How Ankur Learned To Manage Overthinking And Career Anxiety Through Therapy
Ankur Srivastav, a 33-year-old Programmatic Ad Specialist from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, is someone who enjoys staying active and curious. Sports and outdoor activities have always been a significant part of his life. From running and playing football to cricket and badminton, he finds joy in movement and competition. Alongside this, he enjoys researching different topics and exploring ideas that spark his curiosity.
Growing up, Ankur describes himself as an introverted child who preferred avoiding interactions with strangers or extended relatives. Social interactions felt easier as he grew older, particularly during his late teenage years, when he began opening up more to people around him.
His family consists of four members: his parents, his younger sister, and himself. Among them, he shares the closest bond with his mother. Over time, however, Ankur noticed a persistent pattern in his thinking. He found himself overanalyzing situations and possibilities, especially when it came to decisions about his career and future.
What began as careful thinking gradually turned into overwhelming overthinking, prompting him to seek professional help.
“I always tried to evaluate every possibility before making a decision. I wanted to be completely sure so that I wouldn’t regret it later.”
Ankur’s biggest struggle revolved around overthinking and uncertainty about his career path. For several years, he remained conflicted about whether he should pursue an MBA or continue progressing through work experience. The constant comparison of different options left him mentally exhausted.
He researched extensively, consulted people on professional platforms, and evaluated multiple possibilities. However, the more information he gathered, the harder it became to arrive at a decision.
Another factor contributing to his stress was the feeling of lost time. After finishing school, Ankur spent several years preparing for government examinations and exploring different directions. When those plans did not materialize as expected, he felt delayed compared to others in his career journey.
This sense of delay created a strong internal pressure to compensate for those lost years. As a result, he tried to do everything at once. The more he attempted to make up for the past, the more overwhelming the present became.
At one point, work pressure, personal concerns, and continuous mental analysis converged into a state of constant mental clutter.
That was when he decided it was time to seek help.
“During my company’s induction, HR mentioned that we could reach out to counsellors through the platform called YourDOST for guidance or support.”
Ankur first learned about the YourDOST during his workplace induction program. It was presented as a resource employees could access not only for serious concerns but also for guidance around career or personal challenges. Curious to explore the option, he decided to give therapy a try.
Initially, the experience felt somewhat familiar to him. Many of the suggestions seemed like ideas he had heard before, which made him skeptical at first. However, as the sessions continued, he realized that therapy was not just about hearing advice but about applying structured techniques and consistently working on thought patterns.
Gradually, he became more comfortable opening up during sessions and discussing concerns he had been holding onto for years. The therapeutic process focused largely on helping Ankur manage his overthinking patterns and create healthier ways of processing decisions.
One of the techniques suggested to him was to redirect his attention during periods of intense rumination. Activities such as going for a walk, engaging in hobbies, or returning to interests he had once enjoyed were recommended as practical strategies.
Following this suggestion, Ankur began exploring activities he had previously postponed because of work or mental fatigue. One of these was learning guitar, which helped create moments of mental pause during stressful periods. Another important technique involved writing down his thoughts. When facing difficult decisions, he was encouraged to document the pros and cons instead of repeatedly replaying the same scenarios in his mind.
This simple act of externalizing thoughts helped him analyze situations more objectively.
Perhaps the most valuable realization during therapy was understanding that not every decision needs to be perfect. Waiting for complete certainty often delays progress rather than improving outcomes.
“Earlier I tried to fix everything at once. Now I understand that not everything can be done at the same time.”
While Ankur acknowledges that overthinking has not disappeared entirely, the intensity has reduced significantly. Therapy helped him recognize the underlying pattern behind his thoughts and develop ways to manage them. He now approaches decisions with greater awareness and less urgency to correct the past. Instead of attempting to compensate for lost time, he focuses on steady progress in the present.
He also gained a new perspective on improvement. For him, improvement means learning from past mistakes and ensuring they are not repeated.
When asked to rate his progress, Ankur places himself between 4 out of 5, acknowledging both the progress he has made and the journey that still continues.
Ankur’s Warrior Tips:
- Do not try to compensate for the past at the cost of your present. The more we try to fix what has already happened, the more pressure we place on ourselves today.
- Focus on small improvements instead of chasing perfect decisions. Building skills step by step is often more valuable than waiting for the perfect opportunity.
- Overthinking is difficult to control completely, but awareness helps. The more we recognize when our thoughts spiral, the easier it becomes to redirect them.
