In an era where everything seems possible, we feel the pressure of “living up to our potential”. If we are unhappy, is it not our own fault? We are overwhelmed, trying to “find our passion”, dealing with FOMO. As the world is shouting possibilities, it becomes harder to hear our…
There are many modern ways to understand yourself. The internet is filled with content about limiting beliefs, discovering your MBTI, attachment style and what not. I prefer instead to rely on perennial approaches to self-understanding, one of them being Adlerian Psychology. Popularized in the book “The Courage to Be Disliked”,…
Your journal can become a powerful tool for self-discovery. And in this article, I want to share with you the theories and tools I use as a psychologist to write and then analyze my journal to gain more insights into the fabric of my psyche. If we haven’t met yet:…
Introduction In my work as a psychologist clients sometimes gasp and ask me “How did you know that? Can you read my mind?” What I actually did in 90% of cases was relying on my superpower as a psychologist: recognising patterns. In my training to become a psychodynamic psychotherapist, I’m being trained in different areas…
What is mental health? What does psychological wellness feel like? Happiness? Mastering all negative emotions? It’s tricky, isn’t it. Only very recently has there even been an interest in understanding mental wellness – mostly pioneered by the positive psychology movement. Before, the focus was always more on mental illness and…
A Case For Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms are our inbuilt anxiety management system. Denial, projection, repression, intellectualization, shield us from anxiety and protect our self-esteem. Imagine your most embarrassing memories were playing in our head 24/7. Imagine you were constantly aware of the fact that everyone you love is going…
How do our early experiences shape our perception, behaviour, and emotions? What is the link between our early relationships and relationships later in life? How does the way our parents treated us impact how we treat ourselves and others later on? These were the questions object relations theorists tried to…
“Whether it’s business, exercise, romance, friendship, whatever, I think the meaning of life is to do things for their own sake. Ironically, when you do things for their own sake, you create your best work. Even if you’re just trying to make money, you will actually be the most successful.”…
by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga Here are my book notes from “The Courage to Be Disliked” by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, which is all about Adlerian Individual Psychology. Get the book here (affiliate link). Yellow highlight | Location: 133 None of us live in an objective world, but…
Positive self-affirmations have taken the internet by storm. If you have used positive self-affirmation before and they have worked for you, that’s wonderful! You don’t have to read further. However, for some people self-affirmations don’t work. Or they might even make it worse. This article is for you if self-affirmations…