Starting therapy can feel like stepping into unfamiliar territory.
Maybe you’ve noticed that no matter how hard you try to stay positive, manage stress, or keep things under control, you still end up feeling anxious, flat, or disconnected. You push through work deadlines, take care of everyone else, and still go to bed thinking, “I didn’t do enough.”

That’s not failure — it’s human. And it’s exactly where we begin in therapy.

Perfectionism often sounds like something to be proud of. After all, who wouldn’t want to get everything right, every time? But if you’ve ever lived inside the mind of a perfectionist, you’ll know it’s less about being flawless and more about living in a constant state of pressure, fear, and never feeling “enough.”

The idea of accepting ourselves is often presented as a cornerstone of wellbeing. Yet, in practice, many find that it is precisely in the moments when they most need self-acceptance that it feels utterly out of reach. Why does extending compassion inward so often feel more threatening than soothing?

Cultivating self-compassion can improve our relationship with ourselves and with others…

We all know that small unpleasant voice: “You should have done better” . For many people that voice is habitual — loud, sticky, and unhelpful. Self-compassion is a different way of responding and it’s also one of the best-studied, science-backed ways to reduce self-criticism and improve emotional resilience.

There’s a teaching from the Buddhist philosophy that has shaped the way I think about suffering, both in my own life and in the lives of the people I work with. It’s called the parable of the two arrows...

It’s a familiar feeling: scrolling through social media and seeing others who seem happier or more successful. Almost instantly, we compare ourselves. For a moment, this might motivate us—but often it leaves us feeling smaller and stuck in cycles of low self-esteem. Let’s explore this and what steps we can take to build healthier ways of valuing ourselves.