With great positions comes great responsibility, but sometimes, juggling everything at once can become a hectic job. However, with the right support and guidance, one can take on each responsibility with flair!
Meet Shreyash (name changed), a 27-year-old senior consultant from Uttar Pradesh, who has settled in Pune.
He has a background in management and pursued his PGPM from the highly acclaimed IIM Trichy. He is living his dream life. He is a star player on the basketball court and takes utmost pleasure in writing poetry and playing video games.
However, like many of us, behind all the layers of achievements and accomplishments, there was a quieter story of pressures, isolation, and a need to be understood.
Shreyash was born into a middle-class family and faced a somewhat challenging childhood. He shared a good rapport with his parents and family by discussing day-to-day matters with them, but there would always remain a few things that remained hidden.
“As you grow up, you realise the responsibility of being an adult too.”
Growing expectations, the need to succeed, and societal pressures started mounting on Shreyash’s shoulders early in his life.
“I have always been career-oriented. Throughout my childhood, I constantly found myself on different career paths, trying to figure out who I wanted to be.”
This constant need to strive in his life had its share of problems. He had to juggle academic expectations with personal development and often found pressure to build up day by day.
Around this time, Shreyash heard of YourDOST, the official mental health partner that allied with his institution. By then, he had reached that stage when expectations and pressure from academic work and personal relationships started to weigh heavily on him.
“I locked myself in my room and stopped seeing friends or talking with my family. It was the most challenging period because I simply did not feel like doing anything.”
During this phase, Shreyash started avoiding people and went into his shell. His mood levels had become at an all-time low, and he sought out help as he knew staying in this space wouldn’t take him further.
Shreyash’s first counselling session with Ms Reema, his assigned therapist from YourDOST, was a significant step. He was particularly fond of the amount of empathy and patience she showed.
“She listened to me with complete attention. People often jump in and give advice without fully grasping what’s going on. But she gave me time to talk, allowed me to express myself, and made me feel heard.”
Gradually, Shreyash started opening up with pent-up thoughts about his career uncertainties, strain with the family, and the overwhelming pressure due to continuous academic assignments and projects.
These were boiling inside him, and having a safe and non-judgmental space to voice them made all the difference. The sessions provided him with an outlet he hadn’t known he needed.
More than just lending an ear, Shreyash’s counsellor provided him with practical tools to work through the problem. Of all the exercises, the most catchy one for Shreyash was to keep a diary of all his thoughts.
Ms Reema asked him to write down the thoughts boggling his mind, analyse how much they affected his real life, and consider whether those thoughts could indeed affect his personal life or were simply overthought. This technique helped Shreyash confront his anxieties face-to-face and sort out the unnecessary ones so that he could focus on what mattered.
Slowly but surely, Shreyash started to register a positive change.
“It was such a relief. After every session, I would feel light, calm, and in control. I didn’t feel judged at all. For the first time, I had someone who listened to me without advising unless I asked for advice.”
These sessions helped him in better management of his emotions, more so to control his aggression and frustration that were on a high due to this lousy phase he was going through.
Today, Shreyash is deeply grateful to his counsellor and the platform for providing the support he needed during such a critical time.
“I owe her a lot. At a time when I had booked back-to-back sessions, repeating the same stuff, she listened and offered insight with lots of patience. For me, that made all the difference.”
Shreyash considers realise gradual and ongoing. He rated himself as 3 out of 5 in terms of feeling better. He envisions improvement as the happiness of knowing himself, setting boundaries, and not taking on external pressures to define his self-worth.
Shreyash’s story has reminded us that while everybody goes through low phases in life, the willingness to seek help and the courage to speak about it can bring a much-required positive change.
We at YourDOST are proud of his journey and wish him all the best for the future!
Shreyas’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Taking sessions for mental health is still seen as taboo in places, but it doesn’t define anything. We should be able to ask for help when and where we need it.”
2.“Do activities that you love to heal yourself, because physical wounds may heal up a lot faster than mental wounds, so give yourself time to heal.”
3.“Provid a listening ear to people who need them the most and be there for them when they need you the most.”
Are you someone who has gone through a difficult phase and emerged stronger and better, with some professional help? Share your story with us to encourage thousands of others who might be struggling. Click here to submit your story.
