I casually mentioned to a friend that I thought I should visit the counsellor. He said it was no big deal, that I should go ahead, given he had spoken to her as well. Somewhere, it would bother me that I was seeking help from someone who did not know me personally, was paid to help me, and had to accomplish it in an hour. But when I finally sat through the session, I realised three things.
First, that I did have anxiety issues, but breathing exercises could help me and no medication was required. Second, that my emotions did not agree with the hierarchy of my problems that my brain had decided. Eg: my brain thought placements > my family worries > quarrels with my friends. Turned out to be the reverse. Third, that I preferred taking control of my mental wellbeing, for which I had to make a list of anything that was bothering me on a continuous basis. That would help me find resolutions (even if they were temporary) to resolve these internal conflicts.
As time went by, with the help of a lot of well-wishers, the sense of feeling lost drastically reduced. A lot of our batchmates started admitting that they too went to see the counsellor. Most of the time it was with regard to anxiety and rarely was it full-fledged depression. In my opinion, it highlights that we now recognise when we need help, and we have the maturity to look out for those of us who admitted to having issues. Sometimes, it just takes non-judgemental listening, and simple encouragement when someone seems to have a bad day. Sharing experiences is a manner of treating the whole experience normally, like you would see a doctor after you've upset your stomach.
Sustaining the advice you receive is the final and most difficult hurdle of them all. Because memory is short-lived, but emotions are not. The issues might relapse when we forget that, and it helped me to maintain a journal to document what I was feeling. It's also important to remember that you can't keep going back in the past to feel guilty/ a negative emotion about anything that might have happened in the past. As much as possible, try to think of a single happy memory before going to bed. We just have one life, and each day is precious.
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