“I still remember the day I opened up to my counsellor stating that I’m just 21 but have this feeling of not doing enough in life. She was unfazed by my statement and just calmly called it the ‘Quarter-life crisis.’ Yes, that was the fancy name given to what was disturbing me from within. Now, after knowing what it was, my next obvious questions were ‘why me’ and ‘how can I get rid of it’. I knew for sure that procrastination wasn’t an option; I had to find ways to deal with it at once, plus in a healthy manner to regain my mental peace.

In this fast-paced life, I saw everyone around me take their next steps almost mechanically. School, college, work and eventually marriage seemed to be the progression which had to be unlocked one after the other before a certain time. However, since I couldn’t fit into that template and wanted to address the ‘why’ of everything, most people viewed me as selfish and rude, though that wasn’t the case at all.

Nevertheless, I knew somewhere, that if I repress my feelings for the sake of fitting in, they would manifest themselves in dangerous ways later. So with that realization in place, I started taking steps to find out my purpose and address my thoughts. And changes didn’t mean life-altering ones but just simple everyday modifications. I began by giving myself an hour or two daily to enjoy the little things in life and viewing scenarios from a different perspective. I gradually started playing the piano, painting, and even tried my hand at comedy while never letting these little things become my blind spots.

What helped additionally was voicing out my problems to people who lent an unbiased ear, without bottling them up. Slowly these small adjustments started creating a positive impact whilst making me believe that there was hope. I’m 23 now and in these two years, my experiences have truly shaped me into a better human being. There’s still a long way to go, but I’m happy with my progress. The confusion in a way helped me eliminate whatever was unsuitable. But more importantly, it has reinforced that the journey is as important as the destination itself!”