Growing up, one of my family's most important values was self-sufficiency. Don't depend on anyone, and don't owe anyone. If someone does you a favour, make sure to pay them back.

If you are an immigrant, have you ever considered you may be struggling with psychological trauma? In this article, I discuss how the difficulties of being an immigrant shape our view of ourselves and the world, why this holds us back, and how to heal and change our beliefs.

“But you are ugly.”

“WTF?” is probably what I would’ve said if I was a few years older. Instead, I just sat there silently, stung and hurt by her words but pretending nothing happened.

Psychological pain is our souls’ cry for change, that we are injured and off-balance and that we need to address it. The more intense the pain, the more urgently we need to tend to it, with our utmost attention.

Have you ever found your mind thinking non-stop about something that’s painful and clearly not good for you, such as reliving your past mistakes or worrying, but didn’t know how to stop?

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be liked and accepted. However, it becomes a problem when we try to predict what others want from us and change who we are to be liked by them.

If you are suffering from high functioning anxiety, others might see you as someone who has it together, a go-to, reliable person. On the inside, you feel like a hot mess.