Navigating life’s challenges can feel like moving through a dense forest, where each step uncovers new obstacles and discoveries. Academic ambitions are the towering trees, while personal struggles form the tangled underbrush. It’s easy to feel lost, battling shadows of insecurity and anxiety. However, with the guiding light of therapy, the path becomes clearer, strengths are recognized, and the journey continues with newfound confidence and resilience. This is the story of finding the way out of the woods and emerging stronger on the other side.
Meet Ravi (name changed), a math student at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISC) who is on his way to pursuing a PhD in mathematics. His academic journey has been marked by remarkable achievements, but his personal life presented significant challenges.
Growing up, Ravi had a complicated relationship with his mother due to her emotional immaturity, presumably stemming from her own trauma. Additionally, his father was often absent due to work commitments, leaving Ravi without much parental support.
“My childhood was fairly decent, but my relationship with my parents was challenging. My mother lacked emotional maturity, and my father was often away for work. The lack of support from my parents, coupled with bullying in my neighbourhood, led to feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, and social anxiety that stood in the way of my overall mental well-being.”
Despite these challenges, Ravi found solace in his hobbies, such as playing chess, listening to rap music, and composing his own rap songs.
Ravi learned about the YourDOST platform through a tie-up with his institute as their official mental health partner. His first encounter with a counsellor was frustrating, as they were unavailable for a second session.
“Feeling the need to vent, I connected with Ms. Arya Koushik. Initially, I was hesitant to continue therapy, but Arya’s understanding and empathetic approach convinced me to give therapy another try. I asked her if a second session would be helpful. She told me if there were not a second session, it would be like seeing a drowning person and giving a high five and letting that person drown.”
The absence of parental guidance left Ravi vulnerable to bullying as a child, which further deepened his feelings of low self-worth and social anxiety. Ravi sought therapy due to feelings of low self-worth and the stress of a recent breakup as well. Despite his academic success, the rejection from a university application caused him immense stress, leading to overthinking and anxiety about his future.
“I started to spiral into overthinking. I was worried that it could happen again if I got rejected once. I began to question my self-worth and felt extremely stressed.”
Childhood is when a person should feel the safest, and adolescence is when they set out to discover new possibilities in life. However, Ravi had been struggling through all these eras, almost losing touch with his gift of being extremely good at academics.
“I always thought that I was extremely successful academically. I thought that I’d make friends and relationships when I had time in the future. Hence, when I needed emotional support, I did not have anyone by my side which makes you very sensitive to life’s challenges.”
Ms. Arya Koushik’s empathetic approach made a significant difference in Ravi’s life. Arya introduced him to various techniques to manage his anxiety and understand his negative thinking patterns better.
“One of the exercises that helped me extensively was journaling, which allowed me to recognize patterns in my thoughts. Arya also used grounding exercises and techniques to help me cope with his anxiety and develop healthier responses to stress.”
The breathing exercises and anxiety grounding techniques introduced by Arya helped Ravi manage his anxiety in the moment. It taught him to think things through and develop good responses.
“For example, she encouraged me to act as if a friend was telling me their problems and to defend my friend’s self-esteem,” Ravi shares. This exercise helped Ravi be kinder to himself and recognize his positive qualities
Through therapy, Ravi began to see positive changes in his life. He started journaling to understand his thoughts better and identify negative thinking patterns.
“I gradually learned to contextualize my situation and not blame myself for everything. This helped me develop coping mechanisms and feel more in control.”
Arya also helped him explore his childhood trauma and attachment styles, which provided insights into his relationships and emotional responses. Ravi is grateful for Arya’s guidance and support during his tough times and expresses his heartfelt gratitude.
“She pointed me in the right direction and shared valuable insights about my situation. Her patience and compassion made me believe in therapy and helped me build a bond of trust with her.”
This bond and Arya’s guidance have contributed significantly to Ravi’s current state of feeling in control and fundamentally happy. His journey through therapy has been transformative because from dealing with academic stress and personal challenges to developing coping mechanisms and feeling more in control of his life, he has come a long way.
Ravi now feels confident that he will be okay, even though the journey may be frustrating at times. He rates himself a solid 4 out of 5 in terms of feeling better and views improvement as understanding and growth.
At YourDOST, we are proud to be a part of Ravi’s journey and wish him all the best for his future. His story is a testament to the power of therapy and the importance of seeking help when needed.
Ravi’s Warrior Tips:
1.“When you’re in doubt about seeking help based on your presumptions about the depth of your issues, I would suggest taking therapy anyway, as it’ll always benefit you.”
2.“You will find a professional that best suits your needs, and it’ll be easier for you to navigate through them with a helping hand.”
