Trigger Warning: Mentions of suicide.
“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves” ― Henry David Thoreau.
Khushi, a 22-year-old statistical programmer in Ephicacy, is on a journey to find the pieces of her life’s puzzle.
She comes from a family of five, including her parents, elder sister, and younger brother. She has a strong bond with her family, especially the female members, her sister and her mother. Khushi recalls being a brilliant academic student, but her interests shifted to the arts and modelling as she grew.
“I love everything related to art, from dancing and musical instruments to painting. That’s how my love for modelling grew, but my parents weren’t comfortable with pursuing it. I agreed to their choice and quit modelling because that is the only thing my parents have stopped me from. They never say ‘no’ to me for anything else.”
While creating memories with each of life’s moments, Khushi stumbled upon a rock in her path. She had been in a relationship with someone for almost two years, and it had to end abruptly. She recollects being heartbroken and crying continuously every day.
“I cried a lot initially and eventually started feeling empty and pessimistic about everything around me. I thought the feeling would pass, but it continued for a year or two. I realised it wasn’t normal.”
During this challenging time, Khushi attended a session through his company, where they discussed employee well-being and partnering with YourDOST to provide mental health-related services.
Khushi started by trying the chat option on the platform. As she got comfortable with the experts, she shifted to a call with the counselor. Khushi explains that the counselor was understanding, calm, and patient.
“The counselor listened attentively to every detail I had to say. I felt like someone was finally hearing me out.”
Khushi elaborates that she was depressed by the break-up, and it led her to a triggered reaction about every single aspect of her life. She adds that even having a day-to-day disagreement with her mother about the little things brought her into a negative bubble. She recollects being pushed into suicidal thoughts and feeling helpless about her situation.
“I started working from home, so my mother was the only person I had to be my emotional support, so whenever I had clashes with her, I felt alone and that there was no one to support or stand for me.”
It took a while for Khushi to address these issues and establish a connection with her negative thoughts and the problems she was facing. Eventually, with therapy, she started working on her issues by keeping a trigger journal to note down every event that pushes her towards a negative thought and the emotion associated with it.
The counselor suggested Khushi use the emotion wheel for anger management whenever she felt triggered and taught her some self-examining questions for more introspection. Khushi explains that these helped her understand different perspectives and analyse her emotions.
“Making use of therapy and the techniques, my anger decreased a lot. Earlier, even with a single word, I would be triggered a lot, but after therapy, I started understanding everyone’s place and where they are coming from.”
She adds that her negative thoughts have also significantly reduced, and she no longer feels lonely. Filled with joy and happiness at making progress, Khushi thanks her counselor for helping her during a dire situation.
“I cannot express my gratitude to her in words; it felt like god sent her to me to make sure my story doesn’t end here and goes forward, and she is why I feel a 4 out of 5 today.”
We are delighted that Khushi is in her happy place and wish to see her find success and peace.
Khushi’s Warrior Tips:
1.“I used to be hesitant about therapy before, but I’m a living example that if we break that hesitation, we can be healed.”
2.“Think about yourselves, and don’t worry about people’s opinions and judgements.”
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.
