Report - Q: Can You Emerge Stronger From A Crisis?

A: An expert’s advice and real-life stories show you how...

- Humra Afroz Khan

One day, despite a flourishing career and a thriving personal life, you may find yourself at rock bottom. Fallen, like a pack of cards. But you’re not alone. Crises happen. And to everyone. What sets people apart is how they deal with the adversity—some let it bring them to their knees; others pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and start anew. And that entails finding a new perspective, realigning goals, and rerouting paths.

“In life, each one of us will go through devastating phases where we feel that we have lost everything, that life is hopeless and, perhaps, not worth living,’ says Delhi-based clinical psychologist and holistic practitioner, Dr Prerna Kohli. It could be the death of a loved one, loss of a job, bad health, or any other experience that shakes you up. “But, as human beings, we have a great deal of resilience to rise again and again,” she stresses.

For actor Tripti Dimri, the biggest setback in life was when she was 11, in the 6th grade. “I had failed in mathematics and had to repeat the year. Those days, you couldn’t talk about your failures, you could only feel miserable about them. Nothing has been more distressing for me than that phase. I couldn’t sleep, my father had stopped speaking to me, I would hang my head low while walking, and had become extremely underconfident.”

The incident continued to affect Dimri until two years ago. “It was difficult for me to be around people, and it hampered my personal relationships, too. Feeling nervous is one thing, but feeling scared and judged is quite another. I had convinced myself that everyone was making fun of me and thinking I’m a failure.”