“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.”
Intense emotional stress can be a big trigger for panic attacks. A panic attack is an intense wave of fear. Your heart pounds, you can’t breathe, and you may feel like you’re having a heart attack or losing your sanity. Panic attacks often strikeout of the blue, without any warning, and sometimes with no clear specific trigger.
This is the story of Aman Srivastav, who started facing intense bouts of panic attacks during the pandemic. The pandemic was a stressful time for all of us, but Aman was facing challenges in his life which he could not control.
“It all started when I was finding it hard to cope with my academics. I was a botany student who was working on a research project which was not related to my field of study or interest. I never felt connected to the work I was doing.”
Since Aman was a student in one of the top colleges in the city, he did not want to lose this opportunity, because his family and relatives were happy that he was studying there.
These struggles along with an unsupportive research supervisor who would take hasty decisions made life hard for Aman. Naturally, he found it difficult to get along with his supervisor.
“My supervisor often made hasty decisions and did not respect my work which really affected my mental health. Along with this, I was finding it hard to cope in a subject I was not well-versed in subject, which made it even harder for me.”
Aman was doing well in his first semester, but after that everything came crashing down. He felt like he was not getting the right resources from college to do work on his research work but was pushed to do things everybody else did, even though he’d enrolled in a prestigious college.
This academic pressure along with some personal problems pushed Aman to seek help. One of his friends from college suggested that he take help from YourDOST.
“Once the pandemic hit, I moved home and after a few months my partner broke up with me. I did not know what the reason was and it hurt me a lot. After the breakup, I started feeling a strange feeling in my chest every day. At first, I did not know what to do, but then I realized I was having panic attacks.”
This was a low point in Aman’s life. He was unable to find the confidence and kept blaming himself for everything that happened. Aman was not sure what was going on and wanted a way out of this spiral.
“I connected with Tashi Gurang through the YourDOST website and he was an amazing person. He gave me a safe space to vent out everything that I was going through. I started understanding my emotions better and was able to move on from my breakup as well. I feel at peace with my emotions now and I thank Tashi for that.”
Tashi helped Aman deal with his panic attacks. Offering techniques to calm down and ways he could keep track of his emotions helped Aman get his life back on track.
“I obviously had to figure out what I was doing with my life but once I was free from my troubled thoughts, I was able to focus on the things that matter in the long run. It gave me a better perspective on life. I learned that I cannot control everything around me, but I can control my emotions.”
Aman today is grateful to have a supportive family that stood through his mental health journey. He gives all credits to his expert, Tashi, for helping him heal through my tough times, for being so understanding and patient with his issues. He hopes everybody finds the space to seek therapy for their own wellbeing.
Aman’s Warrior Tips:
1. Do not overthink your emotions. You are feeling them for a reason.
2. Take care of your mind first, everything else will make better sense once you are kind to your mind.
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.