Our warrior Nishanth’s journey in anchoring himself with his purpose came with challenges and he hustled through each of them. Nishanth is 22 years old and is a student from IIT Bombay pursuing his final year in Electrical Engineering. He is from Aurangabad and his hobbies include dancing and table tennis.
Each individual’s academic journey is unique and it shapes them into becoming better people with skillsets, discipline and establishing the importance of a routine.
Nishanth comes from a close-knit family and expressed that he is close to his mom and his sister.
“Growing up I was introverted and reserved in school. I had limited friends and kept it to myself as I always took time when it came to building bonds.”
He grew up under the love and care of his mother whom he created wholesome memories to cherish. Mothers have always been the motivating epitome in most of our lives, the calibre they possess especially in terms of balancing responsibilities is quite a natural trait.
Adulthood is a dynamic phase; the feeling of becoming independent feels like the first ray of sun on our skin after a cold winter night and it was a similar feeling in his life.
Children seek guidance and knowledge from them and also inculcate these habits right from a young age, and it was no different for Nishanth. While things did go smoothly for him, the most unfortunate event occurred. The world witnessed a pandemic and a lockdown was announced.
“A lot of things started going haywire in my life. I noticed my mental health taking a toll as there was performance and financial pressure, COVID also happened and I had to be cut off from all the extracurricular activities that kept me sane.”
Nishanth expressed that he came across an email and found out that YourDOST had a partnership with his college and he was able to avail services because of it.
“The platform was convenient and I liked the flexibility it gave me and decided to seek sessions regularly with professionals.”
He booked his first session with Ms. Janice Saldhana and began his journey in counseling and sat down to discuss his issues with her.
“I was fed up of trying new counselor, and I came with 0 expectation. With continuous session, I was able to feel comfortable with my counselor.”
He expressed that he was able to have in-depth conversations and it helped him heal through things. The interpretation of loss is unique to individuals, while it leaves others feeling a void, some learn to make peace with it.
Nishanth’s idyllic life came to a standstill owing to an unfortunate tragedy. The phase of Covid 19 impacted his life. The devastating virus led to the demise of his mother. As someone who has always been close to her, it left him feeling hopeless and hurt.
“I try hard to not think about my mom but it is like a never-ending loop. We were close and it almost felt like the last bit of hope I had also left me”
The loss of one’s parents is undoubtedly devastating. It is a pain none of us would ever want to go through. The absence of their love, support, and guidance causes an enormous void and grief that feels impossible to fill. The hardships Nishanth must have faced are beyond our ability to comprehend. Words can’t even begin to describe her plight.
Nishanth expressed how his mental health worsened and he was prescribed medicines by his psychologist at college and he did not really like taking tablets.
Things started going downhill from here and it worried him that it took a lot of time for him to get through with things. His workload at college increased and he found it difficult to navigate through things.
“I remember this phase of my life like it happened yesterday. I almost felt like I was never going to get through this and began shutting myself out from everything. Therapy was all I had, and decided to completely immerse myself into it.”
Stepping into therapy is a process, and change happens at one’s own pace of acceptance.
Nishanth describes how he proactively took action to work on himself and her techniques helped him understand his behaviour patterns. Even though all that troubled him he decided to bounce back and wished for him to start working on himself and become better.
Nishanth emphasised how Ms. Janice helped him deal with placement pressure, by suggesting with techniques like breathing exercises and altering his thinking pattern.
“She spoke of the importance of learning to navigate through these emotions means to feel better and keep himself occupied. I did as she told and it helped me through this challenging time.”
Voyages come with their survival instincts and the most proven way to survive is to stay patient and collected. Our warrior stuck by these words and liberated himself from things that put him down. He expressed that he was able to see that he is in a better space from where he started and he never thought in his wildest dreams he would be able to get through this phase.
“I was able to follow through 60% of what Janice taught and I am glad that therapy was finally working me.”
Nishanth is already on his path to betterment and explained how he communicated well with his counselor and shared everything with her.
“I am grateful to you for listening to me and allowing me with the space and time to express myself. I wish we could do more sessions.”
Nishanth’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Listen to your inner self and seek help if needed.”
2.“Having good emotional support in a person is important to help you navigate through things.Stay consistent and never give in to negative emotions, things will surely feel better.”
