By Urja Shah

Mrs. Gunjan remembers getting discharged after being hospitalized for nine days for dengue. Her blood platelets were less than ten thousand against a minimum of one lakh fifty thousand, and she had rashes all over her body. She felt so weak. It was a near-death experience for her. That day her mother told her, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." At that moment, she took it in from one ear and out from the other.

Due to this illness, her mental health was in shatters. She ended up not clearing a professional exam. She felt anxious all the time. Then she remembered what her mother had told her, and that changed her perspective towards life. She slowly started learning to live with the message of making everyday count as if it were her last. She looked around and realized there was kindness and positivity all around. Many thoughts began to run across her mind. She wanted to leave a mark. She thought, 'Today is the first day of my life; it could also be the last. How do I add value to the community around me?' That's when she decided to be a mental health professional. Life is not easy, but you can accomplish what you focus on in life. So, she became a psychologist and started her practice.

She says that she wants to be so skilled that she can bring positive change in others' lives. She wants to contribute to their lives and make it easier for them and be of service to them. After she failed the exam, she never thought she would be able to do any of this. She felt like a mess, but she dared to take a step back, make a U-turn, change her career path, and reset her life. Of course, many questions rose; many obstacles tried to stop her from reaching her goal. But she stood up for herself and for her ultimate goal of changing lives for the better. She believed in herself.

It has been twenty-five years since, and she has been able to touch many lives and improve the mental well-being of many people. Her mission is to improve access to and quality of the services provided to individuals with mental illness. She believes she does a good job, and her services benefit people as they consider her worthy of their money.

She says that she lives every day, not just for herself, but for others, too. She encourages others to live their life as if every day is the first day of the rest of their life and make each day count.