Meet Akash, a 24-year-old student from Gurgaon. He is pursuing his Master’s in Business Administration after finishing his undergraduate studies in Business administration at Birla Global University in Odisha.
His family includes his parents and an elder sister. His father, who Akash mentions as a ‘man of discipline’, works at a bank after he retired from the army. He adds that his mother is the ‘smartest and most knowledgeable person’ in his family. Akash consults with his mom before he makes any decision.
He explains that he and his sister have always had different personalities. While Akash is a kind-hearted person who has been average in his studies, his sister has always been blunt and excelled academically.
“Despite my sister being better at things than me, it didn’t matter growing up as my parents were supportive and gave us a non-pressurised environment.”
Although Akash was brought up in a loving family, he started facing issues with his sister after he grew up. During his undergraduate studies, while he was already stressed about his academic work and career, his elder sister constantly dragged Akash into a quarrel. He started feeling more anxious and developed self-doubts.
When he was looking for a way to resolve these issues and improve, Akash attended a seminar conducted by the YourDOST team in his college. He listened to the founder, Ms. Richa, speak about the company’s vision and mission and her journey in building it.
“Ms Richa explained some taboos about breaking the narrative that counseling is expensive and understanding how therapy sessions work. I felt fascinated about it, and it was unique.”
After the seminar, Akash decided to use the platform through his college subscription and started seeking sessions from an available expert. Akash felt his first session was amazing and that the counselor he connected with was calm, understanding, and thoughtful. He says it felt like she was an angel sent to help him in disguise.
He started sharing with the counselor about his career issues, his issues with his sister and his emotions surrounding them. Akash elaborates that he wanted to understand his thoughts and feelings. He was depressed that despite multiple attempts, he couldn’t crack the entrance exam for his higher education.
He adds that his sister studied journalism and mass communication and chose a career that stressed her out more. Akash says that she took out those pent-up emotions on him. Although initially it seemed like a regular brother-sister misunderstanding, it started draining Akash emotionally and physically.
“My sister went from assertive to a person with a constant bad temper. She would use her skills to push her arguments into everything I said and always make me feel inferior. I couldn’t bear her at all.”
Eventually, he discovered that his sister suffered from a psychological condition that made her behave that way. Despite that, Akash felt the need to be kind to himself as this situation could disrupt his peace in the long run. Everything together became the reason for his anxiety issues and self-doubts. It affected his overall wellness as he also started gaining weight.
He recollects that his counselor calmly understood what he was going through and focused on what he needed to feel better. Akash elaborates that he wanted to know why he was feeling that way and what other ways to deal with his situation were.
“I started feeling relaxed after the first few sessions, as the feeling of someone listening to me completely was calming, and I felt hopeful that things could change.”
The counselor employed various techniques to help Akash. She asked him to journal his thoughts and feelings whenever something happened. To keep his anxiety in check, the counselor suggested the five-step breathing technique and also asked him to count from one to ten slowly to help him feel grounded immediately.
Akash explains that writing down his thoughts when confused or overwhelmed by the questions in his mind automatically helped him stumble on the answer. He adds that it also reduced his stress levels and gave him more clarity.
“The most helpful technique was the imaginary Ladder. She asked me to imagine every improvement in my therapy journey, like climbing each step of the Ladder. It gave me immense satisfaction, and towards the end, I felt like I was on the top of that Ladder.”
Akash explains that towards the end of college, he learned to deal with his sister and protect his mental health. He credits his counselor for helping him achieve that and adds that she was perfect in her tasks and gave him solutions that worked for him.
“I have no words to thank my counselor, she was like a fairy, and I’m grateful for her and the tools she gave me to improve my life.”
As he rates himself 5 out of 5 in terms of feeling better, we are delighted to be part of his journey, and we wish Akash all the best for his future.
Akash’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Talk to a therapist to deal with your scars because they always provide a safe space.”
2.“Speaking your thoughts out can help you find clarity.”
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