Behind every successful woman is herself.” – Anonymous.
Life is a series of challenges, and every challenge brings you closer and closer to the person you want to be. Liora’s (name changed) story is one of challenges, heartbreak and rising above it all!
Liora was born in Delhi and spent her childhood in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. One of her main passions as a child was dancing. Her love and dedication to the craft also earned her many awards as a kid, and she fondly remembers her dancing days. Now at 27 years old and working in the project department of Echo India, she spends her free time travelling and exploring new places.
Growing up with a large family can have its fair share of pros and cons. For Liora, however, at times, the bad outweighed the good. She recollects her childhood being a very traumatic one.
“My father had two marriages. Because of that, conflict became a regular thing in our household, and sometimes it would even escalate to domestic violence.”
Tensions between her immediate family often led her to lean on her extended family for support, including cousins, friends, and more. The distance she felt during her childhood extended to her adulthood as well. However, her family would often disapprove of some of her friends, often misreading her friendships with her male friends.
Despite tension within her family, Liora managed to pave her one way. As she was interested in the development sector, she pursued her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the same field.
The turning point in her life came when the reality of her 7-year-old relationship dawned upon her. She discovered that her partner had been unfaithful to her multiple times during their relationship and, as a last straw, even broke off their engagement right after they got engaged.
She describes that relationship as a tough time in her life. With her partner often exhibiting signs of narcissism and dishonesty, it got challenging to manage that aspect of her life. There would be multiple breakups and reconciliations, which usually left her mentally and physically affected.
“My nervous system was always in a fight or flight mode during the relationship.”
When her engagement with her ex-partner ended, she was still coming to terms with it. A month later, she discovered that her partner was engaged to someone else. Not knowing what to do with all that she was feeling, she decided to seek therapy.
Her organisation had a tie-up with YourDOST, and she signed up for a session with Kesha Das. She mentioned that before she approached Ms Das, she had tried therapy before, and it had not yielded the results she wanted.
However, Ms Kesha Das found a nonjudgmental and comfortable space to process her emotions, which she appreciated. Her counselor helped her understand how incidents or patterns from her childhood had been impacting her judgement in her previous relationship.
She also suggested some methods for Liora to use to distract herself whenever nostalgic thoughts about that relationship surrounded her.
Through therapy, Liora found the strength to confront the emotional disconnect between her mind and body, helping her work toward greater self-awareness.
Liora rates herself a 3.5 out of 5 in terms of feeling better. To her, the word improvement means working on herself, and she plans to continue on this journey of self-improvement to unlock a newer, happier version of herself!
Liora’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Communication is an essential part of a relationship. If you find yourself constantly trying to understand what the other person is thinking, it is not a sign of a great relationship.”
2.“Always trust your gut feeling or sixth sense regarding any situation. If it feels off, that means it is off.”
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.
