“Our passion is our strength.”
Billie Joe Armstrong
A young, driven, and vivacious individual with a passion to help people and make a difference. Here is the story of Arkadyuti, a warrior who embarked on a lifetime journey of self-growth and mindfulness.
Arkadyuti is a 22-year-old individual pursuing his Bachelor’s in Nursing. He has a true zest for life and a kaleidoscope of passions. Some of them include music, art, reading classic literature as well as learning about psychology.
“Growing up, I had a bit of a rebellious streak. I would sneak out to learn guitar and I wanted to take music up as a career but my parents were not on board with the idea. That’s how I ended up in nursing.”
Things don’t always turn out the way you expected. Sometimes, they turn out even better.
Arkadyuti admits that though he wasn’t happy about pursuing nursing at first, he ended up loving his work and ranking first in his university.
“I grew to enjoy my course by the end of my first year. However, things started to go downhill when the lockdown occurred.”
The lockdown was a confusing time for most of us. It felt as if time was almost slowing down, and our minds were becoming more and more clouded with thoughts we didn’t previously have.
Arkadyuti mentions that during this time, he felt lost and confused about where he was in his life. He also mentioned that he was going through a very painful breakup at the time.
“I started to get frequent panic attacks and I felt extremely emotionally unstable. Things almost felt stagnant, and the weight of my problems just started to grow heavier and heavier.”
The theories developed by psychologists like Freud and B.F Skinner have formed the basis of psychological sciences today. During the lockdown period, Arkadyuti wanted to build upon his knowledge of the subject and decided to pursue a course to be a certified counselor.
“Being in the medical field as a nurse, helping people was something I loved doing. I also knew I was developing a keen interest in counseling so I decided to take up psychiatry as one of my specialties in college.”
At first, Arkadyuti was a little skeptical to undergo the process of counseling for himself. He thought that it would make him unfit for his job, as a counselor himself.
Accepting help is its own kind of strength. Arkadyuti decided to be strong and accept the help that he knew would have the potential to change his life.
He found out that his university had partnered with YourDOST, and upon hearing about very positive experiences from his acquaintances, he decided to book his first session.
“I decided to begin counseling from YourDOST and it was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. My therapist has helped me in ways I couldn’t imagine were possible and I’m in awe of who she is.”
Arkadyuti mentions that his counselor, Ms. Hiba, was someone who inspired him like no other person. She helped create such a safe, non-judgmental space for him to truly speak his mind and be as vulnerable as he could be.
“Therapy sessions with Ms. Hiba were a huge turning point in my life. She saw through the walls I had built around me and helped me break them, and be my true authentic self with her.”
The techniques used by Ms. Hiba resonated with Arkadyuti both as an individual seeking counseling and as someone in the field of counseling. He found himself falling in love with the subject even more, as he continued to heal in the same process.
Frank Zappa once said, “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it doesn’t open.”
With the beauty of therapy, Arkadyuti was able to open his mind up so much more than before. He became much more mindful of his thoughts, feelings, and actions and discovered a newfound love for life.
The book and movie Dead Poets Society perfectly captures the passion of a true artist. John Keating says in the movie, “Carpe Diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”
Akradyuti’s approach to life is a similar one. He continues to seize every opportunity to help people and to continue growing.
He rates himself a solid 4 out of 5 in terms of feeling better, and we are extremely proud of his journey. We wish him all the very best in what we hope will be a very bright future.
Arkadyuti’s Warrior Tips:
1.“You’re never alone. There are always people out there who want to help you, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them.”
2.“Therapy is a beautiful experience filled with guidance and support. Don’t shy away from it. Trust the process and you will learn so much.”
