In a recent interview by Authority Magazine, “How To Learn To Finally Love Yourself,” Andrea
Anderson Polk is quoted in these excerpts from the article:
Decades ago, my healing coincided with my parents’ divorce, which landed me in counseling
during that particularly difficult season of my life. It was not until I began my journey of personal growth and therapy that I felt safe and was finally able to put a voice to my pain and tell my story.
Upon the counseling I received, I felt compelled to pursue it as a career for the purpose of providing freedom that I received myself to others. Since then, I have had the privilege of
meeting with hundreds of clients as a clinician in private practice in my hometown which
continually serves as a nostalgic reminder of the power our stories hold especially in
transforming pain into purpose.
Many of my clients come to counseling wanting tools so they can be fixed. They are in a hurry
and anxious to fix the problem. They do not see the connection between their relational, mental, or emotional issues and frantically wanting to fix themselves so they can be “happy or normal again.”
They are unaware of the past and present pain in their life and how these are affecting
their current issues. These clients desperately want to know things and how to be fixed at the
cost of being known as a person.
Due to this reoccurring patten I see among my clients, I developed a term, “projectizing,” which is a psychological defense mechanism — a deeper and more dangerous form of perfectionism. Projectizing is making oneself a project that needs to be fixed. When we make ourselves a project, we disconnect from our true self because we do not know who we are or what we want, need, and feel. We are anxiously trying to fix ourselves instead. Projectizing is a form of self-attack and is rooted in shame because if we truly loved and accepted ourselves, we wouldn’t treat ourselves as a project that needs to be fixed. Rather, we would view ourselves as a person worthy of love and compassion.
Read the article HERE!
Are you struggling with self-acceptance, perfectionism, or low self-esteem? Or just generally
anxious or depressed? Book an introductory session with Andrea today! She has helped
hundreds of people overcome self-defeating mindsets and cultivate mental, emotional, and
spiritual health!
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