Srishti Yadav, 20, is pursuing her Bachelors in Product Design from Anant National University, Ahmedabad. Her voice breaks a little as she tells us about the tumultuous year that was 2020. Her mental health started to deteriorate much before the lockdown was imposed in March.
“I was facing some major relationship problems and because of it, I was not able to focus on my academics.”
It was right before the lockdown that she started to feel like her partner was pushing her away.
The fights and quarrels increased. He was emotionally unavailable and never gave her a proper explanation for the fights. And soon after, he left her without a word.
This left Srishti with a mountain of questions. In the wake of all this, her self-confidence took a huge hit.
I was constantly doubting myself, I thought I was just not good enough. I even blamed myself for the breakup thinking it was my fault that he left me.
The relationship lasted less than a year but Srishti can still feel the emotional scars that it left behind. The break-up started affecting her academics, relationships with friends as well as family and most of all, her health. She lost her appetite which led to her losing nearly 10-12 kgs of weight. There were times when she would not eat for days at a time.
As Srishti would later unravel, this was only the beginning of a very challenging year for her.
“Around the same time, I had to go back to living with my parents due to the lockdown. I did not take care of myself and started to fall sick very frequently.”
This can be attributed to the emotional trauma that she had to endure and the sudden change of environment. Moreover, Srishti would overthink about her ill health which made things worse. The environment at her home was not the most conducive either. There was a constant breach of privacy as her parents would always try to check in on her. In retrospect, Srishti realises that they were only doing this out of concern but at the time, it only added to her stress.
“My mom tried to reach out to me but there was always this distance between us. I just couldn’t bring myself to speak with her. I also became very aggressive.”
She started skipping classes because there was simply no motivation left in her to do anything. There was a sudden loss of interest in activities she previously enjoyed. She used to paint and even ran her own art page but stopped indulging in those activities. She also decided to go completely off the grid, be it social media, calls or texts.
The last straw for Srishti was her best friend betraying her when she needed her most. It completely broke her! This is when she realised that she did not want to feel this way anymore and reached out to YourDOST.
After changing a few therapists, Srishti finally found her fit in Ms Devyani Singha. She has been her expert ever since and has completely turned her life around. The therapy itself has had a very positive impact on Srishti’s life.
I finally had a place where I was not judged and I could talk about my issues openly. Devyani worked with me on my routine. She gave me a lot of exercises that helped me change my thought process. I was advised to practice guided meditation and include at least one physical exercise within my schedule.
Another thing that really helped Srishti cope was Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It taught her how her thoughts, actions and feelings are connected.
Srishti has no doubt that therapy has helped her become a better version of herself. Previously, she was just living her life for the sake of it and attending college for the sake of a degree. She had no dreams or aspirations for herself. But thanks to therapy, she realised that she could turn her life around and actually fall in love with it.
Therapy also changed the way she looked at herself in the mirror. She finally started to recognise her true potential.
“My therapist worked with me on my sleep and appetite as well. Sleep meditation helped me improve my sleep cycle. Another Expert that I had connected with earlier, Adyasha, asked me to eat a well-balanced diet and never snack in between meals. Another interesting exercise that she suggested was for me to doodle my favourite food to help with my appetite.”
Srishti did not go for counselling with any expectations and had no idea what they had in store for her. But it was more than she could have ever asked for. She understands that it is difficult to open up to a complete stranger during therapy but it indeed is a very rewarding experience.
The process is long and time-consuming. Initially, we might have to push ourselves to even make it to the session but once you become regular with it, you will start seeing positive changes and improvements in your attitude.
Srishti has one final thing to say before she parts,
“YourDOST has been my biggest support system during these challenging times. I am thankful for my experts who were available 24/7, round the clock. They were there for me when no one else was. They saved me.”
Are you someone who has gone through a difficult phase and emerged stronger and better, with some professional help? Share your story with us to encourage thousands of others who might be struggling. Click here to submit your story.
Srishti’s Warrior Tips:
1. Counseling provides a non-judgemental safe space to express oneself freely
2. Trust the counseling process and be patient with it
3. Opening up while tough initially, can be a rewarding experience
