Prasannaa is a 22-year-old engineer who graduated from NIT Trichy with a Bachelors in Technology, Metallurgy and Material Engineering. He works at a renowned firm in Gurgaon and is an avid f1 fan.
Mental health was a subject Prasannaa personally related to due to his ADHD diagnosis in childhood. He was introduced to the YourDOST platform when he was doing his graduation in NIT Trichy. He chose Ms Nimisha to be his therapist on the platform. Although he was pretty skeptical at first about the idea of therapy and found it weird to express his vulnerability, he gradually opened up with time.
Interviews and job offers can be a source of anxiety and anticipation for some of us, and the wait to get a call back does not make it any easier. Prasannaa recalls how his job offer got delayed and how the uncertainty that he experienced got to his head. The feelings of fear and anxiety about his job were one of the first triggering points for him.
In some Indian families, a young adult who has completed his graduation and is awaiting a job offer is often targeted and ridiculed. The situation was no different for Prasannaa as well.
“After graduation, I stayed at home for three months. My relatives and family members kept picking on me for the same reason, and it started bothering me in the long run.”
Prasannaa describes this as his second trigger point.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that is very common in our societies. Prasannaa had always been a hyperactive child with ample curiosity to learn as he was diagnosed with ADHD, but the symptoms started to get the better of him somewhere along the way.
The less known/spoken side of ADHD revealed itself when he was in 8th standard and had to continue medication till the 10th.
According to a study, 63.5% of Indian students reported stress due to academic pressure. When a child performs well in their initial days of academics, instead of appreciating them, some parents tend to pressure them into unrealistic expectations. A home that is supposed to be a comfort zone often turns out to be hostile for these children.
“One of the major reasons for turning to therapy is that I was always a bright student from childhood, and that caused my parents and family members to pin numerous responsibilities and expectations on my shoulders.”
This pressurization progressively started affecting Prasannaa, and he started suppressing and hiding his feelings and thoughts from everybody. Emotions started piling up inside, but he could not open up to even his friends.
During college and hostel days, Prasannaa came out of his shell and socialized with his close friends. It also ended abruptly after graduation; he was lonely for the longest time and felt an unavoidable void. It added to his suppression of emotions and got to a point where he could not understand things as they were or could not process feelings or emotions well.
To tackle this concern, Nimisha guided him through an activity that consisted of a wheel of emotions from which he had to pick the two most prominent emotions he felt for the particular day.
“She just asked me to pick the two words best associated with my feelings and never forced me to figure out things.”
This activity slowly but steadily allowed him to understand and manage all of his emotions. in a better and more efficient way. She also helped Prasannaa with time management and learning to implement discipline in his life.
Gradually, all the exercises and activities started giving results and helped him open up about his feelings to his mother, sister, and friends. Prasannaa used to joke about his insecurities to others as a mask to make it seem trivial and insignificant. Through therapy, he overcame the awkward phase, became more comfortable, and improved his self-esteem.
“I am truly thankful to the YourDOST platform for providing me with all the necessary tools to discover myself. My therapist was the perfect mentor for me during the sessions as she knew exactly what questions to ask and the right way to do so, which made me more comfortable.”
With the right therapy and exercises, Prasannaa now has his ADHD under control and is much more manageable. He rated his improvement a golden 5/5 in progression and has become much more comfortable sharing his thoughts and emotions without fearing judgment.
Looking back, Prasannaa has come a long way from the beginning and wishes to do even better in the future!
Prasannaa’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Some people make life seem so easy, so organized like they know what they are doing. guess what, everyone is bluffing and has some flaws. Perfection is always fake, so don’t let that affect your self-esteem or direction in life.”
2.“You’re never fully dressed without a smile. It inspires your friends and ensures that no matter what comes your way you are the one in control.”
