Creating a Healthy Lifestyle

Anna never felt good about herself. She thought that when she became thirty she would have the good life, and have a high self-esteem. She says, “I thought I would feel better about myself at this time in my life. But I feel worse.”

Ann feels it began in her childhood.  She felt her mother was not there when she needed emotional support.  This did not make her react and become rebellious.  Instead it made her more dependent, as she unconsciously yearned for her parents’ approval.

During her teenage years she needed her mother even more.  She would try to talk to  her, but she would never have the opportunity to disclose her feelings.  She felt rejected.

Anna never recovered from this rejection.  She craved support and love from her husband.  She felt inadequate in her job as a sales person.  Although she was only thirty, she felt older than her years.

Fortunately Anna was interested in coming in for counseling.  She worked on her problems through cognitive therapy, where she expressed her thoughts and feelings about herself, and learned how to work on changing them to more positive and rational ones.  This required high motivation and effort.  And she felt better about herself after four months of counseling.

Essentially, counseling can help you to understand and change the thoughts that could be destructive to your health and well-being. Complementing therapy with meditation and mindfulness can prevent you from going back to those unhealthy thoughts. You will feel happy about yourself, and more confident at home and at work.  Life will be worth living!