Siddharth Gadepalli

I have always taken responsibility for everything. Growing up in a traditionally conservative Indian society, I was taught that responsibility is the key to success. However, taking it to an extreme level has a significant impact on your mental health. This became particularly conspicuous to me within the past year, when my mind started to become restless and jump to conclusions. With time, it became increasingly difficult to decipher and control. It got on auto-pilot. I worried about my career, my family’s health, my friends’ decisions and more. I became very distraught. It didn’t matter who or what it was, I took responsibility for everything. I became so engrossed in taking care of everyone else, that I began sacrificing my own well-being. I started feeling disoriented and mentally absent. I lost my purpose in life. I began having severe identity and anxiety issues. I knew I needed to press the reset button. I went back to the basics. I began to focus on simple things and took it one step at a time.