How Counseling Helped Asad Search for Answers Within

An ambivert by nature, a rider by passion and an HR by profession – This is the story of 30-year-old Asad Khaleel. Born and bred in Bangalore, Asad now works at Cisco. Asad calls himself a true nature lover and an animal lover, who loves to be around animals and even rescuing them! Asad has always been a curious kid, which led him to question many realities of life.

“At one point in my life, I started seeking answers to a certain behaviour of mine and reactions that other people gave me.”

Always on the top of his game, Asad suddenly started feeling gloomy. He was searching for answers, where the questions were blurry. He wanted to introspect and come to terms with himself.

Asad started going back to his shell of isolation, where he stopped entertaining others. He constantly found himself wondering, “If I could go back in time, what would I change” – Asad started keeping himself busy, to stop thinking about the past and break the chain of ‘what if’. After months of introspection, Asad was able to identify the root of his distress which was the Mental and Physical abuse he went through as a kid. Asad thought his mind will be at peace now, but it had only started to get worse.

Asad was feeling uncomfortable with his negative thoughts, he wanted to lead a balanced life.

Upon knowing YourDOST as an emotional wellness coach, Asad immediately reached out and got connected with the counselor, Dr Sudha. As Asad called himself a people person; both professionally and personally – he decided to start his counseling journey with Sudha via video all options. From the beginning of the sessions, he showed transparency with his thoughts and words in front of Sudha. He had decided that whatever happens, will stay true to himself and Sudha and discuss everything openly. This helped him from the rapport quite easily.

“Sudha was very empathetic. She suggested me many techniques, one of which was breathing exercises to calm my mind down. She motivated me to try and move on from the past, rather than being stuck in it.”

Asad learned how to control his overthinking through counseling and also learned coping mechanisms to help himself get out of the distressed mindset.

The new version of himself that Asad sees in the mirror today, gives its credit to Dr Sudha and her guidance. From Sudha’s patient demeanour and listening skills, Asad feels like he has come a long way. Truly, understanding humans and their issues are one challenging task and Asad couldn’t thank Sudha enough for being there for him during the dark hour. 

“YourDOST truly stood up to my expectations. I even recommended it to many of my friends.”

In a fun rapid-fire round with YourDOST, Asad described his overall improvement as ‘amazing’ and rated himself a solid 5 on 5 in terms of feeling better. For Asad, the best part about the counseling process was the self-realisation he was able to discover, after months of trying it alone. As we bid adieu to Asad, he left us with one powerful statement – “If given an opportunity, I’d redo the same thing again!”. Indeed, counseling is not just for people who are going through something, it is for everyone. For people to gain clarity in their life and also be the best version of themselves!

Asad’s Warrior Tips:
1. If we are going through something, we all must start somewhere. Without starting, you can never put an end to your problems.
2. Seeking help is now easier than ever. Just dial the number, and you can reach out to a counselor. It’s that simple!

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.