Treatments

Ever feel like you’re constantly saying “yes” to things, even when deep down you’d rather say “no”? You’re not alone. Many people struggle with setting boundaries in their personal and professional lives, leading to stress, burnout, and strained relationships. Let’s explore how learning to set healthy boundaries can transform your mental well-being.

Setting boundaries isn’t just about learning to say no—it’s about protecting your time, energy, and emotions. Psychology shows that when we neglect boundaries, we often end up feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or even resentful. On the other hand, people who set clear limits tend to experience more satisfying relationships and greater peace of mind.

Many clients initially come to therapy overwhelmed by their inability to say no to work tasks, family obligations, or even social events. Over time, they learned that setting boundaries allowed them to regain control of their lives. For example, one client who always said yes to last-minute work requests realized it was impacting their personal time and emotional well-being. Through therapy, they discovered that politely declining didn’t damage their relationships but instead allowed for mutual respect.

Setting boundaries is essential for mental wellness, and it’s a skill anyone can learn with the right support. If you’ve been struggling to assert your needs or feel overwhelmed by your commitments, therapy can provide a safe space to explore and strengthen your boundaries.

Best,

Guido Cataldo

Feel free to write to me whether you have questions regarding how you can be helped or  about the treatment.

I will do my best to answer in the following 48 hs.

Individuals who live and work outside their home country often face unique challenges that can impact their mental health. 

Some common issues that expatriates may frequently experience include:

1. Culture shock: It means the experience of feeling disoriented and overwhelmed by a new cultural environment. 
2. Loneliness and isolation: Expatriates may struggle with those feelings, especially if they live in a foreign country without a strong support network. It could help individuals build connections and find support systems in their new environment.
3. Adapting to new work environments: Expatriates may face challenges in adapting to new work environments, such as differences in work culture or language barriers.
4. Family and relationship issues: Moving to a new country can strain family relationships and marriages. 
5. Stress and anxiety: May be experienced when adjusting to a new country and culture, and one tends to focus excessively on the uncertainty instead of the novelty and surprise day by day.

Suppose you find yourself in one of those situations. In that case, the first step is to become aware of the consequences you are experiencing and if it is directly related to one of those causes. Accepting how challenging living in a new country is, becomes another significant step toward overcoming the current difficulties. Individuals can receive support from many sources to seek guidance to help them overcome the challenges of living and working in a new country and build a fulfilling life in their new environment. For example, many groups on social media aim to support and share experiences with people in the described situations so that you can contact others in the same circumstances. Generally, organizations from each community encourage people from the same background to meet and feel at home. Given the case, you are struggling with difficulties preventing you from seeking help or contacting others. In that case, asking for professional service from your GP or a psychologist is always recommended.

–Patience: You cannot rush from one state to another. Learning the new codes, laws, and opportunities takes time, and it is ok if you are living a different life right now. Everything will come up.

–Courage: It is your chance to try things you have never done before. Feeling nervous, shy or uncertain when facing new scenarios and interacting with new people is expected. Avoid being negatively self-critical.

–Curiosity: Asking and collecting information about how the labour market works, how to get advantages of social benefits, how people make the most out of the city, which are the best options to spend your spare time, and so on, will help you to be connected and possibly relate with people of the same interests.

–Self-compassion: There will always be times when things don´t go as expected. Do not punish yourself or the world. Take the experience as an opportunity to learn, review what went wrong, and how you could have acted differently.

–Traveler mindset: Remember you went out of your comfort zone. You already count on plenty of virtues and skills that helped to change your reality as it used to be toward new challenges and adventure.

I hope you find it useful. If there is anything you would like to talk about or exchange, you are welcome to contact me. Best,

Guido Cataldo

Depression is a common and debilitating mental health condition that affects millions of people around the world. It can be characterized by sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed. Depression can impact every aspect of a person’s life and can be challenging to overcome without proper support and treatment.

Today I would like to share about this approach, which has a different way of addressing the situation and is not just about following procedures but finding something more profound.

Existential psychology is a therapy that focuses on helping individuals find meaning and purpose in their lives. Unlike other forms of treatment that may focus solely on symptom reduction, existential psychology seeks to help individuals understand and overcome the root causes of their depression. Existential psychologists believe that depression often results from feeling disconnected from one’s own life and a lack of meaning and purpose. Through therapy, individuals can explore their own beliefs, values, and goals to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world. In existential therapy, the therapist works with the individual to help them gain a sense of control over their life and make choices that are aligned with their values and beliefs. The therapy may also involve assisting individuals to overcome feelings of guilt, shame, and a sense of meaninglessness that often accompany depression.

In addition to traditional talk therapy, existential psychologists may also incorporate creative techniques such as writing, art, and mindfulness practices to help individuals explore their emotions and gain a deeper understanding of their experiences.
Existential therapy can be a valuable tool for individuals struggling with depression. It allows individuals to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their values, and their place in the world. With the support of a trained existential psychologist, individuals can overcome their depression and lead fulfilling and meaningful life.

If you’re struggling with depression and looking for a type of therapy to help you understand and overcome the root causes of your condition, consider working with an existential psychologist.

When one thinks about moving to a new country, trying a different style of life, or “exploring the world,” many thoughts and feelings make it seem complicated, risky, or impossible to move forward. Some fears that accompany us during the first years remain even once we are established in a new city.

Being an Expat means we have been courageous enough to leave our hometown because we wanted to try something different than what people usually do, or we have a project, a dream, or hopes to find a better life and opportunities.

The challenges are broad and vary depending on each individual. Considering emotional aspects, for instance, we tend to go through sadness, loneliness, anxiety, panic attacks, hopelessness, and low self-esteem, among others. Chiefly this happens due to many situations we have to deal with, for example, discovering new chances for socializing, looking for a confident group of friends, or someone to share the way.

It was also facing difficulties in adapting ourselves to a new culture, new language, finding a job that satisfies us, and feeling ok with the course of living and the activities available to enjoy spare time. Usually, one fears the chances of self-realization in the future and the uncertainty behind it.

Besides that, another worrying area is related to what we have “left back,” like our nuclear relationships as friends or relatives. It is notably the worries that could appear regards negative changes that could happen along distance or missing the trust and closeness, or find out modification in the relationship.

In addition, another kind of preoccupation is associated with the administrative process of being accepted and holding the resident permit approved.

Finally, there is another consideration when talking about couples moving abroad and the crisis that could arise from the changes in the lifestyle and dynamics. And families, when the most crucial matter is how to provide care and safety to their children and ensure their further education.

After being an Expat for four years and having worked with ex-pats from many other countries in the last years, I have realized some of the patterns and typical phases we go through in setting our life in a new country.

In general, one of the first fantasies is about walking away from our first friends and family groups and feeling guilty about having abandoned them. It is a teary, too hurtful image where one can perceive itself as going away seeking a better life or discovering new adventures. At the same time, when looking back, all our beloved people are standing still, looking at how we get away from them. Many times, this is a heartbreaking image and can confuse us or make us doubt our decisions or wishes. Moreover, it makes us doubt if we are good or bad people.

As examples like that, we can tell many other similar stories that will complicate our actions and possibilities. Overall, false beliefs or suppositions exist simultaneously and are present from the beginning. For instance:

• All about “leaving”, “walking away”, “abandoning”, “losing”, and “negative changes along time”.
• The uncertainty generated by throwing oneself into new unknown experiences, the luck at the hand of the Universe, to deal and accept what reality has prepared for us, if that is what will make me happy o would be the best choice.
• Fears regard regrets or irreversible consequences in our life and personal history.

In most cases, it happens in contexts where people have always maintained their life in the same city or country. Consequently, a lack of models holds a negative or uncertain idea about traveling or keeping in contact along the distance.

All these kinds of fantasies, negative thoughts, or hurting emotions are focused on therapy. We will try to expand the sad story we tell ourselves and realize that the reality could be much better. For example, that could be chances to let our friends or relatives visit us or for us to see them in the future.

There are strategies to be encouraged to travel and try living in another country that attenuates the feelings described before and instead allows us to take smaller steps that don’t implicate profound consequences.

After working with many of the emotional and rational aspects, we could arrive at new images characterized by being more positive, more logical, sincere, and reflecting better reality. It includes consideration about:

• Open communication with the people we love.
• Agreements to short and long terms.
• Commitment and confidence between both sides

As a result, we can experience calm and peace since it permits us to focus on the here and now and use our energy towards our personal development and the process of being based in a foreign country.

An example of a probable new and positive image would be the case of visualizing ourselves in a new country, cheerful by having the chance to learn a new language, working and traveling a lot, or following with studies and professional development. While at the same time, this gives us the economic and emotional resources to keep visits throughout the year to meet our beloved ones or invite them to where we are. In some cases, people are

pushed to live abroad due to the economic crisis in their country. So living in a place where earnings are higher motivates the chances to help their family and be supportive to them from abroad.

Once one arrives at visions like that, it is possible to think and feel in this way:

“Everything works well abroad, and I accept to be happy. At the same time, it allows me to maintain a stronger and more mature bond with people I love. I learn new ways to keep us united (emotionally), even though we are not together (physically). There are things we lost, but anothers that we have gained.”

Worth to mention that nowadays we count huge advantages when considering living far from home. Technology has achieved to break with temporal-spacial distances and provides the opportunity to communicate constantly and in a high-quality manner. A sample of this is the video calls, audio messages, and sharing pictures or memorable moments in real-time that work as a great support to keep linked to our people through distance.