The only people you should try to impress are your 8-year-old self and your 80-year-old self”- Unknown.
At 24, Ravi is doing something that many people his age can only dream of—living the life his childhood self was proud of!
Working as a process developer in a corporate company, Ravi’s go-to hobby for overcoming stress is music. And not just listening to music—Ravi is quite the musician himself. He plays close to 20 instruments, with his speciality being percussion instruments.
“I can just play my instrument in my room and space. Music heals me every time.”
His other go-to during his free time is sports, with basketball being his favourite sport.
Growing up, these two hobbies represented a majority of his happy times. He even dreamed of pursuing a career in sports. However, fate had other plans—a finger injury prevented him from pursuing his dream.
Another childhood dream was to join the army. This was mainly because his father was in the military, and he wanted to serve our country—just like his father did.
He explains that his father, being in defence, played an essential part in shaping his childhood. This meant a lot of moving around, which resulted in his growing close to his younger sister. His family is a family of four, and he is still very close to them.
At school, he was always more inclined towards extracurricular activities, more than academics. With dreams of serving in the army, he also attempted a few exams, but they didn’t quite work out.
With the sports dream not moving forward, Ravi mentions feeling at the lowest point in his life. He fell into a deep depression and did not see a way out.
He also sometimes mentions feeling at his lowest with negative thoughts about his self-worth.
“I was always thinking about being a worthless person. Sometimes, I had suicidal thoughts as well.“
After 8 months of struggling with his, he decided to seek help. His previous company, Angel Broking, had a subscription with YourDOST, so he contacted a counselor.
During his initial sessions, he did not reveal to anyone around him he was seeking therapy. He mentions that there is still a stigma in the world around us, where mental health issues are not taken seriously.
His first session was very positive. His counselor promised him that he would be fine and able to deal with the stress better by following his methods and adopting some practices.
One key thing his counselor did was have him reflect on his week by listing all his activities. He then asked him what activities gave him a positive feeling and, once that was identified, asked him to pursue more of that.
“I told him about my love for music. So, his suggestion to me was to play my instruments whenever I felt stressed. It was such a game-changer.”
His counselor also had him revisit some of his childhood memories. One suggestion he made was to return to doing what Ravi had enjoyed since childhood. Along with these exercises, his counselor also asked him to use journaling as an outlet whenever he felt stressed.
“Whatever happened, good or bad, he asked me to journal it down.”
Ravi is grateful for his counsellor’s presence during his tough times. He rates himself a 5 out of 5 in terms of feeling better!
We at YourDOST wish Ravi the best of luck in his journey and hope he keeps up the habit of playing instruments.
Ravi’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Always make time for the things that make you happy.”
2.“Counseling can play a significant role in navigating through tough times.”
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