Obstacles are an essential part of one’s journey in life. As a famous proverb says, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”. Each person has to go through struggles, obstacles and face challenges in order to reach their ambitions and achieve their goals. These goals might be little everyday tasks or big ambitions beyond most people’s imagination, but no ambition or goal is ever big or small, irrelevant or relevant. You cannot measure the importance of accomplishing a simple goal in someone else’s life.
An important experience I can think of is the time when the obstacle in front of me was not anything external, but it was my own mind. A few years back, I had a serious phase of undiagnosed anxiety and depression. I wouldn’t step out of my house, not get any work done, not talk to anyone for days, make the silliest excuses to avoid even my parents. The anxiety wouldn’t let me sleep at night, I would go to bed and start thinking about the worst possible things that have happened or could happen, and I would just get out of bed and spend nights just distracting myself on Netflix. There were days I felt like I couldn’t feel my own body, I was numb. I tried to touch my arm and not feel a thing. Some days were that of depersonalization. I would feel as if someone dragged me out of my own life and made me watch it as an external silent spectator, and I couldn’t do anything to change my circumstances and just watch the days pass. It takes a lot to fight against your own self, because the only thing stopping you from getting up all day and making you think of everything that can go wrong is your own head.
It takes a lot of courage to take that first step, to finally decide to just get out of bed and take that shower. It might seem like a simple task to many, but it is a huge step for those who are depressed. I almost went to get therapy but talking it out with my friends and family helped me motivate myself to fight against my own mind. I started getting out of bed, I started working out, fixed my sleep schedule, went out, started reading, started eating…one day at a time. It got better. I reached me goal - sanity. The thing most of us take for granted. I know the value of leading a normal life, of being happy and satisfied. I came out of it. I’m at my best now. But it took a lot out of me, I’m never going to look back from here.
Anukriti Dwivedi
T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal
