“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”- Thich Nhat Hanh
We all have people we look up to in our lives and if they ever meet an untimely death, it can leave us feeling sad, angry, helpless, and many more emotions all at the same time. Aditya, a 26-year-old MBA student tells about how he was able to overcome actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s sudden demise.
Aditya lives with his parents and is the youngest member of his family. He often found it difficult to talk about certain issues with his parents.
“Sometimes you will not be able to share certain things with your family and friends.”
The death of Sushant Singh Rajput by suicide shook the whole country. Aditya too found himself extremely affected by the news of his passing and started obsessively following all news about the incident and the actor.
I totally got involved in that. I used to listen to his speeches before and they were very intellectual.
Aditya found himself experiencing either disturbed sleep or no sleep at all. This affected his appetite and health. He thought that he would get better support from his parents. But they were unable to understand what exactly he was going through and couldn’t really provide him the kind of support he was in need of. This is when he knew that he had to get professional help.
Aditya connected with the Psychologist and YourDOST Expert, Dr. Rajni Paliwal. Initially, he found it a little hard to open up to her. But he stuck with it and would religiously connect with her every 15 days. A few sessions in, he started feeling more at ease and was able to freely express what he was going through. The first thing that he was advised to do was to avoid watching videos before and after bedtime. No one can change a habit overnight, but Aditya was determined and consciously tried to change this habit. As days went by he was slowly able to reduce his phone screen time.
“She taught me some mindful techniques”
Dr. Rajini taught him to be more mindful which helped him stay focused on the present and not worry about the past and future much. He was taught breathing techniques that helped him stay relaxed and calm.
How many of us tend to just brush our teeth subconsciously? Aditya was asked to be aware of the action of brushing his teeth and not just do it subconsciously. This was a type of mindfulness technique that Aditya was asked to follow which specifically helps him stay aware of the present and not get distracted by his inner thoughts.
Aditya started using all the techniques that were taught during the sessions, and this helped him get better day by day. He stopped worrying much about the news and was able to focus on his own life.
I used these techniques to calm myself down and the thoughts that were coming to my mind, I was able to remove them because I was in a better position mentally.
Aditya is very grateful to Dr. Rajni as she was very understanding and patient with him through all the sessions. She gave him his space to get comfortable and slowly open up. He was confident that he could talk to her about anything. Aditya feels that everyone should go for counseling and fight their battles with a little bit of professional help. It will be a long journey but as Aditya said, “We need to keep fighting till the end.”
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.
Aditya’s Warrior Tips:
1. Never feel alone as you will always find help around you.
2. Fight till the end and also help others fight till the end.