*This testimonial was written by a client after completing individual counseling and is published with the client’s consent

I’ve lived for a long time feeling as if my mind was slowly being consumed by endless anxiety and fear caused by constant worrying.

On the surface, I thought I was living a normal life.

But deep inside, my true feelings and inner world were quietly deteriorating without me even realizing it.

My life felt like it was constantly surrounded by anxiety.

I was always worrying about things that had not happened yet—and things that might never even happen.

I kept adding worry on top of worry, sinking myself deeper than necessary into anxiety and depression.

These feelings eventually started to affect the way I lived my life.

I became increasingly passive in everything I did.

I blamed myself constantly and was incredibly harsh toward myself.

Looking back now, I wonder if I ever truly had any confidence at all.

Whenever my anxiety intensified, small worries would multiply rapidly.

Even minor issues would become something I obsessed over, as if they were huge problems.

It felt like my entire mind and body were being taken over by overwhelming fear and anxiety almost every day.

Over time, this began to negatively affect my family as well.

Whenever things didn’t go the way I wanted—or when something happened that I disliked,

even if it had nothing to do with my intentions—I would react in an extremely sensitive and irritable way.

This happened mostly with my family, especially my mother.

I also lost any sense of motivation for life.

I constantly felt that my future would only become darker.

Because of that, each day felt inevitably filled with pessimism and depression.

I came to see my life as meaningless and useless.

Anxiety and worry felt like the “normal” state of my life,

while stability and positivity almost felt unnatural to me.

Then I came to Cha Joohyun Psychological Counseling Center and met Director Cha for therapy.

From that point on, I slowly began to experience meaningful changes in my mind.

Before this, I had received counseling both in Korea and abroad.

But Director Cha approached things very differently.

From the very beginning, he addressed my problems very directly and helped bring them to the surface.

At first, I was quite surprised.

In most counseling settings, therapists usually begin by listening and offering empathy first.

So I initially wondered what this approach was.

But when he explained that it can sometimes be more helpful to focus directly on solving the core issues

rather than only listening to the worries, I found myself agreeing with him.

That’s how I began my therapy sessions with him.

Now that I’m about halfway through my course of therapy, I can clearly feel that changes are gradually happening within me.

Before starting therapy, my depression and anxiety were so overwhelming that I couldn’t even recognize what emotions I was feeling.

But as I began to look inward and reflect on my inner world, I started to understand emotions themselves

—something very fundamental and basic, yet something I had never truly understood before.

As Director Cha carefully helped identify the sources of my anxiety and worries one by one,

I found myself confronting many underlying issues that I had never been aware of.

I realized that certain external experiences from my past had led me to treat myself in an extremely harsh and unforgiving way.

That attitude toward myself had created an endless cycle that kept trapping me in emotional chaos.

Once we began identifying the root causes of these issues, the process of healing my mind slowly started.

At first, the changes were small.

But little by little, I began to feel something new taking root inside me—feelings of calmness and inner peace.

The anxiety that once felt endless has gradually softened.

The large space that anxiety, worry, and depression once occupied in my mind is slowly beginning to shrink.

It’s a slow process, but I can genuinely feel it happening.

Before starting therapy, I wondered whether the negative emotions that had been with me for so many years could ever really heal.

But at some point, I experienced something I had never felt before—I realized that I was actually beginning to heal.

I used to be someone who viewed everything negatively.

But now I’m starting to develop positive thinking on my own.

Even when negative or anxious thoughts arise, I now find myself naturally shifting my mindset toward something more positive.

Instead of endlessly worrying like I used to, now I try to find the cause of the problem and focus on solving it.

Because of that, I can clearly feel my anxiety gradually being replaced by a sense of stability.

Another positive change is that I’ve started taking action on things I’ve always wanted to do.

By actually putting my thoughts into action, I’ve begun to feel something new—confidence.

The biggest realization I’ve had is surprisingly simple:

it’s okay to live life with a calm and relaxed mind.

It sounds like such a small and obvious thing, but before therapy,

I was someone who couldn’t even attempt something that simple.

Now I’m learning how to give myself space to breathe and release the extreme tension I used to carry inside.

Because of that, I’m beginning to experience

what it feels like to simply live with a peaceful mind—and realize that this can actually be part of everyday life.

Of course, everything doesn’t change overnight.

But the most important thing to me right now is that I can see myself slowly changing, even if it’s only little by little.

For the first time, I feel a sense of hope that my mind can become more positive.

As therapy continues, I believe I will continue to encounter new changes within myself.

Even now, I’m continuing this journey, hoping that the word “positivity” will eventually find a permanent place in my life.