“Self examination is the key to insight, which is the key to wisdom.” – Scott Peck
If there’s any person who can be described as an epitome of this, it’s Jinal. With self examination this remarkable person has brought tremendously positive changes into her life and is an inspiration to us all.
A sensitive and artistically inclined soul, Jinal, 28, is a Manager for Student Services and Well-being Centre at Anant National University, as well as the Co-founder of her own design studio – Oji Story. Jinal is one of a handful of individuals at Anant who are responsible for creating a very open and wholesome environment at the university which encourages students to open up about their issues and seek help, without worrying about judgement.
Jinal herself comes from a place of empathy as she herself has experienced her own set of struggles. She first approached YourDOST in December 2018, looking for guidance to help deal with her anxiety bouts. She had been facing certain difficulties in terms of balancing her stress and relationships with her tendency for anxiety. There was also some cause for worry from the home front.
“I was unable to cope with things happening simultaneously in my life. My father had also recently had a major surgery, and I worried about him too”
She booked an appointment and met with YourDOST Expert, Ms. Shruti Singhal, on 27th December, 2018. As Jinal slowly opened up about her issues, Shruti recognised that she had a higher tendency to experience anxiety.
Jinal displayed anxiety traits. But one thing that also stood out about Jinal was how she was really into insights and would utilise them tremendously well. Even with her own issues she looked for insights into herself and would accordingly develop really effective coping mechanisms”
Shruti knew what had to be done. Over the next year, Jinal walked Shruti through everything that troubled her, and Shruti helped her process her thoughts, using a psychoanalysis technique called “free association”.
Free Association is the process of discovering your genuine thoughts, memories, and feelings by freely sharing all the seemingly random thoughts that pass through your mind.
Shruti helped Jinal process her thoughts.
“I basically gave her direction to connect the dots and understand herself. It was like solving a jigsaw puzzle. We had so many ‘Aha’ moments, where we came to the root of whatever was causing certain behavioural reactions.”
Together, they explored various coping mechanisms based on the insights received. Just over a year later, the transformation is just amazing. Jinal is tremendously more aware of her own cues as well as her thoughts and her feelings. She now notices the early signs of anxiety, and uses coping mechanisms to act on them before they have a chance to turn into a full blown anxiety attack.
“I have learnt my thought pattern and I don’t let things get out of my hands. I act even before I can get an anxiety attack.”
As Shruti puts it, Jinal is now “on top of her anxiety”.
Jinal can’t appreciate the role of therapy enough.
“Before I met with Shruti, I was a little apprehensive about it. But being in that space changed a lot of my preconceived notions. It was a space where I was just me”
For Jinal to share something so personal so openly with the intention of inspiring others to seek help can’t be appreciated enough either. We thank Jinal for being YD warrior that she is and wish her all the very best.
Are you looking to overcome your anxiety with some personalised guidance too? We’re here for you. Talk to a YourDOST Expert today, for personalized guidance.
Jinal’s Warrior Tips:
1. Insights are valuable information. Stay on the lookout for them
2. Shed your apprehensions about the therapy process
3. A therapist does not provide advice. Rather, they provide guidance
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.