“I knew that I was different from others. I loved going out and doing outdoor activities, never knew one day not being able to go out will make me anxious”
Always in his own little world, Neerav knew he was different from other kids. Different, not in a way he would feel demean, but different from everyone else when it came to exploring his own self and personality!
Neerav is a twenty-two-year-old BBA student who specializes in Media and Communication at Whistling Woods International. Neerav is a through and through extrovert and loves to live his life to the fullest! On top of being a part of the media fraternity, Neerav also enjoys traveling, to an extent that he loves traveling solo!
Neerav has always enjoyed outdoor activities rather than indoor ones, and sure enough, the pandemic was hard on him.
“Since school, I have been an active child. Good at studies, great at co-curricular activities, and always up for something crazy! Later when I visited a counselor, followed by a psychiatrist is when I got to know I was suffering from ADHD and Bipolar Personality Disorder (BPD).”
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, where a person has differences in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control. Bipolar Personality Disorder is associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.
Neerav was a hyperactive kid, and that followed him all the way through high school and later in college too. Neerav was living on extremes, where sometimes he would be motivated to do a lot of things at once, and then none at all. In Neerav’s words, “I would be studying and then suddenly get distracted over blinking lights”.
The tendency of impulsiveness and mood swings didn’t bother Neerav much until he joined college.
“If I were happy, it would be too good. But if one tiny thing goes wrong, it would mess with my mind.”
For Neerav, the panicky and tough situations were a smooth road, as he would give his entire focus on that, but if one thing goes off the track, he’d lose the focus as well as the motivation. During the nationwide lockdown due to the pandemic, Neerav was forced to go back to his home at Chandigarh, and at that moment he knew his life would take a turn.
“Visiting home emotionally broke me down. I was alone in the house with my Nani, I couldn’t go out nor could I stay constantly in touch with my friends. I was feeling very lonely and trapped in the monotony.”
Despite having a loving family member at home, Neerav could not find his solace. He badly needed to vent his emotions. Neerav was aware of YourDOST and the services provided by them and tried connecting with an Expert. But the feeling of isolation made him speechless and he disconnected the call.
“One day I finally gathered courage and connected to YourDOST again. My counselor was a fantastic person and the perfect fit for me to rant.”
Neerav connected with his counselor and began the counseling sessions. He was not in search of solutions, he needed a place to vent out, and the counselor ensured that.
After initial sessions of counseling, Neerav was advised to make a timetable and follow it strictly. Additionally, making the timetable helped him be more regular with his sleep schedule and dietary habits. To work on Neerav’s impulsivity, his counselor suggested he follow the Pomodoro technique, focus on the task for some time and take regular breaks in-between. Neerav was amused by how easily his work was getting done without any interruptions.
“I was stuck in the loop of What If… Thankfully, my counselor guided me there too. I just recall one incident where I relapsed but then my counselor helped me get through it. I’m highly grateful for her kind nature.”
With support from the counselor and Neerav’s dedication, he not only worked on his impulsivity and attention issues but also rekindled with his Nani! On a scale of 1 to 5, Neerav rates his journey of improvement a 4.5 out of 5 and is very glad about the ‘sudden’ change in counseling sessions made in his life.
Neerav now lives a peaceful, healthy, and hassle-free life in Mumbai, and often hosts house parties to keep everyone’s spirits high!
Neerav’s Warrior Tips:
1. “A person once told me that the whole mental health ‘thing’ is a sham and created by the youngsters, but believe me, there are a lot of people struggling without even them knowing it and that needs to be talked about in the society.” Just talk it out!
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