Moving places open up our horizons and help us meet new people and brace ourselves to explore ideas. For somebody who loves to create and design, our warrior Shreya, is a 21-year-old, design student. She is pursuing her final year of a Bachelor’s in Design from Anant National University Ahmedabad. She is from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand and belongs to a humble family of 3.
Shreya identifies her hobbies as singing, reading, books, animal sketching, and landscape. She loves to be around animals and calls herself to be an Animal lover.
“I moved to Ahmedabad for my bachelor and it is probably the biggest step I’ve ever taken and the exposure I gained here is immense.”
She had a good childhood as her parents were quite supportive. She has always been a daddy’s girl. Shreya says she spent quality time with her mother and twin sister. It was more like a trio, and they enjoyed each other company very well.
“Sharing this space with my sister and mother was the best part of my childhood. It was easy communicating a few issues with my mother to an extent. Our conversation was nothing too deep but just casual things.”
Opening up for Shreya revolved around the time she would spend with her sister and mother. Moving to Ahemdabad, showed her a whole other world and this is the exposure that led her to connect better with her emotions and validate them.
“I always wanted to be productive as staying idle was never something I enjoyed doing. I remember waking up sitting in front of the laptop and never wanting to do anything and this is when I realised I had to do something to fix this.”
This is when Shreya came across YourDOST during her Diwali break and decided to seek help. She wanted to work but could never make a solid choice on what to do. Shreya felt conversing with someone would help her understand what was going on.
“I thought not talking to anyone is okay and keeping it to myself is still fine and accepted. But it was not true and that is something I realised with time, my friends, and my support systems. I am glad I met my counselor after my college partnered with YourDOST for counseling sessions.”
Childhood conditioning is something that is embedded in each of us from a young age. The idea of making it big out there was important as it’s what everybody wanted. Societal pressure is what most fell prey to.
“I was able to break free from these clutches after moving to Ahmedabad and getting the kind of exposure I got.”
Shreya narrated how being a hardworking person made her feel guilty most of the time when she does not do things. On the contrary, she saw her friends freely moving around and wanting to be a part of the crowd. Even when she was out with her friends she was always physically present but mentally absent as she was constantly thinking of the pending work and would feel anxious.
“It was around this time that I booked my first session with my counselor Priyanka Kumari, she was humble, keen to listen, patient, and always stayed calm. She suggested I not take pressure or push myself to be on the edge. I felt comfortable talking to her.”
Shreya describes the unique set of techniques her counselor suggested to her which helped her manage her anxiety better. The techniques are to continue painting more, to do what she loved to do most, and practise music.
This helped Shreya gain a better perspective on herself and helped her manage her emotion better.
“It helped me in the long run as I would take 5-10 mins in a day and do it. I was able to keep a 50:50 balance with regard to how much I was able to follow it. I wish to thank my counselor for talking to and comforting me when I needed her the most.”
It’s been a challenge for Shreya to understand her emotions but she did it with a lot of grace and patience. It’s got her to express herself better, and progress as a person.
Shreya rated herself with a 3.5 in terms of getting better and we are sure she is not far from getting a 5, and we wish her all the best.
Shreya’s Warrior Tips:
1.”It’s okay to not be productive always, and find some me time. Even if it means not working, it will help you produce a better version of yourself.”
2. “Learning to relax is important for your physical and mental self. Give yourself that time, and do not regret it ever.”
