Being under the shade of your loved ones for a long period and suddenly transitioning to handling everything is a change most cannot accept. The love and warmth provided by family and parents is not comparable to anything else in the world and this is best experienced by those who leave their homes and move out to build a life of their own.
Meet Nalini, a 28-year-old PGDM graduate from the prestigious IIM Indore. She is currently working in the private sector and lives with her family in a tier 2 city in India.
“I had a pretty decent childhood, except for growing up without my father’s influence as he was away for work for long periods. I’m trying to make up for the lost time right now.”
Nalini lived in a joint family as a kid and the sudden demise of her beloved grandmother was a shock for her and accepting the loss took time.
Nalini has a variety of hobbies like writing, reading, playing a musical instrument etc. She’s also an artistically inclined person.
“I enjoy my own company and have always had an array of hobbies to choose from.”
Nalini got into the PGDM programme at IIM Indore during the Pandemic era and faced some difficulties during her placement season as it was an anxious time and she fell back on the guidance aspect.
Nalini learned about the YourDOST platform from her college as they had a partnership with the organisation. Here she met Ms Indratapa Das who went on to become her therapist. She was empathetic and open to listening. It made Nalini feel like it was more of a venting session than counselling and she felt better having her around.
“An MBA was a big financial investment for my life and I did not want it to go in vain, and I was constantly in doubt regarding if I’ll ever make it into the professional landscape.”
Nalini began experiencing loneliness, and underconfident during her tenure at IIM Indore, as her classes were online and couldn’t meet anybody owing to the Pandemic. She did not have an active social life which made her feel overwhelmed at times. She suffered from raggedy mood swings throughout the day and would always feel like she was underperforming in her academics.
“My physical health was deteriorating and there was already a lot going on in the family with health concerns so I did not want to bother them. I stayed at home for 6-7 years before COVID hit and the change in environment was difficult to adjust to.”
Nalini began coming home only to eat and sleep while living alone. The PGDM course itself was draining and she set an expectation for herself as she had a loan to pay for her course.
“There was a lot of pressure from the management and authority regarding the practical numbers and placement records. The entire environment was cut-throat and everybody was just after their own success story.”
Nalini had a strong family network to fall back on, however, she could not bring herself to ask for help from them. She feared scaring them and kept everything to herself before finally opening up to Ms Indratapa.
A relationship without closure had also revealed itself in her chaotic times as an unidentified concern and the loss of her grandmother struck her as well. Ms Indratapa helped her overcome all the underlying concerns with the necessary techniques and pulled her out of the deep rabbit hole Nalini found herself in.
“My therapist introduced me to a technique known as the wheel of emotions which helped me identify my triggers and label each of my emotions in a better way. Along with this technique, I also maintained a habit tracker to take note of her demeanour as a whole.”
Gradually, Nalini felt light with an uplifted mood, and attaining closure helped her face her challenges with better confidence. The sessions with her therapist boosted her confidence and made her feel valued and heard. She even took active measures to work on her relationships which helped her get clarity on where she went wrong and how to create bonds with people who matter to her.
“By the end of each session, I gradually started experiencing the positive changes in me and I embraced every change with open arms. I am extremely grateful to my therapist as she was the one who gave me a hand during my tough times. She was empathetic and gave big sister energy with zero judgements, which helped me regain confidence.”
Nalini has gone through a whirlpool of emotions and experiences but did not let any of them deter her from her goals. She stood her ground and worked on herself to a point where she could rate herself a solid 4 out of 5 in terms of feeling better.
We at YourDOST are proud to be a small part of Nalini’s journey and wish her the best for her future!
Nalini’s Warrior Tips:
1.“When help is available, it’s practical to take it and utilise it when needed instead of being avoidant.”
2.“While initially, the positive changes might reveal themselves at a slower pace, however, constant change is a high point in therapy.”
3.“Mental health should be addressed as something as important as physical health, therefore, be cognizant of your mental diet. ”
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