“My Marriage Didn’t Break Me, It Freed Me” Says Rishabh

What happens when you decide to spend your life with someone and the dreamy fairytale abruptly comes to an end? You might feel betrayed, shattered, heartbroken, right? Well, something similar happened to 27-year-old Rishabh Sharma.

Hailing from Patna, this talkative guy currently works at an Ed-tech company as Business Development Manager. Rishabh enjoys the company of others and dislikes being alone.

A nomad, Rishabh also has his bucket list full, as he loves to travel. Rishabh had been in a relationship with a girl for over nine months and decided to tie the knots. His family was not supportive of the union, but he nevertheless remained with her for over six months until the skies broke in front of him.

“I began to feel like I was trapped in the relationship. I came to know many things about her which were kept hidden from me. I felt cheated due to that.”

A few months into the relationship, Rishabh found out many things about his wife which were unknown to him prior to the marriage. He realized how the girl had only married him for money’s sake and not out of emotions of love. It was a tough time for Rishabh to cope with.

As Rishabh belongs to a fairly wealthy family, he realized that the girl was only after the money. He then decided to part ways with the girl and began to live on his own.

“I was working at a bank at that time and due to some issues, I quit that. I then joined my current company and since the pandemic was going on, I was working from home, all alone with a failed marriage.”

As Rishabh hated living alone, the days and the nights were rather tough on him. Of course, he talked with his friends about how he was feeling alone and needed closure, but after some point, he thought not to bore his loved ones with the saga of his failed marriage.

“I was getting too scared about the future. I tried to keep myself busy with work, but the nights were the hardest. I started drinking alcohol to put me to sleep at night.”

As days passed, Rishabh realised he needed to mend things and get back to his original mindset. One night, Rishabh kept on having thoughts about his marriage and the girl on an endless loop and couldn’t sleep at all. The next morning, going through his emails, he got to know about YourDOST as his company’s emotional wellness partner and decided to give counseling a chance. He downloaded the YourDOST app and book an appointment as soon as he could.

“My counselor was Ms Ayushi Dixit and I was connected with her via chat and audio option. She was very supportive and a good listener is what I liked the most about her.”

Rishabh and Ayushi instantly developed a bond and it gave him a free space to speak about his feelings. As a remedy to part ways with his negative thoughts, Ayushi advised Rishabh to mingle back with his friends and give himself some distraction.

Rishabh took a trip to Manali with his friends and slowly began to feel like himself again. “She was like a magician”, said Rishabh about Ayushi. Initially, it was getting a bit difficult for Rishabh to actually mingle with friends, as he was surrounded by his thoughts but after a couple of outings, he truly felt like his own being.

“My alcohol dependency has stopped now. I can sleep peacefully now. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and family now and also don’t feel guilty why my marriage broke off.”

Rishabh summed up his counseling journey as ‘great’ and called Ayushi’s suggestions the right advice he’d receive at the right time. From all of us at YourDOST, Rishabh, you’re truly a mental health warrior who didnt let a minor hiccup define his entire life.

Rishabh’s Warrior Tips:
1. Go for counseling or therapy sessions with an open mind and you will see the difference in your thought process.

 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.