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Elena Padurariu

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Growing With Confidence

Finding Calm & BalanceGrowing With Confidence

· 2 min read

What if burnout isn’t just about work? What if it’s about self-esteem?

As a therapist, I rarely see burnout as a simple result of an increasing workload. That’s a one-sided perspective that leaves out the power of the person experiencing it. As if we have no agency in how much we take on. In my work, I meet people who: Don’t trust themselves to set boundaries around their time and energy. They are driven by perfectionistic standards, and nothing seems to be good enough. Rely on external validation to feel worthy and fail to give themselves praise and credit for...

Growing With Confidence

· 2 min read

What is positive self-esteem?

How we view ourselves reflects in our relationships. If you have an underestimated or an overestimated view, it is worth challenging it and thriving toward a realistic, accepting, and compassionate one. We all have the potential to strive for self-development. Even if we didn’t grow up in a loving, affectionate, and accepting family, we still can change and become a better self. The level of self-esteem is not set once and for all in childhood. It can shift throughout a lifetime. We all make...

Life Between CulturesGrowing With Confidence

· 2 min read

Don’t let the dirt in!

In my psychotherapeutic praxis, many of my clients are expats and other internationals. I am deeply concerned to see teens and young adults complaining about being bullied in school. Moreover, I am saddened to hear that some students are avoiding going to school altogether out of fear of their schoolmates and teachers. I am surprised to hear from adults with different cultural backgrounds complaining about their difficulty adjusting to Austrian work culture or being victims of discrimination....

Better ConversationsGrowing With Confidence

· 2 min read

How Do I Know If I Am A Passive Communicator And What Can I Do?

Knowing what your natural style of communication is can be a valuable step in improving your interaction in all contexts and relieving social stress. One of the most common communication models describes 4 types: The assertive type The passive type The aggressive type The passive-aggressive type. The awareness of this model helped me better understand my clients who very often describe their problems as: • "I am the one who keeps silent during a meeting unless really necessary “ • „I...

Growing With Confidence

· 3 min read

What Makes A Good Decision?

Often people visit my office with the goal of helping them in making a decision. Not an easy task when it’s about life-changing decisions, like: should I divorce or should I stay in this relationship, should I accept this new job/position, should I move to another country, or which partner is the best for me? The predominant feeling is ambivalence: “I want this, but I also want that”. Or fear and regret: “I am afraid that if I choose this, I’ll lose that”, “What if things go wrong?” Some...

Growing With Confidence

· 3 min read

What makes a good decision?

Often people visit my office to help them make a decision. Not an easy task when it’s about life-changing decisions, like: should I divorce or should I stay in this relationship, should I accept this new job/position, should I move to another country, which partner is the best for me? The predominant feeling is ambivalence: “I want this, but I also want that”. Or fear and regret: “I am afraid that if I choose this, I’ll lose that”, “What if things go wrong?” Some other people might experience...

Growing With Confidence

· 2 min read

Self-doubt, What is It?

Every time I want to write an article, I catch myself debating wether I should or shouldn't write. There is one voice in my head telling me that maybe no one is interested in what I want to say, that there's too much information online anyway, that it will be hard to structure the content or that I'm just not the social-media type. In one word: I am questioning my own writing competence. I have identified this voice as my self-doubt. And I have also noticed that from time to time she is...

Growing With ConfidenceStronger Relationships

· 4 min read

Creating Healthy Boundaries in Your Life

Part 1: What do you need to know before setting healthy boundaries? To be able to develop authentic relationships with ourselves, with our family and friends, we need to set clear boundaries and limits that separate our physical and emotional world from others. This process first implies having a clear idea about who we are. Our self - identity starts developing in childhood, intensifies in puberty and emerges in the young adulthood when we understand that we can be part of a family, a...