Jyoti is a 44-year-old music teacher and vocal trainer from Mumbai.
Jyoti spent her childhood in Faridabad with her parents and two elder siblings, a close-knit family filled with love and affection. After getting married, she shifted to Mumbai, where she resides with her partner, son, and daughter.
Jyoti explains that her journey as a singer on stage started in second grade. She always had a passion for music and made it her career choice after 12th grade. She pursued courses and took training to reach the heights that she desired.
She paused her music career after marriage for almost two years because of familial duties, but once her child was 1.5 years old, she resumed her music career as a music teacher. Jyoti explains that even though she married her best friend and their life started beautifully, the couple had to cross some phases of suffering before bringing their graph of happiness back up.
“My second pregnancy ended badly when I delivered a stillborn. It was painful for us. We could only overcome the depression only after our daughter was born.”
As they started healing, Jyoti adds that some personal issues began rising between her and her husband. Jyoti says that with kids and a career, the couple couldn’t spend much time together, and her partner started feeling that he wasn’t receiving enough attention.
“I used to be someone who never wanted to get married in the first place. I valued friendship more than any other relationship. When my husband presented the idea of us getting together, it seemed practical, and we went for it.”
Jyoti shares that she rejected anyone who came with a marriage or relationship proposal because they never seemed interesting to her. She elucidates feeling differently about him.
However, with everything they went through in life, both of them started growing apart more. Jyoti explains that this led to her partner being distracted at home and made things more complicated when he started hiding things from her.
This started being hard and hurtful for Jyoti because transparency mattered more to her. She adds that her partner wasn’t ready to accept the problem. Jyoti recollects resorting to self-harm as she felt like she couldn’t take it anymore.
The incident worried her partner; he finally accepted the issues and communicated openly with her. When the couple finally spoke things out, they realised they needed more than just conversations.
Jyoti’s partner suggested using the YourDOST platform through her partner company’s subscription. He nominated Jyoti to the platform as it allows clients to add two of their dependents. Jyoti booked an appointment with Ms Sheetal Rajput and started opening up about how she felt.
“I used to feel lonely and empty, and I can’t describe the unbearable pain I had. My husband meant the world to me. Ms Sheetal understood my pain, and I felt connected to her during the first session itself.”
Jyoti elaborates that the therapist listened to her patiently and comforted her. The counselor assured Jyoti that she would understand and help her through the pain, which was a big deal to her.
Jyoti says sharing her emotions with an empathetic person paved the first step towards healing. She recollects feeling heard and felt the suggestions and guidance she got were practical, too.
The counselor suggested that Jyoti find herself first before searching for answers to her other questions. Jyoti explains that Ms. Sheetal gave her the push she needed to move on.
“I realised that by focusing on my family, I forgot to love myself. After therapy, I gathered myself, started skincare, and started caring for myself at the age of 40.”
Jyoti elaborates that starting the new cycle of self-care became a blessing for her mental health. After all the sessions and following up on the guidance, Jyoti explains that she felt completely healed. She adds that she learned to prioritise herself and says that it is a beautiful feeling.
“I need to thank my therapist and YourDOST with a ‘THANK YOU’, that’s all caps because now, I love myself, I love my family, and I have no complaints about the past misunderstanding with my husband.”
She adds that she understood that being a woman doesn’t mean she needs to be married, it doesn’t mean she needs to be a mother and she has to tick all the boxes society provides. Understanding that one’s personal needs are more essential, Jyoti says that she also started teaching her kids these values.
Jyoti expresses that Ms Sheetal was like a sister to her and helped her heal. As she continues her journey of self-love and growth, Jyoti rates herself 4.5 out of 5, and we wish her and her family a prosperous life ahead.
Jyoti’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Teaching women about self-love, consent and body image is very important.”
2.“We don’t have to conform to society’s standards; we can do what feels right for us.”
3.“Building a family should be for love, not a duty.”
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