Mihir is a 21-year-old student pursuing his Bachelor of Technology, specialising in Mechanical Engineering, from Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology. He is currently doing his internship as part of his final semester curriculum.
Mihir was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat; his family includes his parents and younger sister. His father has a master’s in Social Work, and he used to work with NGOs and companies that resonate with his ideology. Due to this, the family moved a lot within the state and lived in different cities in Gujarat.
When Mihir was in 5th grade, they shifted back to Ahmedabad and stayed there ever since. Mihir adds that, as a kid, he never formed a strong friendship with anyone since he kept moving to new neighbourhoods. Even when he returned to his native, although he got along with everyone, he couldn’t trust anyone to be his best friend.
Mihir finished 12th grade in his native city and moved to Surat for his undergraduate studies. He explains that even in college, he found few people whom he trusted.
“I was not an introvert, but I was also not someone who was socially active. Eventually, in college, I explored, stayed open to interactions and became an ambivert. College has been really a life-changing experience for me.”
Elaborating on this, Mihir says that he also faced many challenges during his college days. He was in a relationship with someone he really loved. When things were going well, they created a situation that broke his trust. Mihir felt hurt and betrayed.
He explains that this happened around the same time he was also having other issues. He had financial problems from his family’s side while being extremely overwhelmed about placements and his career.
Mihir adds that he tried sharing these with his friends, but they also couldn’t help him. He started feeling depressed and heavily anxious. During that time, he received an email from his college regarding the availability of free counseling through their subscription to the YourDOST platform.
“Friends usually try to lighten the mood and start making jokes out of serious situations. That wasn’t working for me, so I decided to talk to a professional.”
Mihir started connecting with two counselors via voice calls and video sessions. He found both of them friendly, and he felt that he could trust them and share his feelings. He connected with Ms Nidhi Nahata for the video sessions and explains that she made him feel safe and secure by giving him a nonjudgmental space.
Mihir shared about his issues and how the situation with his ex-partner and his career created a lot of self-doubts in him. He made it clear to the counselors that all he wanted was to move on, let go of his anger and cope with overwhelming feelings.
“I needed to accept the things that weren’t in my control, and being sad or angry wasn’t helping. I had to find a way to focus on my career and future. I wanted the tears to stop and drag on anymore.”
Listening to Mihir’s thoughts, the counselors slowly helped him reach the root causes of the issues. While he focused on the surface level, which was his feelings of depression and anxiety, beneath that, they unravelled the problems associated with each of the emotions.
This helped Mihir become more self-aware about himself and his emotions. He explains that with the right questions from the counselors he eventually learned how to deal with those situations as well.
“Each of my situations were connected to one another and it was creating a loop of problems. The counselors gave me a step-by-step approach to solve them one by one.”
Eventually, Mihir could feel his anxiety and self-doubts lowering. He explains that he felt happy that he finally got over his break-up and moved on to focus on his professional life. After the sessions, he adds that even his self-esteem improved and he felt confident again.
He thanks his counselors for listening to him carefully and understanding his situation. He says that they were there for him at the right time to tell them the right things.
As he believes to have improved his emotional quotient, he rates himself 4.5 out of 5 and continues to work on his growth. We are happy to be part of his progress and hope to see him succeed.
Mihir’s Warrior Tips:
1.“When a relationship ends, heal yourself before you get into another relationship.”
2.“Don’t fear judgment when you want to seek a professional; it’s your life and your mental health.”
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