Nandini, the only child of her parents, was blessed with a multitude of cousins and grew up in a lively joint family. She was born and brought up in Ranchi, Jharkhand, a well-known city and hometown of our beloved Captain Cool. She finds her spirit animal to be a rabbit; it has an everlasting energy.
Nandini had lived in a close-knit family since her childhood. Growing up was always about festivals, celebrations, and lots of delicious food. She picked many extracurricular activities which helped develop her core personality today. She enjoys dancing and singing. She also put effort into learning a musical instrument. She is a wanderer to explore different corners of the world and loves to binge-watch movies.
In a bee hive, the bees protect their queen from external dangers. They live closely and carry out their work. The family always protects, it works like a shield to the outside world.
Growing and learning with all the cousins has its own merits and demerits. You always have back support when in undesirable situations. Nandini remembers how she learned a lot with so many influences in her vicinity in her formative years. Bonding, staying together, and being there for each other were most important.
Nandini grew up learning family is everything. She built her fundamentals family-oriented. The downside to living with such an enormous family is that you struggle with your opinions and individuality. In one such arena developing your personality or identity could be troublesome.
“It was hard for me to build my individuality and form opinions among so many people. I had self-doubts.”
In Indian households, parents struggle to provide space and privacy for their children. It is essential to trust them and give them their own space. Nandini, for instance, keenly felt the necessity for more space, a desire emblematic of her yearning for independence.
During her college years, she had a few instances of anxiety and panic attacks in college. It was stressful for her because of the academics.
Nandini was a well-organised individual who maintained her schedule and work accordingly. She likes to work in a well-planned and structured manner. It was also one of the reasons to chose to work in a corporate environment. She was highly committed to her work and gave more than her 100%. Sometimes professionalism backfires because you’re the go-to person for everyone.
“I was overworked to a point where I decided never to repeat it. I was very clear about my boundaries.”
Nandini remembers how her organisation signed up with YourDOST. She took her first steps towards a better tomorrow, a new her. Since then, Nandini has never turned back and is long ahead in her journey of betterment.
“My therapist Ms Mitra helped me recognise my boundaries and that every human needs their own space.”
In the first interaction, Mitra and Nandini bonded well. She found Mitra to be very empathetic towards her and she was a great listener. She explains profoundly about everything to her,
“Mitra taught me to be empathetic and grounded. She gave me strength and answers to all my questions. I’m thankful to her for making me realise how important therapy is.”
Mitra recommended some prominent techniques for Nandini to follow without fail. One of them was the grounding exercises to calm her emotions down. During anxiety attacks, she should try to observe her surroundings and feel the nature around her, this practice will help reduce her anxiety levels.
Nandini followed these suggested techniques religiously. She was determined to get better with her constant efforts to instil these in her daily life.
“I must say that this initiative, started by YourDOST, is important, especially for the corporate folks. We must understand and prioritise our mental health.”
Nandini started to witness some changes. She was dauntlessly progressing towards a better future. Her transformation motivated her to move forward in life and keep learning new things. Her anxiety and stress have reduced drastically. She finds herself to be in a spot where she respects her boundaries and respects others as well.
Nandini rates herself a 3.5 out of 5 in terms of getting better. She feels positive that she’ll make it to 5 one day. She feels that all must begin by loving yourself and the world will love you eventually.
Nandini’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Don’t worry, you’re not alone. All of us are in this together. It’s not as bad as you think it is. It will get better get help if you want to.”
2.“Prioritising yourself doesn’t make you selfish. It will make things easier for you and the people around you.”
3.“If we start to put in some effort, we can turn the tables around.”
