keeping an eye for new job openings that are suitable for him.
I feel so relieved and happy. I’ve been practising Yoga as well and I can say that I’ve started feeling alive.
For Vikas, counseling works two ways – listen and implement. He now believes that to understand the effect of counseling, one needs to follow the suggestions. Breaking out of emotional shell and seeking support can be a challenge and for those living in such bubble, Vikas has a wonderful message –
Counseling helps not just an individual but even people around that person. If it’s helping me, it is also helping people who are connected to me – my family, my friends and colleagues. So you see, the impact is broader.
Vikas could see a tremendous amount of positive change across his mindset and make it all worth by sincerely working on the expert guidance. If his story makes a difference to you and encourages you to seek support, we are right here for you, whenever you are ready – Connect with an Expert here.
Vikas’s Warrior Tips:
1. Mind is an organ that needs to be taken care of
2. Don’t hesitate to seek counseling. We think that we can solve all of our problems ourselves but there’s always scope for improvement.
3. If you connect with my story in any way, don’t think too much and reach out to YourDOST
