Born and brought up in the heart of India, Delhi, Heena is a diligent, driven, and ambitious young woman. She is 22 years old and works as a Business Development Associate at BYJU’s.
During her rare moments of free time, she loves to watch TV shows, listen to music, and relax. These moments, like precious pearls, offer solace amid her hectic schedule. They remind us of the importance of finding simple joys amidst life’s complexities.
A hard worker, Heena’s life has been a constant whirlwind of responsibilities and demands. The demands of her academics were difficult. Yet, she has managed to overcome these challenges.
With a master’s degree in philosophy and a deep interest in Psychology, her journey into a world of mental health was pre-destined.
“I’ve always had an interest in the human mind. As I grew older, I discovered more about my personality and wanted to break unhealthy patterns I had.”
Heena mentions that her journey took a turn when she began to feel overwhelmed and excessively competitive in her professional life. She had many expectations for herself, and over time, the burden became very heavy for her to carry.
It’s common for us to have expectations for ourselves about our personal or professional goals. While having “shoulds” for ourselves can be helpful, we may unknowingly put a lot of pressure on ourselves and feel compelled to meet these expectations.
Heena felt pressured, and it manifested in different aspects of her life. Around this time, she turned towards YourDOST and met her counselor, Ms. Kashish Sharma.
“When I started to open up about my fears, I knew I wanted to invest in working on myself. Therapy was a great space for me to do that.”
Once Heena began her journey towards self-discovery and improvement, she knew she would never look back. She learned that she had a deep fear of losing that stopped her from taking risks in life.
A technique that she found extremely helpful was journaling. By writing her thoughts down, she could pour out her thoughts, fears, and aspirations, creating a map of her inner world.
“Ms. Kashish helped me write positive affirmations for myself. By doing this regularly, I began letting go of the competitive streak and embraced change.”
The positive changes that began to bloom in her life were awe-inspiring. The confusion that Heena felt about her career path started to dissipate as she gave herself time to explore. Like a painter with a blank canvas, she sketched the outlines of her future, and gradually, the colors filled in, creating a vivid and promising vision.
Heena also shares a word of gratitude to her counselor, Ms. Kashish for her support-
“I always feel so motivated whenever I speak to Ms. Kashish since she is ever ready to help me. I’m so grateful to her for being so understanding and patient.”
Through this journey, Heena discovered how she could apply her learnings in philosophy in her everyday life. While walking this path was challenging, she was determined to shed the extremes that held her captive for so long.
She revealed that her fear of failure hindered her from taking the first step. However, through counseling, she learned that it’s okay to make mistakes and that the fear of doing something wrong should never be a barrier to starting something new.
Heena rates herself a 4 out of 5 in terms of feeling better. However, the measure of improvement, she says, is knowing oneself better. She continues to grow and evolve every day, and we could not be more proud of her strength.
Heena’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Ask for a guiding hand. Overthinking only makes you feel more isolated and anxious, and there will always be people to help you.”
2.“Everyone grows at their own pace, so take time to learn more about yourself and enjoy the journey.”
