I’m all alone and feel I’m smothering.
It’s because of the addiction I’ve been covering.
Why does the chaos never cease?
All I need is just a little peace!
– Selena Odom.
Born and raised in Odisha, Bhubaneswar, Soubhagya is a 40-years-old individual who currently works as a Project Manager in Ephicacy. Soubhagya’s current work location is in Bangalore. Apart from Bangalore, his work experience is mainly spread in Hyderabad.
Soubhagya loves to spend his time playing cricket which got overshadowed by his lifestyle and led him to not play for the past three to four years. Nonetheless, he always found time to devote his interests to solo bike riding which is another hobby of his. Soubhagya took this interest to travel to various locations across South India.
“With a pressure-filled lifestyle and a stressful job, comes stressful activities like smoking.”
One of the biggest challenges that Soubhagya experienced as an individual was his addiction to smoking. It took Soubhagya 10 good years to acknowledge his addiction to smoking and take a step towards it.
Although Soubhagya took a bold step to emerge through this habit, it also marked the initiation of his actual issues that he had no idea about before.
“I started experiencing various physical symptoms that took away my peace and concentration.”
As he left his addiction behind, Soubhagya saw an onset of strange palpitations in his heart. The unusual heartbeat being signs of anxiety was something that Soubhagya was unaware of.
Many times Soubhagya would feel that death was following him or he might be stepping into a heart attack.
“I used to be a chain-smoker. So by leaving smoking, I was expecting a more peaceful and healthier shift in lifestyle. However, the physical changes got the better of me.”
Soubhagya was a person who didn’t share his inner conflicts with anyone around. He would instead find his solace in the cigarette. Leaving that substance gave him the mind space as well as energy to become more vocal about his emotions. But what was lacking behind was his urge to find an outlet for his nervousness that came with the after-effects of quitting.
“I got in touch with a counselor from YourDOST through chats. As I connected with my counselor, I realised that he was being very patient with handling my issues.”
Soon, Soubhagya was suggested with some breathing techniques like the 3-3-3 rule to get a grip over his anxiety.
3-3-3 is a technique where a person has to breathe in for three seconds, hold for three, and exhale for three. Doing this a few times will help one be aware of your surroundings and develop a better sense of reality.
He was also encouraged to introduce meditation into his regime. As a little courage and some faith was what it took Soubhagya to break out of his addiction, he found himself becoming more comfortable voicing out his heart. Soubhagya is also more aware of his trigger points of anxiety.
“I am not a smoker anymore and I would like to thank my counselor for listening to me with utter concern and providing me with a solution.”
Soubhagya rated his overall improvement through counseling with a 4 out of 5. We, at YourDOST, feel that any kind of addiction can be taken care of if one can be courageous and acknowledge their weaknesses to work on it. This can’t be better portrayed through Soubhagya’s actions. He is truly an inspiration!
Soubhagya’s Warrior Tips:
1. One should know and be aware of what they are actually going through.
2, One should not hesitate to ask for help.
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.
