Jaychandran is a 23-year-old individual pursuing Mechanical Engineering from Chennai. He is an outgoing and sociable young man from Chennai who loves playing cricket and reading books in his spare time.
Born into a traditional family, childhood seemed unremarkable with different experiences where he often felt unheard and misunderstood growing up. Though it was difficult, his relationship with his parents improved after he went away to college.
After graduating and excelling in his undergraduate studies, Jaychandran secured a job at a reputed company. While he was excited about this next phase in life, Jaychandran soon realised how challenging it was to adjust to the corporate culture.
He struggled to mingle with his new colleagues and needed to learn how to balance his personal and professional personas.
“I just felt like whatever moves I made would go in the wrong direction. My confidence was at an all-time low, around 20-30% only.”
To make matters worse, Jaychnadran went through a difficult breakup with a colleague during this time, leaving him distraught.
“I thought that whatever I was feeling was wrong, and the mistake was on my side. Negative thoughts were taking over my mind.”
Jaychandran felt there was no one to listen to his problem or guide him to the answers that he was looking for. He realised that his college had partnered with YourDOST to provide mental and emotional health support to all.
Jaychandran decided to sign up, curious whether it would be helpful. “Frankly speaking, I wanted to know if this will help me or not,” Jaychandran admits.
“I had it in the back of my mind that how can someone talking to us make us feel better?”
Jaychandran began working with counselor Ms Sanaa Prasad. At first, he simply wanted to vent and be heard. Ms Sanaa’s friendly demeanour and willingness to listen made him feel understood. Gradually, he opened up about his feelings of loneliness, heartbreak and lack of motivation.
Ms Sanaa taught Jaychandran techniques to manage negative thoughts and procrastination tendencies.
“She gave me many tips like, whatever you want to do, just sit and start doing it for 5-10 minutes,” he recollects. Ms Sanaa encouraged him to write down anxious thoughts and questions between sessions so they could address them together. Her practical psychology-based guidance resonated with him.
While talking to Ms Sanaa, Jaychandran realised his problems were common experiences faced by many. “It becomes easier for us to handle things when we understand it’s not happening only to us,” he shares. Through their discussions, Jaychandran gained a new perspective on his breakup and priorities. Guided by Ms Sanaa’s insights, he was kinder to himself and more confident.
“The feeling of being heard was really good. First of all, when they listen 100%, that itself makes us feel better.”
Working with Ms Sanaa taught him healthy ways to process emotions and move forward in life. Jaychandran felt the improvements from within and a lot by the time he finished counseling.
“I’m thankful for the resources and guidance provided to me by Ms Sanaa it helped me to overcome my challenges.”
Jaychandran is now preparing for entrance exams to pursue a management degree. Reflecting on his therapy experience, he says rates his transformation journey a 4 out of 5 in terms of getting better.
Jayachandran’s Warrior Tips:
1. “It’s okay to ask for help. Speaking to a counsellor doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you’re willing to get stronger.”
2.“You’re not alone. What you’re going through is a common human experience. There’s always hope things will get better.”
3.”Be gentle with yourself. Don’t judge your feelings harshly. Give yourself time and space to heal.”
