2023-May-24

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Lemons to LEGO

BY SHYAM KUMAR · PROGRAM MANAGER · INDIA

4 MINUTE READ · 7 MINUTE LISTEN

I’m a Program Manager in the CX Centers Operation team and have been with Cisco in India for over 10 years.

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, in 2010. Life is good when treatment successfully controls my condition. But when the inflammation increases, infection creeps in, and I go through difficult periods for weeks or months — or years.

I went through one of the hardest times of my life between October 2015 to November 2017, when I was fighting for my life. I was admitted to the hospital six times. I had two surgeries, my weight dropped from 140 pounds (64 kilograms) to 80 pounds (36 kilograms), and I started to suffer from anorexia.

When I was depressed, I cried from pain and misery. But strangely, getting to this point created an opportunity. My extreme suffering motivated me to seek ways to improve my mental well-being.

Be a zebra

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers is a book one of my psychiatrists recommended. It helped me understand my body and the reasons for my terrible condition.

While zebras undergo a lot of stress when a predator attacks them, if they survive, within 60-90 seconds, their hormonal condition returns to normal.

Humans don’t usually follow this cycle. Our brain constantly keeps thinking and obsessing over problems and challenges that surround us. We don’t take the time to calm our minds.

I learned the importance of finding ways to be mindful by carving out “me time” every day. Most of us work eight to 10 hours a day. To be healthy, we should schedule at least an hour for ourselves, whether for exercise or a hobby.

For me, my hobby became LEGO building. As I recovered, my kids introduced me to the world of LEGO, which inspired me to get out of bed and spend positive time with them. I cherished these moments like a silver lining in between my traumatic days.

This activity diverted my mind from the agony I endured, like a form of meditation, decreasing my stress levels. And I am proud to say that I am now one of India’s top five LEGO collectors.

I also taught myself acrylic painting with online tutorials as a stress buster during the pandemic, worked rigorously with a badminton coach to help me regain my physical fitness, and got back to singing. I even performed at a CXC APJC All-Hands with my teammate Anand Iyer.

A new normal

In June 2017, I started a new treatment with biological medicines, and a year later, I felt normal again.

I am grateful that I could take such an extended leave of absence from Cisco and that my wonderful team was so supportive. When I needed a blood transfusion, a colleague even donated on my behalf.

Upon my return, I had to learn to set limits and pace myself.

I realized the importance of sharing my situation so colleagues would understand why I might need help or support.

I didn’t want to lose credibility with my team. I let people know if I couldn't attend an important event or deliver a task on time. Whenever I faced an extreme medical and physical challenge, this awareness helped to set expectations.

Regaining confidence

I faced another surprising challenge when I returned to work: socializing. Not having interacted with other people for so long, I lost the thought process of speech and found that words were hard to find. I developed a fear of public speaking.

To regain my confidence and overcome my phobia, I joined Toastmasters. It’s a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.

I attended weekly sessions and started speaking on a wide variety of topics such as history, culture, science, sports, behavior, leadership, and communication methods. Everything under the sun.

I participated in many speech contests, and within a year, I won multiple Best Speaker awards. 

Life lessons

While challenging, my experience taught me the importance of knowing your own body and taking care of yourself — both physically and mentally.

No one will better understand your body or the problems you face. At times, you might think you are suffering worse than anyone else.

I have worked to shift that perspective. I now recognize that I’m in a much better situation.

I am motivated to improve myself as much as I can. I am happy that today, people are more aware of the impact of mindfulness on well-being as we all strive to keep our minds and bodies healthy.

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