From Being Depressed to Becoming a Psychologist

I was someone who never accepted the concept of mental health before becoming a

part of this field. I was still in school when I first encountered depression. Somehow,

I blamed my sadness on myself and the people and things around me. My days were

becoming duller and duller and I was suicidal.

But somehow, no one came forward to help me out and I felt like no one understood

what I was going through including my family members. They just brushed aside the

fact that I was sad and wished for me to become normal again.

Some of my friends found out that I was suicidal and even tried to help me out, but

nothing seemed to be helping at that point. But I wasn't ready to give up. I started to

write about the things that bothered me, and I started talking with more people. I

started taking therapy and my therapist helped me find a safe space because not

everyone would be kind to you when you have a mental health issue.

One of the things about people suffering from mental illness is that they are more

sensitive towards things than others. Being a sensitive person myself, I channelized that sensitivity into observing people.

I found out that I could understand people's emotions and was able to connect with

them. That was when the idea of getting into the field of psychology and mental health first came about.

But becoming a psychologist wasn't an easy journey; my parents did not approve of

it. They wanted me to choose a career path in literature. But by that time, I stopped

caring about what people thought of me and or what they wanted, and I went on to

complete my studies in psychology.

Today I can proudly say that I am a psychologist and I am proud of what I am and the

kind of work that I do. I am no more depressed; I am happily married and now my

whole family is proud of me.

I find my career very fulfilling and I wake up every day with so much enthusiasm. The

very thought of doing whatever I can to help someone in need is extremely gratifying.

Being a therapist, I know it is really difficult for the people coming in to open up to

me. And I'd ask them to not just limit themselves to one psychologist, try to talk with

multiple people, and go to the person whom they can connect with.