“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”
Life can be tough. We are all taught to put on a brave face during the hardest times, but sometimes this mask does not work. The burden of pushing through can make us feel overwhelmed and drown us in the pool of self-doubt.
“Am I enough?”
“Will I succeed in life?”
Thoughts like these kept occurring in Shreya’s mind throughout the day. She was trapped in the toxic cycle of self-doubt and the inability to act on it. Her life was getting more overwhelming by the day, and she felt like everything was crumbling around her. Losing this sense of control in her life, she decided that it was time she fixed it.
“I was not feeling good about myself. I always felt stressed out and had the feeling that I was not good enough.”
Shreya’s life was haywire. She had major problems in her personal relationships, work and self-esteem. But what troubles Shreya the most was to find the root cause of the issues and find a solution to overcome them.
“I did not feel validated at my workplace at all. It felt like I was putting in extra work but was not getting any validation for that.”
Shreya was troubled with the lack of recognition for going the extra mile while working. As a result, she doubted her abilities and lost the confidence she had. We often tend to see other people as humans with needs and miss out on some of the crucial parts to form and sustain a relationship. Shreya endowed similar feelings concerning both; her professional and personal lives.
The feeling of self-doubt led Shreya down a deep path of negative judgement. She started feeling inadequate, talked down about others, and began to nitpick every aspect of her life.
“I would overthink everything, and I just felt so uncomfortable in my own skin. I was so helpless and lost. Counseling was an option but I was skeptical about opening up to a new person about my insecurities.”
Even with her scepticism, Shreya decided it was time to face her demons. So she signed up for her sessions at YourDOST and decided to give counseling a shot.
“It was hard at first, to completely open up to a new person. But as time went, I began to trust myself and the process. We started talking about my current situation, and went a little deeper into my past to understand the root cause of my problems.”
Understanding her behavioural patterns, Shreya knew that it was time to create change in her own life. She felt supported and heard by someone for a long, long time, and it gave her a sense of relief. By inculcating positive self-talk and habits that would improve her mental well-being, Shreya began to see a positive change in her outlook.
“I started writing down all my emotions, especially the intense ones. Venting out on a piece of paper really helped me. Along with this I would also listen to affirmations in the morning.”
Shreya encountered instances of body shaming as well, but that did not stop her quest to find the best self and keep working on it.
Thanking her counsellor, Shreya expresses, I was in quicksand, and she held my hand and got me out of it.
Shreya is doing much better right now and has a sense of control over her emotions. She has a newer perspective when it comes to dealing with her problems now. She is glad that she decided to take the path of counseling to heal her mind.
Shreya’s Warrior Tips:
1. You may take a while to heal but believe that you will heal eventually.
2. You can always open up your heart to your counsellor.
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.