My whole life I have been an obedient follower, doing what I was told, meeting all demands, without questioning my own desires. At school, at my job and even in my personal relationships, I was trying to please everybody and I was always looking for external validation, so that in time I started to lose touch with my true self: I had little self-esteem and I was constantly criticizing myself for not being able to speak up and express myself, but in the same time I was intentionally avoiding all situations that would take me out of my comfort zone. I was afraid to make changes or to try new things, because I did not see myself capable of great achievements.

It was only after I became a mother that I started to question my identity and my purpose in life. When the new role has been added to those previously existing, I started to feel anxious and overwhelmed by all the things I “had to” do. My entire energy was divided between family and job and there was nothing left for myself. I started to feel more and more tired and less and less capable of managing my emotions – in particular the anger when my kids were having a tantrum. I have decided that I wanted a change, but had no idea where to start from.