Snigdha is a 25-year-old graduate of Birla Global University, Bhubaneswar. She pursued her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mass Communication from there and currently resides in Mumbai. Snigdha likes swimming, dancing, and listening to music in her leisure time.
She comes from a family of four, including her parents and younger brother. She was born in Jamshedpur and lived there until she moved to Bhubaneswar for college. Snigdha explains that as a kid, she was rebellious and wouldn’t understand other people’s perspectives. She adds that her behaviour used to hurt her and her parents.
“My relationship with my parents wasn’t good growing up. We rarely understood each other, so I looked for love outside of the family and often got into relationships that weren’t meant to be.”
As she grew older, Snigdha and her parents started working on understanding each other better. Despite that, Snigdha held a lot of trauma from the issues she faced with them and some of the setbacks she faced in her relationships as a teenager.
When Snigdha moved to a new city for college, she had trouble adjusting. Being away from home for the first time, in a new town, and with new people was challenging for her. Snigdha explains that she also began having issues and miscommunications with her new acquaintances.
The problems started when her classmates wanted to complain to management about a professor’s teaching methods. Snigdha didn’t sign the petition because she was cordial with the staff.
Snigdha recollects that when the professor discovered this, everyone blamed her and called her a ‘betrayer’, accusing her of informing the staff behind their backs.
These and her personal battles overwhelmed Snigdha, as she felt her friends didn’t trust her. She could feel sadness, anxiousness and anger at the same time. Seeing her struggle, one of her professors suggested she try YourDOST through her college’s subscription to the platform.
“People were judgy and passed hurtful comments. I had no idea how to tackle that and manage my personal issues. I didn’t know who my real friends were. Therapy seemed like the only option left.”
Snigdha took her professor’s suggestion and went to the counselor visiting her campus offline from YourDOST. She recalls being scared to enter the session because she had a bad experience with the psychiatrist her parents made her go to when she was a kid.
She explains that her counselor made Snigdha feel comfortable, welcomed her without judgement, and understood her nervousness. Snigdha found the counselor to be approachable and easy to connect with.
“I instantly felt that I could share anything with the counselor and wouldn’t be judged. I started to cry before I could explain my issues to her. She was very supportive, gave me water and let me express my emotions freely.”
Snigdha shared how her course required her to be cordial with all her classmates, but she couldn’t because she had lost trust. She recollects being confused about who her real friends are and feeling overwhelmed. She also opened up about her issues with her parents and the things that were hurting her from her previous relationships.
She also realised she had people-pleasing tendencies because, throughout the whole situation with her friends, even after they hurt her, she wanted them to like her again, and her behaviour reflected that, too.
Listening to Snigdha in the first few sessions, the counselor asked her to keep a feeling journal to express her emotions. Given her busy academic schedule, if Snigdha couldn’t write it down, the counselor suggested she send voice notes to herself to maintain a voice journal instead.
She also asked her to practice the grounding technique whenever she felt anxious, which Snigdha added was beneficial. The counselor also encouraged her to listen to music and dance to experience a cathartic effect. Snigdha explains that this suggestion felt personal to her, as the counselor advised her to do this based on the interests she shared during the sessions.
“I stopped repressing my emotions after following these techniques and felt more confident and independent. I developed the beautiful habit of loving myself, which I never did earlier.”
Snigdha elaborates that it helped her grow as a person. She began embracing the concept of ‘body positivity,’ where she appreciated herself and how she looked and carried herself. She acknowledges that some habits, like people-pleasing, took longer to control, but eventually, she got there.
Appreciating herself for how far she has come, Snigdha thanks her counselor for helping her get there. She says the word ‘thanks’ isn’t enough to express her gratitude.
“My counselor was God sent to help me at the lowest point of my life, and she has definitely changed my life.”
As she rates herself 5 out of 5, she is in a better place with herself and her family. We value her self-growth and wish her all the best in the future.
Snigdha’s Warrior Tips:
1.“People should be more aware of mental health issues and the benefits of therapy for them.”
2.“Therapy cannot disappear your problems but can help you grow enough to find a way around them.”
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