Haiya is a 21-year-old student pursuing her bachelor’s in technology at the Manipal Academy of Higher Studies (MAHE), Bangalore.
She explains that she is close-knit with all her family members, who support her career and future aspirations. However, she connects more with her friends, as Haiya feels they can understand her better.
“I have a bunch of friends with whom I feel the closest as we are of the same age. Even though I pay attention to my emotions and share them with my friends, I have always focused on the marks I score in my exams and never let my feelings affect them.”
She recollects being a studious child who was also interested in extracurriculars. As marks have been Haiya’s priority, she explains that she was stressed about academics when she began her undergraduate studies.
When the intensity of the stress increased, Haiya started experiencing panic attacks thinking about her exams and placements. Knowing this, one of her best friends, Arushi, told her about the YourDOST platform and their college’s tie-up as part of the student well-being plan.
“I was looking for an internship and started feeling uncertain about the future, what to do next, and if I would land a good job. To balance out these thoughts, I decided to consider my friend’s suggestion and contacted experts through YourDOST.”
Haiya connected with Ms Divya Malhotra for her first session when she was having some misunderstandings with her family. She says Ms Divya was specific in her listening and understood her emotions. She continued taking her sessions with Ms Divya.
Although she didn’t expect much during her first session, Haiya gained many insights from the beginning.
“My therapist had questions that put me in a vulnerable spot, but I discovered a lot of things that I didn’t know that were bothering me. It opened up a great scope for introspection towards my inner self.”
Haiya explains that she was looking for more than just a vent space through therapy. She wanted someone to guide her about rights and wrongs and help her improve herself. She adds that she was able to get that talking to her counselor.
Haiya shared with Ms Divya about the day of her first panic attack. It was an evening, and as soon as she entered her room, she found it hard to breathe and fell to the ground. Her roommate took her to the nurse, who explained to her that it was a panic attack.
As she was already spiralling about life, this incident felt like a wake-up call to Haiya. She sat down and thought about everything. She didn’t feel open about therapy in the first instance, as she felt that she could do everything on her own.
“I used to think therapy was for people having heartbreak or some tangible incident going on in their life. Watching the movie Dear Zindagi removed the taboo I had towards therapy. When I found out that my best friend goes for therapy too, it became more clear what I should do next.”
Haiya explains that she has always been slightly influenced by Bollywood movies, which even impacts her idea of the perfect relationship. However, having a demanding academic schedule affected her social life, too.
She says that until therapy, she didn’t realise that the nature of her relationship with people was impacting her mental health in any way. It became clear that she should spend more time with her beloved people to feel better.
“Every week, we used to discuss different topics in therapy, from how I ended a few friendships based on a tiny uncomfortable conversation to how I can avoid academic stress.”
Haiya explains that the sessions were eye-opening and helped her find holistic growth rather than just academics. She adds that she learned to appreciate and be grateful for everything that felt good about a relationship rather than focus on the negative side. Following that, she also improved her relations with her close circle.
Haiya also wanted to get back to her morning routine, which she used to follow consistently during her school day but couldn’t after she shifted to a hostel for college. The therapist insisted that Haiya follow her routine no matter what to find a balance between career and self-care.
The therapist also affirmed to Haiya that her people loved her, which gave her a sense of security to form healthy relationships. Haiya explains that her perception of how she saw a relationship and life altogether has changed. She says her productivity increased after working on everything her therapist pointed out.
“I have to thank Ms Divya for changing my life. She was among the first people I gave my New Year 2025 wishes to, and she has been there for me on all difficult days. I feel emotional even talking about how much she has helped me.”
Haiya adds that she wishes her therapist great success in her life, as she has paved the way for Haiya to walk towards success. As she feels more secure in life, Haiya rates herself 4 out of 5, and we hope she reaches 5 or 5 soon.
Haiya’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Allow yourself to feel your feelings; you must validate yourself first.”
2.“Accept that feeling low sometimes is normal and seek help when needed.”
3.“Don’t stress over what others say; only focus on what you tell yourself.”
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