PRADEEP: Throughout my undergrad, I mostly coasted through my academic work all by myself without needing help of other people. And so over time, I’ve built this mental model that, whenever I’m faced with any challenge, if I work hard enough and if I think through things carefully enough, I will be able to get myself unstuck. However, this has kind of broken down during graduate school, where I’ve faced certain situations and challenges where I’ve not been able to get myself unstuck just all by myself. And over time, I’ve started feeling like, oh, maybe I’m not smart enough or I’m not working hard enough.
And as I narrated these experiences to my therapist, he was able to point out something very obvious, which is that it’s OK to ask for help, and you don’t have to face all challenges by yourself. Now, after realizing this, I’ve been trying to more deliberately trying to reach out to friends and other people who know me well whenever I’m faced with any challenges. And oftentimes, they have been able to provide a new perspective that has helped me get unstuck faster. And this has been quite helpful and effective in helping me face challenges and move on.