Before and After Therapy with Marian

BEFORE THERAPY with me

As a people pleaser, you’ve been on “battery saver” mode for years trying to make your last 5% of energy sustain you, while you agreed to everything your family, work, and friends wanted you to do.
You allowed yourself the quiet indulgence of things you enjoyed like collecting k-pop merch and going out for your favorite boba, however it was becoming harder to fully enjoy these things when anxiety kept insisting that you don’t know what the heck you are doing with your life. Your quarter-life crisis was knocking at the door.
You flit back and forth from your family’s, boyfriend, and peers’ advice, all the while not feeling any of them really understood what you needed. It felt wrong to blame them, so you ended up pointing that critical finger back on yourself and fell deeper into feeling like a burden

You are more in tune with your battery status. You feel more confident to communicate your needs clearly (including when to say “yes” and “no” to people in your life). You know what drains your batteries and what helps to recharge you to the point that you have been able to adjust your life to get rid of unnecessary stressors and you have scheduled (gasp!) self-care activities before burnout hits.
You enjoy art and creativity with more gusto and less guilt because you feel more secure in other choices you make in your life and in the meaning they hold for you. You feel more freedom to express yourself.
While sometimes it may sting when you feel misunderstood by others, you are able to tolerate this discomfort with more ease. You have more compassion for yourself when you have these big feelings and talk to yourself like a helpful coach rather than a punitive parent.