“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller.
Sometimes in life, we get so caught up in our routines and schedules that we forget to live truly. We tend to fall into a cycle of work, eat, sleep, repeat, and before we know it, months or even years have passed without any real change. It’s easy to feel stuck and lose the joy in life when every day feels the same.
Meet Madhur Sharma, a 28-year-old from New Delhi. He is studying for his Master’s in Psychology through distance education while simultaneously working as a Business Analyst at BMTG.
Growing up in Delhi, Madhur had a typical 90s childhood. He belonged to a simple middle-class family and had a happy childhood. He also had his grandparents live with him, which made it a warm and supportive environment.
“I had a very happy childhood with lots of friends, playing outside every day for hours at a stretch. Luckily we had many facilities growing up as an advantage of living in Delhi.”
Madhur loves writing and even wrote a book. He also enjoys travelling, meditation, yoga, painting, and sketching. Even though he has a busy schedule, he finds time to teach yoga part-time.
Madhur first heard about YourDOST through his company, which partners with the organization for mental health support. Here he met his counsellor, Ms Arya Koushik, who went on to become his therapist.
“When I talked to Arya, for the first time, I felt good and comfortable. She didn’t say much at first, but I could sense that she was mature and understanding.”
Madhur has always been open to learning and improving himself. He loves investing in himself in some way or the other. Even if he makes a small mistake, he tries to make it a point to accept it and think about how he can change.
However, Madhur started feeling anxious because his life had become a very monotonous routine. He started working from home in 2020 due to COVID-19 and slowly he felt his life was becoming dull.
“I missed the outdoor interactions a lot. My life felt like a slow-moving routine, and I started feeling dull. I was a person who could talk to anyone of any age group, but now everything seemed a distant dream.”
Being an extrovert, Madhur missed interacting with people. The isolation and boredom of working from home took a toll on him, and he felt the need for change. His therapy sessions with Arya involved open conversations where he could express his feelings.
“Talking and letting out my emotions helped me a lot. Arya listened to all my concerns and gradually helped me regain control over my life.”
There were no special techniques used in the sessions, but the conversations made a big difference. Madhur wanted to have someone to talk to, especially since society often expects men not to show their emotions.
“Even though I was close to my family, and siblings, I could not open up to them about my difficulties. It’s a preconceived wrong idea that men can’t show their emotions, therefor having someone to talk to was huge for me.”
Through therapy, Madhur realized he needed a change from his schedule. He decided to visit a small village in Himachal Pradesh, where he spent 8-10 days and made friends which helped him feel a sense of community. He feels that interacting with a lot of people made a lot of positive changes in him.
“I’m deeply grateful to Ms Arya and I would like to say thank you so much for being patient and positive, for being there every day despite any personal problems you might have. I understand how tough their job can be but regardless she shows up with a pleasant demeanor and that’s what counts the most.”
In terms of feeling better, Madhur rates himself a 4 out of 5 and for him, improvement means inevitable.
We at YourDOST believe that Madhur is just moments away from feeling completely better, and we wish him luck in all his future endeavours!
Madhur’s Warrior Tips:
1.“If you face any complicated mental concerns, be open about them and find ways to deal with them.”
2.“Don’t worry about what others think as their opinions don’t affect you.”
