“Therapy Helped Me Gain the Emotional Validation I Lacked” – Vaibhav

With a larger than life personality, this is the story of twenty-five-year-old Vaibhav. Hailing from the city of lakes, Udaipur, Vaibhav had led a very dynamic life and that reflects in the people he surrounds himself with as well.

Vaibhav likes to call himself an organic person and he is someone who always has something to say to almost anything! Having worked in many vertices such as Blockchain, Marketing and then finally entering the Finance region, Vaibhav started off his journey as Underwriting Analyst at Better Mortgage.

Vaibhav also enjoys the company of varied people from different professions and he is an extrovert, on most days! What could happen to someone as full-of-life as Vaibhav, you may think. Well, always being poor at academics made Vaibhav believe that he might not be doing enough in his job.

“I used to think I have poor work ethics. I felt like the people at my workplace were looking down at me. There’s no starting point to this feeling, but it was recurring.”

After joining BMTG, Vaibhav thought he might be very straightforward with putting his thoughts out and people will object to that. This feeling shrunk him so much that he slowly stopped speaking to peers and even stopped socialising with his friends.

“I desperately needed c for my emotions. I was getting anxiety at the most unusual places and the attacks will not leave me even after hours past that.”

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the lockdown that followed, Vaibhav moved to his home for a while. With the negativities around him, he stopped focusing on himself. He lacked the motivation to do anything at all. The lifestyle change made him gain weight and he knew he needed to cut down, but did not have motivation for that as well. 

Usually very joyful and hopeful, Vaibhav now had become a pessimist and could not see positivity in anything that he’d do.

“I remember once when I was out with my friends, I was suppressing myself so much. That led to me overthinking and eventually lagging behind in the conversation. I never had confidence issues, but this feeling was making me crippled.”

With no motivation in mind and heart filled with sorrow, Vaibhav knew that everything was happening in his mind itself and that he could come out of it, but did not know how to. Vaibhav’s parents didn’t see any changes in him, but his brother came up to him and said, “Bro, I think you need to seek therapy.” Vaibhav was aware of the concept of counseling but did not consider it for himself. Now that he knew that he needed an outsider’s approach, he decided to seek counseling. He then informed his peers and parents about this, and they were immediately onboarded without any hesitation!

Vaibhav reached out to YourDOST from his organisation’s resources and got connected with the counselor, Ms Divya. As Vaibhav is a naturally sociable person, he decided to opt for a video counseling session with Divya.

“Divya suggested that I should start one habit a week, to distract myself from overthinking. So I started walking one kilometre the first week, followed by reading books, and meditation as well.”

Vaibhav found Divya’s way of explanation very unconventional and so he was able to connect with her well from the beginning itself. One of the techniques suggested by Divya stayed with Vaibhav, which was whenever angry just ask yourself – “Is this the worst thing that could happen to me?” and “Can I handle this?” – These two sentences changed Vaibhav’s life. Along with this, Divya also suggested to Vaibhav that he needed to focus on his body as well.

Vaibhav was finally getting the motivation he was lacking. He soon started focusing on meditation, mindfulness and working out. As a result, he was able to control his thoughts and even reduced his smoking habit.

“I started the techniques out of necessity, but now they have become a part of my life”, says Vaibhav. Through the sessions and guidance, Vaibhav got out of his bubble and started socialising again. He even recommended YourDOST to many of his friends. Upon asking the best thing about therapy, Vaibhav replied, I gained the validation I needed! Vaibhav not only managed to socialise again but also started being mindful of his thoughts and didn’t let the negative thoughts overpower him.

Vaibhav is very happy with Divya’s guidance and wishes to follow them as much as he can. Vaibhav feels less stressed, less anxious now. He even mentions how meditation made him more focused and made him motivated, naturally.  Vaibhav rates 3.5 out of 5 for himself and his journey of improvement. He believes that he is a “Work in Progress” and we appreciate his honesty!

Vaibhav’s Warrior Tips:
1. If you need a good house, you’d reach out to the best architect in town, then why would you shy away from seeking help from a counselor to be the best version of yourself!?

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.