Our 20s are some of the most confusing and ambiguous years of our lives. There’s a pendulum where we swing between excitement and passion, uncertainty and feeling lost. How we live during that decade paves the path for the rest of our lives.
Here is the story of our warrior who had ups and downs in his 20s and stayed resilient. A true bookworm, he calls himself “Monte” as inspired by the Classic ‘The Count Of Monte Cristo.‘
World-renowned author Earnest Hemingway once said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book”. For Monte, books are his best friend, and reading is one of his greatest pleasures.
“I love to read anything that I can get my hands on. The thing I enjoy is gaining knowledge about anything that I possibly can.”
Monte pursued his Bachelor in Law from National Law University, Orissa, and works in Mumbai.
The transition from studying to working is a remarkable milestone for any individual, and just like any other milestone, it reshapes our lives completely. We’re used to the structure of college with assignments, exams, professors, and so on. As we transition to a career, we have to navigate through a completely new structure.
“I experienced a lot of anxiousness when I started my professional career. I felt as if my confidence and self-esteem had dipped massively and I was struggling with handling my emotions.”
Living with anxiety is like living with a parasite that sucks your energy out. Monte mentions that when he felt overwhelmed by a situation, he would run away from them because he felt too afraid to face them.
He mentions that he would shut down from the people around him and spiral down into a web of emotions.
Understanding that this was not a healthy coping mechanism at all and determined to change the path of his course, Monte decided to give counseling a try.
“I knew that YourDOST had partnered up with my University so I thought I would give it a try. I’m very grateful to my counselor for helping me process the things that were happening in my life.”
Monte mentions that his counselor, Ms. Anagha was supportive and helped create a safe space for him to be honest about his feelings.
Throughout his transition from college to career, Monte experienced severe Imposter Syndrome and lost most of his confidence.
“I could not associate myself with my achievements because of my low self-esteem and anxiety. Ms Anagha was extremely patient with me, and helped me understand how to navigate through these feelings.”
To have Imposter Syndrome is to live with a voice that constantly tells you to doubt yourself, making you feel like a fraud. Monte shared his burden with his counselor and started to see several positive changes within himself.
You can’t control what happens to you. However, you can control your reaction. Monte is more mindful of his reactions to different situations and finds it easier to keep his life on track.
He no longer feels the need to escape from his emotions. Rather, he confronts them with determination and courage.
“My counselor suggested that I begin journaling my thoughts so I can understand them from an objective perspective. This helped me a lot with my Imposter Syndrome, and I feel like I know myself better now.”
Now, Monte feels a lot more confident about who he is. He mentioned how therapy has helped by giving him the right tools to manage his emotions.
“I used to find comfort in the reactions I would have before. But now I understand that when things go wrong, those feelings are not permanent. I am more mindful of the way I handle these situations.”
Best-selling author Eric Butterworth says: “Don’t go through life, grow through life.”
With the help of therapy, Monte has grown into a resilient and courageous warrior who is not afraid to face things head-on. He rates himself with a 3.5 out of 5 in terms of feeling better, and we could not be more proud of his journey.
Monte’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Be fiercely optimistic, even when things go wrong. Wait for things to get better because they always will.”
2.“Face your fears head-on. Don’t be afraid to fail, because you can always pick yourself back up.”
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