“Extroverts sparkle, introverts glow. Extroverts are fireworks, introverts are a fire in the hearth.” – Sophia Dembling
Studies have shown that introversion can hamper one’s ability to get social and assertive with the crowd. 22-year-old Vihan also experienced something similar. Pursuing his combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree at IISER Thiruvananthapuram, he is from Kollam, Kerela.
He grew up here and was an introvert, he spent most of his childhood digging into fictional books and watching movies.
“I read a lot of books growing up and it was my support system. That helped me stay comfortable inside my shell of solitude.”
But, just as much as an introvert Vihan was, he started facing a lot of issues with gelling along with his surroundings. He was having a setback with his conversation skills and would often be miles away from crowds. What created a huger issue was the fact that being an introvert forbade him from opening up his feelings in front of anyone.
It was also the time he got bothered by a headache that came in uninvited and would last for days. This worried him and he decided to speak to a mental health professional.
“Initially, I didn’t know why I got the headache. I even checked with an eye specialist, but he said that there were no problems. It was around this time I got into counseling.”
YourDOST being associated with his college, was the gateway for him to inculcate a much-needed change. He came in touch with a counselor – Ms Kousalya.
“I was sad, and hit my saturation point with living, I started overthinking, did not have any interets towards speaking with anybody.”
At the beginning of the counseling sessions, Vihan had a mere idea of how it would turn out to be. He was clueless about the outcome and his resistance to sharing increased his doubts regarding its effectiveness.
As the counseling sessions proceeded, she was put through certain techniques to overcome his introversion by Kousalya. He was advised to practise the diffusion technique.
“I was worried about the fact that I might not have enough things to talk about. It was already hard for me to open up, and having unfiltered, deep conversations were even more challenging for me.”
But what could be better than putting oneself in the shoes of their fears? Soon, he started putting all the techniques into practice and this helped him connect with himself better.
His counselor spoke to him about the diffusion activity. There were great results that he saw and he was able to live in the moment instead of being anxious about the future.
“My anxiety has drastically reduced and I am not afraid to speak with you anymore.”
There was a constant headache he felt. He initially thought it was an issue with the eye which then turned out to be something caused by his mental health. Ever since he sat to self-prepare for JEE he started feeling it. He would finish college come home and sit down to prepare.
“I feel it must have been the fear of not being able to get into the institute of my dreams. This is when it all started.”
Vihan expressed that his heartbeat was always high, and he would feel anxious, his thinking speed was reduced, and concentration and memory power got hampered leaving his mind feeling cloudy.
It was in December, that he realised that his headache was slowly reducing. Despite taking pills for headaches and migraine it would never reduce. It was only after getting into therapy, that this situation changed.
He expressed that his headache is much better, his hobbies have started becoming fun again, and his social anxiety has reduced. They tried ways to stop overthinking and alter his thinking pattern effectively.
After the process of counseling, he is showing drastic improvement and is in a better space now. The introvert within him once derailed him from achieving his potential was now booming around with bravery and reliability.
“I was starting to learn to interact with others in a better way. I was finally able to talk to people with whom I wasn’t close.”
Vihan extends his hearty gratitude towards Ms Kousalya whom he describes as being incredibly understanding. His initial concerns about being judged for expressing his difficulties fled into thin air after just a few sessions. Vihaan is definitely in a better place now.
“Kousalya helped me through a very tough time. It was a wide range of topics that I had inside me. Through counseling, I could share anything that I wanted to.”
By now, Vihaan has become more socially aware and can socialise more effectively! He rates his improvement through counseling with YourDOST with a solid 4 out of 5. Being an introvert couldn’t change his capability to socialise and restrain from expression, after all, we human beings are social animals!
Vihan’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Having someone to vent out to, really helps.”
2.“Even if you don’t have a particular problem, you can still go to a counselor to improvise yourself.”
3.“Make sure you seek the help you deserve as it is important as mental health matters.”
Team YourDOST
Source link
