A young girl with lots of dreams and hopes. 20-year-old Tanisha Mangal, a B.Tech student in her fifth semester, comes from a family of Doctors. She enjoys dancing, music, and occasionally cooking and painting in her spare time.
Little Tanisha was loved even though she grew up in a milieu of restrictions and limitations. Be it her parents’ attachment to her or worry for her, a golden cage is also a cage. This cheerful and sweet young girl didn’t anticipate that it wouldn’t be simple to spread her wings the day she broke out from the cage.
“The restrictions that I had since childhood made me feel inferior. I turned out to be submissive and an introvert and failed to raise boundaries with the people around me. Those who I regarded to be friends emotionally exploited me. It was a very difficult situation.”
The folks we confide in are our friends. They are meant to be a safe zone where we can be confirmed. But when the same people decide to leverage our flaws, we lose faith in anything and everything that resembles friendship. And mending this wound is never easy.
“I was once robbed while I was out with a friend. It was horrifying and later I found out that my friend was responsible for the whole incident. That broke me.”
Tanisha too found it difficult to move on from the incident. And finally, she chose to heal herself. She noted through her college emails that YourDOST was associated with her institution and was there to offer mental health resources to the students. Without wasting any time, she opted for a chat session.
“I had taken therapy in school and thus I had no stigmas associated with mental health or therapy to be specific. My first session on YourDOST was lovely and I’ve not stopped ever since.”
When we feel that our bucket is filling up, the right thing to do is seek help. Tanisha was glad to meet her therapist Ms. Puroitree. She had gone through so much that she started to feel restless. Her therapist not only understood her side of the story but also acknowledged and assured her that it is okay.
“Not a single person did I have on my side. Ms. Puroitree was the first person to have faith in me, and I felt relieved. She validated my feelings and put the weight off my heart because I felt it was all my fault for whatever happened to me. I felt so empowered.”
All of us at some point in our lives need this assurance. Even if we know that we are not the problem, we still blame ourselves. The constant thought of ‘maybe if I wasn’t like this, they would have been nice to us’ doesn’t leave us.
But Tanisha’s therapist made sure that she heals from her trust issues in the healthiest way possible. She included a combination of therapy in Tanisha’s treatment plan including Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, etc.
Tanisha could implement up to 60% of all the suggestions she received and continues working on them.
“My therapist helped me mature and grow. I am way more open-minded. I stopped connecting with myself but she helped me believe in myself. I carry my individuality with me and have an elevated sense of self-worth. My therapist is always there for me till now.”
Tanisha claims to no longer have any pals and places her therapist as her closest buddy. She even celebrated her birthday with her therapist in a session. She is finally able to prioritise herself and has begun to grow more empathetic and compassionate. As a word of gratitude to her therapist, Tanisha says,
“Thank you for establishing me. You will eventually say that I am the one to put all of my efforts into my healing. But it would not have been possible without your guidance, support, and advice. So I appreciate your empathy and support, as well as your sensitivity, techniques, and time. Everything is important to me.”
Tanisha believes that true improvement is growth and finds relief in therapy. She gives herself a 4 out of 5 in terms of getting better, and we couldn’t have been more pleased for her. It’s never easy to get out of a tough situation, but Tanisha did it with flying colours. If she can do it, so can you.
Tanisha’s Warrior Tips:
1.”Listen to what others say but pay attention to your inner self. You are the most important.”
2.“Having boundaries is very important but if someone is stepping over them, then speak up.”
3.“Do not be scared of sharing your story. Keeping it to yourself will only hurt you more. Speak out and seek help.”
