Self-exploration is what perfectly describes Aishwarrya, a 22-year-old student who graduated with her Bachelor’s last year at Kumaragu College (KCTE) and is working currently. She loves exploring aspects such as the purpose of life.
What further reflects Aishwarrya’s kind side is her nature of helping others. As someone who likes talking to her family and friends, she is always open to speaking with others about their problems and how to solve them.
However, what Aishwarrya barely realized was how her issues would take a backseat in this process. Being an extrovert she enjoys speaking with people, and likes to put her words into action creatively.
“I have always had a lot of friends, enjoyed being a social butterfly. Interacting with people helped me feel my purpose.”
Aishwarrya mentioned that she enjoys reading books, exploring places, and mentoring people.
“I love being able to help people solve their problems! However, there have been times when I’ve felt a bit lost and unsure of myself. I wanted to make sure that I’ve explored every possible option and gotten advice from others.”
Aishwarrya mentioned that people trust her with their secrets and she always gives them that space.
As individuals our purposes are different while some prefer staying reserved some enjoy collaborating with others and helping them through bad days.
“I got to know about YourDOST from my college. As everything was online I started experiencing severe online fatigue, low moods and a drop in motivation levels.”
As Aishwarrya could see such issues piling one above the other, only leaving her confused and uncertain, she decided to seek professional help.
This is when Aishwarrya connected with her counselor, Ms. Akshaya Murali whom she found to be a good listener. Something that helped her put her trust in counseling was her counselor’s approach towards her concerns.
“Instead of telling me to do this or that, she helped me decide what I wanted to do.”
She spent her college online and this got her fatigued, it was draining and put her through severe stress and she started doubting herself.
Aishwarrya articulated that there were initial speculations as to if this would work out and if it would be comfortable.
“I did not want my parents to know that I was in counseling as they would worry and this was also associated to the stigma of mental health among the older generation.”
As she set out on a journey towards her betterment with Ms. Akshaya, she started working on her suggestions. To avoid confusion, she’d write down the pros and cons of the options she had in mind.
“I felt that someone whom I could trust and listen to, but who was also a stranger and a professional, would be able to provide me with suggestions in order to help me understand this balance, my feelings of Covid fatigue, and my demotivation. That’s why I decided to approach YourDOST.”
She needed a place without judgements or a space that did not make it sound like advice. She wanted to hear the viewpoints of others and trusting the platform was easy for her.
Ms. Akshaya suggested Aishwarrya techniques as a part of her sessions, some of these include capturing emotions and mood-tracking exercises.
“These tools helped me stay grateful and reflect on my emotions.”
Aishwarrya said that her counselor asked her to exercise and meditate quite often and also track and assess her progress. This progress was given to her as a reminder to start making changes.
She explained that she felt good post her sessions, putting thoughts into words was a little complicated for her but she still managed to do it effortlessly.
Ms. Akshaya motivated her and asked her to focus on the good things and also note down the small things that mattered to her.
As a result of this, she was able to focus on his priorities and future based on her decisions. After a long time, her decisions were no more influenced by what people thought or did and this gave her new wings to fly.
Talking about the support Aishwarrya got from his counselor, she says that she’s glad to be treated as a friend and not a client.
“I am always at awe to how Ms Akshaya understood me. She used the right techniques to guide me through tough times and I enjoyed speaking with her.”
When she looks back, she can see that her overall improvement has moulded her into an expressive person. She’s a solid 4 on the 1 to 5 scale of improvement. This is why she’s a true warrior and inspiration for many out there who still aren’t sure of self-exploration.
Aishwarrya’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Always reach out to people if you need help. It’s okay to seek help and it has to be normalised.”
2.“Judgements always come and go but never let that impact you.”
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