Trigger Warning: Mention of abuse
Rishabh is a 26-year-old graduate from IITISM Dhanbad, Jharkhand, with a master’s in Technology (M.Tech).
He is originally from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. His family includes his parents and elder brother. Rishabh explains that he was an obedient kid growing up and has always been studious and kind to elders. He elucidates being closer to his mom as he learned a lot from her and admired her way of thinking.
“I learned every aspect of having a good personality from my mom, including my love language. I intend to keep those intact even when I build a relationship with my future partner.”
Rishabh has a wide range of interests in books, from academic textbooks to comic books. Besides books, he also loves playing basketball, chess and musical instruments. He occasionally watches movies and anime during his leisure time.
When Rishabh was solely focused on his academics towards the end of his postgraduate studies, he was under a lot of pressure as he couldn’t achieve the grades he wanted. He panicked as it was his final semester, and he also found himself in an abusive relationship that mentally exhausted him.
All of these made his situation complex and induced anxiety and panic attacks. Unable to deal with the problem, Rishabh started resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms. He then recollected a workshop he attended in his college regarding their partnership with YourDOST to provide mental health assistance for the students. He decided to seek help and connected with the experts available.
“The counselors on the platform were great listeners and used to primarily understand our thoughts and problems before coming up with any advice or guidance. The counselor helped me deal with various situations by helping me understand the root causes of my problems.”
Rishabh elaborates that initially, he was hesitant due to all the physical and emotional trauma he had endured, so he started with chat sessions and eventually connected for the video sessions. He shared with the counselor every aspect of his issues, including the occasional shivers he would experience during challenging situations.
He explains that as the sessions proceeded, he realised that most of his emotions were triggered by the situations around him. Once he understood that, the counselor and Rishabh worked to bring back his focus to himself and centred the sessions around getting him out of any toxic environment.
The counsellor taught him grounding techniques to make him feel rooted in the present rather than reliving his past. As they discovered that Rishabh was trauma-bound, the counselor helped him learn to establish boundaries and prioritise his own mental peace.
“My counselor helped me see that stress can often cloud our judgment, and I was being short-sighted due to that. I realised that I have a pattern of always being connected to people and avoiding being in my own company.”
Rishabh elaborates that the counselor taught him to develop a healthy support system and that gave him a new perspective, as he never had that before. Feeling heard in the sessions, his moods began getting better.
He explains that instead of having a mind filled with anxiety, he felt like everything was sorted in his mind, and he gained clarity. He adds that although he is still working on understanding his destination, his next step became clearer with therapy.
“All the childhood trauma and low-esteem I had played a huge role in how I behaved, and I didn’t even realise these were affecting me. My therapist helped me see the problems and focus on finding solutions.”
Rishabh learned to stand up for himself and prioritise himself; he explains that he finally got to a good place. He thanks his counselor for being with him through the toughest times of his life and being like a friend in all those 45-minute sessions.
He rates himself 4 out of 5 and works on being a better version of himself everyday. We wish him all the best and are proud of the progress he has made.
Rishabh’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Like Einstein said, the same mind that created the problems cannot solve them. That’s why when there’s an issue, we should help.”
2.“Therapists are people who are incredibly professional but can also give a personal connection.”
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