Living in constant awareness of other people’s reactions gradually becomes the norm – a person listens not to themselves, but to how they will be judged. Dr. Daniel Reinhardt says – dependence on approval forms where a sense of self-worth once became entirely tied to other people’s opinions. At MindCareCenter, we help untangle this painful connection between “I am accepted” and “I have the right to be myself”.
At MindCareCenter, we often meet people who seem to be constantly “under review”. They think about how their words will sound, how their decisions will be perceived, how their actions will be evaluated. Even choices related to personal life are made with hesitation – will parents approve, will a partner agree, will colleagues support it? Inside, there is constant tension – as if every step could turn out to be a mistake.
Specialists at MindCareCenter view dependence on evaluation not as a weakness of character, but as a form of emotional survival. We explore where and when approval became the only source of confidence. Often this is connected to experiences where love, attention or safety depended on “proper behavior” – on success, compliance with expectations, being convenient for others. External evaluation then replaced reliance on oneself.
Gradually, at MindCareCenter, a person begins to notice how strongly their orientation is directed not toward their own feelings, but toward the anticipated reactions of others. They learn to distinguish what they truly want from what they do only to avoid disapproval or rejection. Space appears between impulse and automatic fear – and it is in this space that inner freedom from the constant need for approval begins to form.
If you feel that you are always seeking confirmation of being “right”, that without approval it is hard to feel confident, that every decision is accompanied by anxiety – this is not just about insecurity. It is about a lost connection with one’s own value. At Mind Care Center, we help gradually restore the feeling of “I have the right” – without the need to constantly earn permission to be yourself.
Previously, we wrote about how feeling lost during life transitions is experienced in therapy at MindCareCenter and how support helps you pass through the point of change.