Hello, I’m Anita!

Bits of Journey:

I love working with high-achievers because I can relate. As the first-born child of an immigrant couple, I know how we can take worry and stress-energy and channel it towards “doing.” Which is great, right? Unless the stress-energy keeps on even after we’ve reached our goals. 

It can feel like a constant chase after something we can't quite put our finger on. Sometimes we're just used to this rhythm, and it's all we’ve ever really known. Or, we can know exactly what experience we're after but get distracted. We miss the signs “you’ve made it,” “it's okay to slow down,” “celebrate and enjoy.” 

In my therapeutic work, I have found that some stories of over-functioning are rooted in scarcity, necessity, and trauma. These are not always our own stories but those of previous generations. We can inherit our ancestor's beliefs, behaviors, and stress-energy. Particularly in families that have seen many hardships, “keep moving” energy can ripple through generations. 

Okay, so how about some good news? 

We can change the habit of a go-go-go pace and welcome some balance. We can use self-awareness to start and follow with intentional and healthier responses for our internal and external worlds. If trauma is present, we can use trauma-focused methods for healing like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which helps release trauma captured in mind, body, and internal narrative.

Brain science tells us we are capable of creating and strengthening new habits. Plus, I've witnessed it repeatedly in my years working as a bilingual counselor at a non-profit agency. It's not always easy, but we can get there with the right tools, support, and motivation. As we heal past wounds, strengthen self-awareness and self-understanding, and bring intentionality to our choices, we begin to enjoy more in life. We can engage and connect more intimately, play, laugh, create, tune into experiences big and small, and then that becomes our story.