Ketan is a 22-year-old Analyst working at HCL Technologies. Ketan also enjoys playing brain teaser games such as chess and puzzles, as they help him unwind and refresh.
Ketan was born in Hyderabad into a secure and loving family. His family included his parents and brother, who is 14 years younger than him. He recollects that he was a naughty kid who liked annoying people until their tolerance levels were reached.
Ketan’s mother passed away when he was a child, but his father made sure he had a good and memorable childhood despite that. He performed averagely in academics and would limit himself from working hard. Eventually, his perspectives changed as he grew up and tried to be more focused.
“My childhood was like a movie. It was fun and filled with unconditional love from my dad and mom. I was closer to my mom, and after her demise, I have had a good relationship with my family, but the bond I had with her can never be replaced.”
Ketan elaborates that once he grew up, life started getting harder, and he felt empty and lonely every day. He even started questioning himself about the purpose of life and where his life was heading. He had some personal incidents that happened back to back, and he began feeling overwhelmed.
All of these situations, thoughts and feelings pushed Ketan into an existential crisis. He explains that he was faced with an imaginary question hanging in front of him, and he didn’t have answers to any of the questions.
“I understood that every human is a work in progress, but then, I felt life was unfair, and I didn’t know my end goal. I wasn’t even eagerly looking forward to my career and growth.”
Ketan adds that his situation, paired with some of his past traumas, made him spiral into negative emotions and thoughts. He decided to seek professional help and started going to the in-house counselor in his office. During the session, they introduced Ketan to the YourDOST platform, as their company had a subscription, and advised him to use it whenever he saw fit.
Ketan explored the platform and started connecting with the experts available. He then gradually began taking continuous sessions with the counselor from YourDOST, as he found it more convenient. He recalls the counselor being professional and nonjudgmental, which helped him feel comfortable about sharing his emotional vulnerabilities and thoughts.
“Sitting in the sessions, I never questioned how this person would see me if I shared the thoughts in my mind. My counselor was kind, nice, and made me believe there’s still good in the world.”
Ketan elaborates that the counselor listened to him and suggested various techniques. Although she gave him coping strategies such as journaling and grounding techniques, those helped him cope with the temporary situation he was facing. He felt the important thing he learned in the sessions was awareness about himself and other things.
“The first step counseling taught me was understanding what ‘understanding’ actually means. The next was acceptance. Once we accept the reality, the changes in life don’t affect us anymore, and we can easily make peace with them.”
Ketan says that whenever he has to express something, it’s hard for him to share it with all seriousness, and he has the habit of adding self-deprecating jokes to it. He explains that the counselor was straightforward in pointing it out and helped change that. He also started to focus on the internal journey he could take rather than just fitting into society’s definitions.
“All of say the external terms when someone asks us ‘who are you’. I started looking for who I am internally, and through therapy, I also found some answers. If there were a way to put all the happiness in the world under my therapist’s feet, I would do that as she has helped me through all of the issues.”
He expresses that the sessions helped him move away from the dark path he was heading towards. As he shares his gratitude towards his counselor, he rates himself 3 out of 5 and looks forward to the changes and improvements he can bring to his life.
Ketan’s Warrior Tips:
1.“When you find yourself in a dark room with no way out and feel hopeless, seek a professional counselor. Therapy is the ray of light that walks you out.”
2.“The thought that your issues are trivial to ask for help arises from comparison. Fight through the comparing mindset and focus on resolving your issues.”
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