sometimes, all you have to do is approach someone

Just resharing here 

Original post:

all u have to do is approach someone

Written by 'This_Ad8098' on r/iisc on 20/08/2026

(not by Vinod)

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I wanted to share this during the previous incident, but I was kinda busy and completely forgot about it. But after what happened today, I felt like I should finally share it.

I don't want to go into too much detail about my personal life, but here's what happened.

On December 31st, 2025, I had decided that I was going to end my life that night.

I don't want to specify the exact reasons, but one of the biggest reasons was that I felt extremely lonely that day. There were also other things going on in my life: I didn't have clear goals for my future; I was dealing with academic stress, personal problems, body-image issues, social anxiety, and a lot of other things that had been building up.

And the strange thing is, I actually like being alone.

I love my privacy. I genuinely enjoy spending time by myself and being inside my own headspace. So being alone itself isn't necessarily a problem for me.

But that day, the loneliness felt different.

I went to B Mess for lunch and sat alone in a corner, staring outside the window. Thoughts just kept coming into my head.

"You're always alone."

"You're just average."

"What are you even going to do with your future?"

"Look at everything that happened this year."

Since it was the last day of the year, I started thinking about the entire year. What had I actually done? Was the year really as good as I had hoped it would be?

There were definitely good memories, but for some reason, none of them were coming to mind.

Instead, all I could remember were the bad moments.

The lonely moments.

The problems in my relationships.

The disappointing test results.

The things I thought I should have done better.

Everything started piling up in my head.

I was literally crying, but I didn't even realize that I was crying. Tears were just coming out.

It felt like a chain reaction in my mind. Academic stress triggered personal stress, which triggered body-image issues, which triggered social anxiety, and suddenly everything was hitting me at the same time.

And then something happened that I still think about.

I just stood up.

No planning. No second thought. It was almost instinctive.

There was some random guy sitting a few seats away from me. I had never spoken to him before.

I went and sat next to him and simply said,

"Bro, I'm not feeling well."

We started talking.

During the conversation, I openly told him that I was thinking of ending my life that day.

I don't even know why I told a complete stranger. Maybe because I didn't know him, there was no fear of being judged. I don't know.

Eventually, I ended the conversation by asking him about himself, which department he was from, etc. Then I went back to my room in A Block.

I just put on some music and sat there.

About ten minutes later, someone knocked on my door.

When I opened it, there were people from the Wellness Centre wearing yellow/white coats.

They basically told me, "You have to come to the Wellness Centre right now."

That's when I understood what had happened.

That random guy whom I had met for the first time had informed the Wellness Centre about what I had told him.

I had literally only shared my name and department with him. I still have no idea how they found my room so quickly. I assume he informed one of the staff members, who somehow found my room.

They took me to the Wellness Centre on a bike.

And honestly, this is probably one of the best things that has happened to me during my time here.

I had spent almost three years at IISc without ever entering the Wellness Centre.

That night, I spent around four hours there talking to the Wellness Committee members.

And for the first time, I openly talked about everything.

My personal problems.

My academic problems.

My fears.

My loneliness.

My anxiety.

Everything.

It honestly felt like I was physically removing the weight I had been carrying inside me by turning all those problems into words and saying them out loud.

I don't want to drag this post on forever, but the next morning was January 1st, 2026.

I woke up feeling genuinely positive and happy.

And that's when I realized something.

Sometimes, one small action can completely change the direction of your day, or even your life.

In my case, it was simply approaching another person.

So if you're going through something similar, please don't underestimate the importance of talking to someone.

Approach your roommate.

Approach your neighbour.

Approach the person sitting alone in the mess.

Approach a classmate.

Approach someone from another department.

Hell, approach someone you've never spoken to before.

You don't have to give them your entire life story. You can literally start with:

"Bro, I'm not feeling well."

That's enough.

And please don't feel ashamed about asking for help.

I know one of the biggest fears people have is:

"What if they think I'm weak?"

"What if they judge me?"

"What if they tell other people?"

"What if rumours start?"

My answer to that is: if a person is mature enough to get into an institute like IISc, I would like to believe they are mature enough to understand that someone asking for help isn't something to make fun of.

And if someone does judge you for seeking help, honestly, that's their problem.

Please go to the Wellness Centre.

Don't think of it as something embarrassing.

If you have a physical health problem, you go to a doctor.

If you're struggling mentally, you talk to a therapist, counsellor, or psychiatrist.

It's the same basic logic.

There is absolutely nothing shameful about it.

Only an ignorant person would make fun of someone for going to a Wellness Centre.

And don't let your ego tell you:

"I can fix myself."

"I don't need anyone."

"I'll deal with it myself."

Why?

You don't get extra points for suffering alone.

Life is a journey, and college is just one part of it. I sometimes think of college like a bus. You've entered this bus along with hundreds of other students, and you have four years of travelling together.

Eventually, everyone will get off the bus.

Years later, you probably won't even remember most of the people you were so worried about impressing or what they thought about you.

You'll remember a few close friends, a few experiences, and the things that actually mattered.

So don't spend these years constantly worrying about what everyone else thinks of you.

Don't let embarrassment stop you from asking for help.

And don't isolate yourself just because you're afraid of being judged.

I'm doing much better now.

I have a clearer purpose.

I have a small circle of friends.

I have more clarity about what I want to do in the future.

And I'm genuinely happy with where I am right now.

I'm still mostly the same person. I still love being alone. I still enjoy my own headspace. I still sometimes sit alone while eating in the mess.

And I'm perfectly happy doing that.

The difference is that now, if I ever feel like I need someone, I won't hesitate to approach them.

It doesn't matter whether it's a random student, my neighbour, a professor, or someone I barely know.

I'll just talk.

So, especially after what happened today, I really wanted to share this.

If you're going through something, don't wait until everything becomes unbearable.

Find someone.

Talk to them.

And if you feel like you can't handle it yourself, please use the Wellness Centre.

You don't have to go through everything alone.

Sometimes, all you have to do is approach someone. 

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( Written by This_Ad8098 on r/IISc, not by Vinod)