Know thyself!

Good and bright hour to everyone reading my story. My name is Albina. I am one of those who have been helped by Catherine Thomas.

A little about myself. I am married, I have a little daughter, we plan to have at least two more children. For me our family can be said ideal. We are happy, loved and loving. I have wonderful parents and brothers, I had a wonderful childhood. It would seem, what else is needed for happiness? That's what I thought before I got married. I was always afraid of being alone without a husband and children. I believed that all my troubles were due to the fact that I was not married, and as soon as I found a family and had children, I would be satisfied and happy, and there was nothing else to want!

And now, at 29, I am getting married, and it just so happens that I am moving to another country. Happy, married, loving and loved, everything is fine. My husband is a rare, kind and strong man, does everything for me, complete mutual understanding. The first time was a problem to get pregnant, two years of attempts and here it is, the long-awaited miracle! My daughter was born and it seemed that finally I had enough of everything. Of course, there were difficulties, and disputes, and petty quarrels, but all wrote off on fatigue, I thought the child will grow up a little will be easier. But not so... Something from inside constantly as if undermined, there was a feeling that something very important is missing ... I was always convinced that it would be enough for me to be married and a mother, but it turned out that it was not. There were some contradictions bubbling up inside me, resulting in tantrums, self-loathing, insecurity and a bunch of complexes. On top of all that, in a different country added difficulties with the language and with communication. Of course, during my "voluntary house arrest," I learned a lot, mastering various kinds of needlework, becoming an excellent hostess and even a pastry chef. I realized that you can do almost anything if you really want to and work hard. What was my main problem at that time? Probably that I myself did not know who I was, nor what I wanted, I was lost.... My dissatisfaction with myself grew day by day and there came a time when I began to have tantrums about everything, depressive thoughts and a state of complete apathy. I have to be honest, I held on only for the sake of my daughter and thanks to my husband. I held on, but gradually began to splinter in the relationship, my husband could not understand what was wrong with me, and how? I myself could not understand what was happening to me, and from this ignorance and inner confusion, intensified by feelings of guilt and shame that something was wrong with me, it became sickening.

One day my husband told me that he had found a psychologist who works online. Actually, I had wanted to see a good specialist for a long time, long before I got married, but I was afraid, I thought that I would not be able to tell anything about myself, it was hard to imagine that a stranger could help me understand everything that was going on inside me. I also sometimes thought that my problems were not so big and important that they should be dealt with by a specialist (how wrong I was!).

I decided to make an appointment for the first consultation, and thanks to my husband, he supported me a lot! I remember that at the first meeting I said everything, all my thoughts, emotions, feelings, almost the whole conversation cried, I was like a burst! And after that conversation I felt better. By the way, it was the only counseling session where I cried so much, as if everything was as it should be, as if the ice had moved and started to melt.... And then everything was different. With each meeting with Catherine I understood myself more and more, I began to realize what I wanted, I learned to set specific goals and find ways to achieve them. It still surprises me that there was no trace of my former melancholy, but before marriage, especially in my school years, I cried almost every day, I always lived in the role of a victim, but I did not want to admit it. I simply did not realize that, as it turns out, it is possible to behave and build relationships differently.

I remember that after our first conversation with Catherine, my husband noticed a change in me - I became a little calmer, as if I had taken a breath..... Probably partly because I realized that I am an ordinary, mentally healthy person, who just has to gradually sort out her inner baggage and put everything in its place. And what is most important, I will be helped in this by a serious, calm and experienced person who feels me well - really understands me.

Of course, not everything was so smooth for me, in the sense that I began to "pull out" everything that hurt and tormented me, everything that I did not want to remember. But it was worth it. With each new look at myself, I gradually changed my attitude to life in general. I began to perceive many things differently, including relationships with my loved ones, and now I can say with complete calmness: "Yes, I have come to love myself. Now I am a close person to myself, a Friend."

It is very important for me that I have learned to hear, listen and accept myself as non-ideal. This helps me to behave calmly and confidently in different situations. I began to communicate with people without fear and with pleasure. I have learned to talk about my worries and fears. If they arise, I solve the problems here and now and do not carry everything in myself, making myself and the situation completely absurd.

I can write a lot about my changes, my attitude to life, to people and I really want to share it. Perhaps it will be important for those who are currently looking for a specialist to know that in Ekaterina I really liked her careful attitude to me, understanding and patience. I was very impressed by the timbre of her voice and manner of speech, because even just listening to her, you realize that everything is getting better, that everything will be fine and it causes trust (for me personally the voice in a person is very important). For myself I called Ekaterina a fairy, but not with a magic wand that you wave and everything is great, but with magic words that resonate in you - you listen to her and gradually find your own answers to important questions, you get them out of the depths of yourself, you realize what, for what and how you can do.

Ekaterina went the whole hard way with me. It's a lot of work and I am eternally grateful to her!

I would like to say a special thank you to my husband and daughter - they supported me and still support me in my desire to understand myself more deeply and open new doors to a bigger life. Thanks to my daughter, I feel as if I am living again the best moments of my childhood, drawing parallels with the past and already better understand how to communicate with her to avoid mistakes if possible. It is to help, to offer options, to create conditions, not to manage her life. I believe that she will cope, and we just need to be there for her.

There have been ups and downs along the way. There were moments when I thought that nothing would help me. And now, at the end of our work together, I would like to advise everyone who has doubts: first - feel free to contact Ekaterina, she is a professional in her field and just a good person; second - no matter how difficult it is, don't give up! Especially at the very beginning of the path, because it can be frustrating and painful to dismantle the "rubble of life" and realize the truth. Look for the strength to go forward, and be sure that Ekaterina will always support you and find the right words for you.