“I think your whole life shows in your face, and you should be proud of that.” ― Lauren Bacall.
Self esteem plays a highly crucial role in how people make decisions and how well they motivate themselves. On the other hand, self esteem can be shattered in many ways, be it by friends, family or strangers. Once shattered, self esteem can be hard to reshape, but it is certainly not impossible. For example, at the tender age of nineteen years, Kara went through extreme body shaming by her friends and badly wanted to regain her self confidence.
Kara is a design student at Anant National University. Kara has been going through body-shaming issues since her childhood, and this affected her confidence and self esteem in approaching people and talking to them.
“I found it hard to even go to college each day. I didn’t even want to complete my degree.”
Things started getting worse for Kara when she started college. Due to a lack of self-confidence, Kara often would choose not to interact with her peers, which resulted in backlogs. So, contrary to what most of us felt, the Covid-19 lockdown came as a blessing for Kara, as she was happy not to face other people daily. But, soon after this, Kara started feeling anxious and uncomfortable in her skin, thinking what her classmates would think.
“I started quarrelling with my best friend also and also began not to trust what anyone says. I even got into a fight with a friend of mine regarding a boy, and it was heartbreaking.”
After noticing Kara in distress, one of her faculties reached out to her and suggested seeking help from YourDOST.
“I wrote down all my issues, and this made me realise that I should seek help from a counselor.”
As soon as Kara got connected with an expert from YourDOST, she knew what she was missing out on in life. She found someone who would listen to her patiently and help her sail through the rough waves. Kara’s counselor was very empathetic and reinstated Kara, that is not alone, facing this issue. So many like her, and she should not feel less validated based on other people’s remarks.
Kara was advised to watch movies like “I feel pretty” and “Kung Fu Panda” to help her build confidence and understand her self worth. She was also asked to maintain boundaries with her friend and understand from her friend’s perspective. As a result, Kara started prioritising her goals and made a timetable for herself, which made her in line with her college routine.
“Now I am aware of what I am going through, and the techniques helped me to relax better.”
Initially, Kara found it hard to attend her therapy sessions, but she pushed herself to book sessions with her counselor. Once she constantly started going for counseling sessions, she started feeling more confident about herself, which made her feel empowered. She started believing in herself again and the wonders she can create!
Kara is grateful to her counselor for her great understanding of Kara’s issues and for helping her out at every stage. As Kara took some time to adapt to the process of counseling, she knows the same might happen to others also. And that’s why she urges everyone to ‘trust the process and see yourself becoming your best version!
Kara’s Warrior Tips:
1. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Take it step by step.
2. Only you can help yourself, so don’t be scared to ask for help.
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.