This is the story of how 20-year-old Rahul (name changed) went through a traumatic incident, only to view it as a way to let go of his productivity blues.
Hailing from a family of five in Delhi, Rahul likes to read, write and loves meeting new people, and also feels like an introvert at times. He is currently pursuing a degree from the prestigious Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies. Rahul was leading a fairly happy life until an incident took place with his dear one.
“Back in December 2020, one of my close friends met with an accident. It was a traumatic incident for me. Though he is doing fine now, the incident took a major toll on me.”
As soon as Rahul got the news of the accident, he rushed to help his friend and be there for him. He had to be supportive of him, and somewhere along the way, Rahul realised he still felt shocked by the news and slowly lost sight of his goals.
Rahul, who was already traumatised by the incident, also began to lose focus on his studies. His productivity began to sink and he suddenly went into “What can I do better?” mode.
Rahul constantly remained in the zone of not being able to do anything, and he wanted to go back to his earlier mindset. Rahul, despite taking measures, wasted a couple of months getting back to his routine. He kept discussing the same with others but had no luck there.
“I couldn’t do anything. No work, no urge to eat, no focus, and of course, no productivity in day to day work. I stopped hanging out with my friends too. I was also physically inactive.”
Rahul found himself in the dark alley of existential crisis and realised that he needn’t be there. He was not comfortable with his thoughts and himself. He constantly found himself with thoughts like he was not doing enough and how he could do better, as he had already been doing well before the incident.
Rahul soon lost his ability to multitask as well. He was already leading many things at once and so he started missing out on his lectures too.
“It wasn’t easy for me to open up in front of my friends, so when I know YourDOST services are available to me through my college, I decided to seek counseling from an expert.”
Upon meeting the counselor from YourDOST, Rahul shared his concerns and felt calm instantly. He was advised to journal, note down his list of tasks and learn to prioritise them. This hack altered Rahul’s productivity and made him feel more content.
He was then advised to write notes on his happy moments and things that made him sad. Owing to such exercises, Rahul slowly began to feel better. He also understood his cellphone addiction and how he can overcome that.
“After some months into therapy, I got panic attacks due to some family issues. I did not work on those but they were being reflected in my behaviour.”
After a couple of sessions, Rahul was advised to meet a psychiatrist, to further discuss his restlessness. The new expert from YourDOST also made him feel comfortable and talked with him patiently. Rahul then got diagnosed with Post-Covid Depression. He was also prescribed certain medication to control his anxiety, but Rahul was adamant about curing the problem by its roots.
Rahul was then advised to maintain a gratitude journal, follow a meditation routine and be with sunlight and nature.
“I restarted hanging out with my friends. Making a timetable for the day and making sure to follow it also helped me improve my productivity.”
By this time, Rahul could identify the issue and took necessary changes too to change those patterns. He now knows what he can do and the means to do it. Rahul was amused to see the changes in him throughout the course of the sessions and feels like he has a better standard of living now.
Summarizing his counseling experience with YourDOST, Rahul adds, “I did not have to force anything, it was an overall easy-going process” and rated himself a solid 4 on 5 in terms of seeing how far he has come. From all of us at YourDOST, Rahul, you’re an inspiration to many! Keep up the good work on advocating mental health and prioritising yourself!
Rahul’s Warrior Tips:
1.“The power to be a better version of ourselves is already within us. The counselors show the right way to unlock it.”
2.”We always need an outlet when we feel bottled up and counseling is a way to unbottle those emotions in the right direction.”
