“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost
Tarika is a 20-year-old, student pursuing her CSE in Engineering from the renowned Parul University.
Growing up she found comfort in singing, playing musical instruments, understanding psychology, and developing her reading habits.
Families and the relationships we create with them last for a lifetime. While these bonds help us grow as individuals it can be a challenging experience for some.
She explained that she comes from a simple family background and has been in business for almost 10 decades. There were financial restrictions Tarika spoke about that surely impacted her childhood and personality as growing up in that pressuring environment always felt overwhelming.
“When the business goes down the family had to go through the repurcussion. There was a lack of conflict resolution at home.”
She spoke of how nobody taught her how to regulate emotions. She grew up having a lot of grudges and would never be able to take feedback of any sort as it would affect her deeply. There were a lot of internal conflicts and jealousy in the family and she grew up being defensive
Around this uncertain time, she decided to book her therapy session with her counselor Mr. Arshad.
Her college had a subscription with YourDOST as their official mental health partner
“I remember the first time meeting my counselor, he was super funny and witty. This grabbed my attention instantly.”
Tarika mentioned that on meeting him she was able to interact well with him there was a good rapport that he was building with her and he did it in a very subtle way.
There is always room for debate when two people get together; there will be differences, which will help our perspectives change and, in some cases, inspire us to learn of the unknown.
She expressed that even a small fight with her friends would feel as though the friendship would end.
“As a kid, I was always somebody who felt left out. This made me feel that something was wrong with me. I always knew something was not right in the house and I understood that it was mostly because of financial difficulties.”
Undoubtedly, the financial pressure that was going on at home put Tarika through severe stress growing up, being protected in her safety bubble. This affected most of her childhood and development.
Opening up can seem like a rabbit hole. However, with the right kind of guidance and a team of empathetic souls like our professionals at YourDOST, things evolve to be easier, and touching lives becomes more universal.
Tarika mentioned that she began taking therapy seriously and after coming here, her conversations with Mr Arshad provided her insights into the world that she was shutting herself from.
Counseling surely helped her open up and she is now able to reflect on herself. This has helped her stay straightforward in her communication. Growing up in a family that never welcomed her dark side, counseling helped her embrace it.
“My mom is always stressed and anxious and this has started affecting my mentaL peace. I realised this after attending counseling.”
Growing up in a family that never welcomed her dark side, she expressed that counseling helped her embrace it and change only her perspective of the world outside.
“I began practising the different techniques my counselor suggested to me, some of these include PMR, Meditation, keeping yourself busy and avoiding overthinking by staying distracted.”
Furthermore, she described that she came across conflict resolution therapy and understood where she was going wrong and also actively put effort into start inculcating this in her everyday life.
Looking back at her path of happiness, from being exhausted and stuck to becoming more confident, she finds purpose in her relationships. Tarika has blossomed into becoming a courageous and resilient individual who swears by her values and principles.
In terms of feeling better after her therapy session, she has rated herself with a 4 out of 5. We are tremendously proud of her courage to take the road less taken!
Tarika’s Warrior Tips:
1.“If you’re struggling with decision-making, take a deep breath and think it through. It would be difficult at first but it would be worth it.”
2.“There is a lot of darkness and negativity around the world but there is a ray of hope too that maintains the balance all around.”
3.“Counseling sessions are safe spaces to open up and trust the process.”
