Krishnammal is a 33-year-old Senior Technical Lead at HCL Technologies in Chennai.
She was born in Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, and grew up with her younger brother and mom. Due to her mother’s job, she also travelled to different parts of India, and Krishnammal explains that she got the opportunity to see various cultures at a young age.
“I used to admire each city’s architecture and loved exploring the lakes and temples. I was more connected with nature as a kid.”
She adds that despite being a single parent, her mom has been a strong pillar in her life. Krishnammal recollects being more reliant on her grandparents and maternal uncle for life lessons and emotional support as her mom had to move around for her job.
After college, she moved to Chennai for her profession, and eventually, Krishnammal got married and settled there. Her family now includes her husband and her son.
Krishnammal is also passionate about reading books, listening to music, and writing lyrics. She loves to explore more and learn new skills when there’s scope.
Krishnammal explains that before reaching where she is now, she had to overcome a huge obstacle, which had an overwhelming effect on her. Once Krishnammal was married, she didn’t have kids for three years. She and her family were excited and happy when she got pregnant, but all the months, she started feeling depressed and sad for no reason.
She then got diagnosed with postpartum depression and faced a lot of anxiety and fear due to this. As it was also during the pandemic lockdown, her fears became more substantial, and she started facing a lot of issues.
Seeking a solution, Krishnammal attended the wellness session conducted in her office. The session discussed the importance of mental health and real-life stories of people who went through various struggles and how they overcame them.
The stories inspired Krishnammal, and when they mentioned the company’s tie-up with YourDOST for providing wellness programs, she approached the platform, hoping to get the help she needed.
She went through the experts list and chose Ms Sudipta Mitra based on her reviews and expertise. Krishnammal adds that she wanted to talk to someone who wouldn’t judge and support her through her struggle. She also wanted to share thoughts and issues that she couldn’t share with her family.
As she sat for her first session, she felt relieved and could see herself calming down with everything she shared. Krishnammal explains that she felt something leave her mind like a magical bubble, and stress was left along with it. She opened up about the things she was facing due to her condition and the people around her.
“When I got pregnant, I was on cloud nine, but after giving birth, I had nobody to support me, and everyone was only keen on commenting on my weight and criticised me for the way I took care of my baby.”
Krishnammal recollects everyone telling her to sleep only when the baby is asleep, restricting her food habits and telling her that she should fulfil her mom’s duties even if her needs were discarded. She started feeling that leaving her baby even for a second would be a grave sin and hesitated every time, even to use the restroom.
When she tried to express her feelings, people told her that she was overthinking. Krishnammal recollects being mentally and physically drained by all of these. Managing her work and the baby, she wanted a break but felt clueless about how she could get it, having nobody to stand by her.
Krishnammal explains that Ms Sudipta heard her problems first and educated her about being independent and living in the present rather than revolving around the past and future.
The therapist also asked Krishnammal to use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to make her feel grounded. She also taught her the different types of thinking to help her handle a situation better. Krishnammal was made to use the imagination technique during the session, and the therapist gained an understanding of her visions and suggested some catharsis.
She was asked to write down her problems, and in the next session, she had to tear them off and get rid of them, along with her fears and triggers. Krishnammal elucidates these techniques as being extremely helpful whenever she was overwhelmed with emotions.
The therapist also asked Krishnammal to communicate with her family members openly, and if it didn’t work out well, she also taught her mechanisms to handle them. Eventually, she realised that sometimes, time and patience can bring about change gradually.
“I should thank Ms Sudipta for all this; she was like an elder sister. She understood me better than anyone else. She heard me and helped me regain my confidence.”
As she focuses on taking small steps every day to improve herself, she rates herself 4 out of 5, and we are glad to see her fight for her well-being despite the odds.
Krishanammal’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Seek professional help to break the chain of thoughts and improve your mental health.”
2.“Don’t confine yourself to four walls when you feel low; get outside and seek change.”
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