Anuj Battled the Work-Life Challenges of the Pandemic. How Did He Overcome Them?

It is no secret that this pandemic has taken a huge toll on our productivity. We have all been affected by it in some way or the other but how many of us decide to reach out and seek support? Sadly, not many. 

We hope that Anuj’s story will change your perception. Like so many of us, Anuj also experienced a loss of productivity due to the COVID crisis and the ultimate lockdown.

My personal and work timings got hugely amalgamated. There were no distinctions. Since my personal activities were eating into my office hours, I could not completely focus on work and it would invariably get extended beyond reasonable hours.

Another effect of this was the fact that Anuj was not able to achieve the desired output as compared to the amount of hours he was putting in. This was really starting to bother him.

There were definitely some distractions at home. My mom would pamper me every half an hour. I started using more social media as well.

Even when on a work related call, Anuj would find himself unnecessarily scrolling through his social media feed. 

This would result in my attention getting pulled away from the discussion at hand.

While his professional life didn’t suffer too much, his personal relations took a hit. His relationships were weakened due to the extended work hours. He could not give much time to his family, friends or his fiance.

This is when he decided to reach out to Adheena Simon, a psychologist and expert with YourDOST.

Anuj did not come into therapy with any preconceived notions, he says. 

I’ve read about therapy and have dealt with similar situations in the past. So, I was pretty clear on how the coaching session would go.

Anuj was all praise for Adheena. 

She was very patient with me. She spent a lot of time trying to understand the root causes of my problems. This was very helpful because if you have not understood the problem, you cannot try to solve it. Once she pinned it down to the root causes, she came up with some amazing suggestions.

She started by giving Anuj some exercise modules.

For a week, she asked me to just keep a notebook with me and keep writing all the things that were distracting me. At the end of the week, she looked at my list and came up with recommendations on how to deal with those issues.

She even asked Anuj to talk in depth about his personal relationships – with his family, friends and fiance which really helped him open up and find solutions.

She also recommended that I create a schedule for myself a day in advance and try to meet those deadlines.

Incorporating these changes into his lifestyle helped Anuj re-prioritize a lot of things.

I realized that I was spending very little time with my loved ones. Therefore, I have started scheduling a weekly catch up session on Saturdays to virtually meet and play some games with my friends. I also keep my phone away when I am at the dinner table with my family or spending time with my fiance.

Anuj has worked hard on his schedule and can proudly say that he spends mere minutes on social media now.

Anuj has a very important advice for anyone out there who is struggling like he was –

Just take one session before you form any opinions or preconceptions about therapy.

Are you someone who has gone through a difficult phase and emerged stronger and better, with some professional help? Share your story with us to encourage thousands of others who might be struggling. Click here to submit your story.

Anuj’s Warrior Tips:
1. Spend more time with your loved ones
2. Getting to the root cause is very important. If you have not understood the problem, you cannot solve it
3. Take one session before you form any opinions about therapy