Article by Sudipto Gosh, PGDM- Executive Batch 2021-22
What are the few things that come to your mind when you hear about mental health?
Paagal, Violent, monster, nuts, crack-head, suicidal, anxious, obsessed, hurting, etc… Isn’t it? Things would have been different during the pre-COVID days. But, pandemic lockdown has exposed everyone to the darker, and often the more real dimension of our personalities, or so did I realize.
As the world came to a screeching halt, or you can say almost fell apart last year due to the pandemic, there were sudden loss of jobs all around. The fear of losing jobs, friends and family members was getting a tight grip onto our lives, something we would have all prepared in normal times, but pandemic of COVID-19 put our senses on “complete lockdown” mode. Within 6 months of nation-wide lockdown, I was forced to leave everything aside in life and focus on the most important thing in life – Health. To be more specific, Mental Health!
Years of experience may work in your favour when you apply for a new job, or for advanced course in education. But, in life, the experience could work against us, as we fail to equate real life situations with wisely thought actions. Why am I sharing this with you?
Well, what people do for themselves while fighting mental health issues is one of the toughest experiences you will get to know…
Whilst educating myself about mental health and taking therapy from the world’s best-known psychiatrist, I decided to take my life to a new high. Out of school for over a decade or so, and in tough job roles for the last 8 years, life has given me more opportunities to read a book than buy lemons. Sigh! So, why not redo the whole exercise whilst I fight mental health issues.
I searched for top 50 MBA online courses that I could pursue in the next 6 months… and that’s where my journey began. After shortlisting top 10, I hit a bump. I realized I neither had the time nor the financial stability to go for a full-time course. Plus, mental health is something that requires full-time attention.
That’s when someone recommended me IMT Ghaziabad Distance Learning Course. I was not sure about pursuing a DL course as I had worked in this industry and wasn’t willing to take a jump myself as a customer, or as a professional. All this happened in December 2020.
Fast-forward to March 2021… All was well until the second wave of COVID-19 struck us.
Sudden lockdown, same old stories of disorderly healthcare and job security – my health started denigrating again, all because I wanted to pursue an MBA but didn’t take a step 4 months ago. I sought mental help again, and side by side, I was also chanting heavily for my health and sought wisdom from the Supreme Godhead, Lord Krishna to show the way forward.
Next day, I got a call from IMT CDL’s consultant about the course date getting finalized as April 14th. I was filled with joy. I somehow managed to arrange and pay the fee for the course and registered myself.
Classes began in April, and since then, I have been very stable. I attended the online classes diligently. The interaction with my colleagues through Microsoft Team chatbox proved to be very useful as I kind of rekindled my lost hopes and dreams. People from all kinds of background and expertise are part of this course. All equally talented and bestowed with professional wisdom. Some guided me on how to plan for the assignments and exams. This truly made me a more energetic person than what I was last year!
I didn’t make friends… If you’re looking to make friends, IMT CDL is not the place. But, if you want professional advice, mentoring and education of best order, this is the place to come.
This is how IMT CDL’s course helped me:
- I became more disciplined with my time management, balancing the nuances of DL study and attending classes over the weekend
- Judicious use of 6 hours attending classes when the lockdown happened.
- Weekly team discussions after every class and planning the next phase of studies
- The peer competition is barely visible —- no rivalry that we are forced to experience when we are in school, a kind of rat race. So different with IMT CDL’s curriculum.
I am happy to report that CDL helped me gain my lost confidence and has put me on path to success. The rigor of the course is hard, no doubt. But, the outcome of having an MBA from IMT Ghaziabad is a sweet fruit that I am working hard on. And, so are my colleagues in the course.
If you are reading this, I am thankful. Do your bit in spreading awareness on mental health and how getting busy with life and actions really influences the way we see and think about the world around us.
Until I meet you next time, wishing you all great success and best of health.