"Thanks to counselling, I like myself now."

I remember the anxiety and self-doubt I used to experience, before receiving counselling. I used to feel so much concern about what other people thought of me. I spent too much of my time worrying and over-thinking. 

"Does so and so really like me or not?... Does my boyfriend really love me?... What have I really got going for me?...." And on and on it went. As I write this, I feel I am describing someone I used to know and am even more aware of just how much I have changed.

With my counsellor I gradually forged a trusting relationship, realising that no matter what I shared, she continued accepting me and believing in me.

I suppose what happened is that I tried to view myself the way she saw me and, after a while, it sort of rubbed off on me. In the safety of our relationship, I began to see where some of my negative views came from.

I actually like myself now. It's not that I always feel happy; sometimes I get a bit anxious or insecure - but it passes. I bring myself back to this basic belief that I am fundamentally all right and my life and my relationships have been transformed by this.

As a result of counselling, I feel like I am a different person now.