The lockdown took a terrible toll on me emotionally. Seven months into the lockdown, I could not think of anything but ending my life. When I thought of reaching out to my family and friends, the thought that they would judge me always disturbed me from the inside. Everything in life seemed to go downhill. Things were not good at home, the academic pressure was becoming unbearable, and all I could feel was that the world was coming crashing down on me. I felt the most vulnerable at night when I was alone with my thoughts. When I approached suicide prevention helplines, I could not talk comfortably on calls.

I Had Nobody To Talk To

I wanted to talk to someone; I needed someone to sit in front of me and listen to what I had to say. After fighting my internal battles, I finally opened up to my friends, which helped me get better. It took a few months for me to come out of depression ultimately. One evening, I saw a post on Instagram that read, “Tell me your story and I will give you one dollar”. It touched me so deeply that I started to think of ways of reaching out to people and helping them get through their turmoil. I know the importance of a stranger who could be a good listener to you. Since I had dedicated my life to helping people deal with mental health issues, I could spend my day sitting on the road with a placard in my hand that read, “Tell me your story and I will give you ten rupees”.

Everyone Has Their Suffering

Till today, I have met people from several walks of life, be it a CEO of a multinational or an intern in a local organization. Now I understand that everyone is suffering in their world. I have understood that I must be more understanding of others’ situations and more kind. In 2019, there were more than 1,35,000 deaths due to mental health issues, and I can only imagine the numbers after the pandemic led to the loss of jobs.

My initiative has helped personally, but I am proud of myself because I could lend an ear to a person when they needed it the most. A fraction of time from my day made a significant impact on some people, and the world would be so beautiful if all of us could lend just five minutes from our day to listen to someone.  

If you too have an inspiring story to tell the world, send us your story at mystory@thelogicalindian.com