“The song is ended, but the melody lingers on.” – Irving Berlin.
Alisha, a 26-year-old corporate consultant, is wavering on to the melody of her song of life, vowing to write her own lyrics with time. She completed her PGDM, specialising in human resources, at the Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) in Delhi, NCR.
Born and raised in Chandigarh, Alisha lived there until she was 13 when she moved to Gurgaon for school and then to Delhi for her undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Alisha explains that more than academics, during school, she was always more interested in activities like painting, dancing, baking, etc.
“When I entered college, my interests were not considered mainstream careers, so I went for administrative studies, and my major interests remained just hobbies.”
Alisha elucidates that as a kid, she used to be closer to her father, but as she grew, she developed a stronger bond between her and her mother. As she started extending that connection, Alisha was met with an unfortunate turn of events when her mother passed away due to cancer in 2023.
“My family has always been my peak importance, and my mother fought a long battle with cancer before her body gave up.”
Alisha struggled with a lot of emotions after the loss of her mother. She recollects how hard it was when she had to go back to work.
“Being a consultant, the work never ends. I couldn’t handle the people around me, and the feedback I was receiving was triggering, too. I felt unfortunate and angry about the whole situation.”
Alisha explained that was when she realised that she needed some support. However, she was scared to interact socially or meet people because she didn’t want to be judged. She remembered her alumni access to YourDOST through her college’s subscription.
She felt comfortable with the platform, as it offered different session options. Alisha first explored the chat and audio sessions and then shifted to video sessions once she was ready.
“The first chat session, I had to open up, and it was hard, but I started strongly believing that this would help me for sure.”
Alisha elaborates that eventually, she found the expert with whom she was more comfortable and started working with her on video sessions. The counselor gave her techniques and structured the therapy session to match her needs.
Alisha adds that they worked on getting through the grief phase, learning to focus, and returning to work stronger. Every session, the counselor had a buffer chat for the first few minutes to comfort Alisha into the conversation, says Alisha.
“I never thought diet management could be a thing in therapy, but my counselor helped me manage my health as well when she was helping me with my loneliness, anger and sadness.”
The counselor also suggested yoga and meditation help with her overwhelming emotions. Alisha explains that as a single child, it was only her and her father after her mom passed away, and it made her feel empty. She adds that to fill that void; the counselor suggested she paint and cook. This made Alisha feel content and took her back to childhood.
Eventually, with therapy, she spoke about the whole situation to her dad without getting emotional, which Alisha sees as a good improvement. This gave Alisha a sense of closure, and she says she is grateful to her counselor and YourDOST for being her support system during the most challenging phase of her life.
“It’s challenging to manage work, travel and dad as I’m the only person he has right now, but I understand that it is okay and I can handle them.”
Alisha is determined to attain the metrics she has for daily improvement, and she rates herself 3 out of 5. We are happy for Alisha to move forward and delighted to see her succeed in her endeavours.
Alisha’s Warrior Tips:
1.“A word of wisdom is when you are stressed, take a moment to calm yourself down; the run can wait.”
2.“You don’t have to fight your battles alone. It’s never wrong to have a companion during tough times; it’s even better if that companion is a professional expert.”
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.
