Riya is a 27-year-old PhD student, and she hails from a middle-class family and is on her journey to becoming a PhD scholar.
Her immediate family is her mom, dad, and her two siblings. Activities like cooking and dancing are her haven, and she enjoys them in her leisure time.
Although childhood is a time when everyone lives their best lives, Riya had some unfortunate incidents that scarred her inner child, and she struggled with those memories. Her grandmother was her biggest confidant and friend, and therefore, losing her shattered her heart. She was more attached to her grandmother than her friends or family and shared every little detail of her life with her.
After her demise, Riya felt a void in life, as nobody else understood her as her grandmother. She could not have the emotional connection she shared with her grandmother with anybody else.
Riya had considered taking therapy for a long time, but social constraints and her doubts regarding how her family would react to it restricted her for some time.
Joining Lovely Professional University opened the doors to Riya, and she found YourDOST to be her path to self-discovery. Here, Ms Jumana Khan was assigned to be my counsellor. She describes her counsellor as more of a friend and listener with whom she could share her concerns. Riya admits that she was sceptical at first about sharing her thoughts, and it took about 2-3 sessions to open up.
“I felt that I should give it a try and then continue if I see significant improvement. I not only found my counselor, but also a confidant, friend, and listener with whom I could talk about my feelings.”
Riya shared how numerous eve-teasing incidents had changed her notions. She remembers those unfortunate incidents as something that shattered her confidence and made her see things negatively.
Every girl handles these situations differently, and it was exceptionally tough for Riya.
“I became uncomfortable around boys. I could not even hug my dad, brothers, or friends.”
Riya remembers herself as being rude to everyone and not expressing her feelings. Even if she felt love or consideration towards a person, there was a mental block for her that disabled her from expressing those feelings. Being an introvert, she tried to compensate for this with her actions, but it was not easy at all.
“I decided I needed to be a better person and version of myself.”
With the help of Ms Jumana Khan, Riya started indulging in breathing exercises, writing down her thoughts, and journaling to channel her thoughts better. Gradually, she started feeling better and experienced positive changes within herself.
She discovered she was not uncomfortable anymore around her male counterparts. She was no longer overthinking things and started feeling much more confident.
“I am eternally grateful to Jumana for being such a great listener. Every listener needs a listener, and she was that to me. I can share anything with her without the fear of being judged.”
In Riya’s journey of self-discovery, she found a friend in her counsellor, who helped her pave her way through her fears and insecurities. Jumana answered all her doubts with genuine consideration and was patient enough to give her all the essential advice.
Riya rated herself a solid 3.5/5 in terms of feeling better. We are confident this is just the beginning, and reaching the golden 5 is just a few stepping stones away.
Riya’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Do not pressure yourself into situations you do not want to be in. Sometimes you have to let go.”
2.“Seeking help is not a sign of weakness. Talking out your concerns allows you to be a better version of yourself. .”
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