. I feel fantastic. I’m happy with myself and I love the people around me. I can laugh and relax and enjoy myself in a carefree way. I couldn’t do this in the past, before I knew Linda. Words that can describe my state of mind are: humor, positivity, concentration, inspiration, decisiveness, solidarity, progress, love, pride. My days are generally pleasant, good, full of positive energy and everything goes effortlessly.
. In the past few months I have had a couple of relapses in which I again felt worse. But after that, things went better again.
. Furthermore, my creativity has increased, as a result of which school is going well. I can produce good work in a short time and I’m never short of ideas. Creating is going in a very natural way, it has never been so natural and easy in my life. I have never worked so quickly and so well before. This motivates me and makes me happy. I have good ideas and it’s increasingly more easy for me to work out ideas. I feel like starting with a task and doing it well.
. A presentation happens completely different than before. I have had good comments on my contribution and my way of communicating. Before they always told me I spoke indistinctly due to nerves and that it was clearly visible I was nervous. Now I was totally at ease and I even enjoyed it. With the four of us, we had to give a presentation about dance, I was praised for my entire contribution. My effort and ideas were prized and have improved the presentation.
. I received a lot of positive feedback on work that I made, but also on my way of speaking in front of a group and on giving a lesson. The teacher thought I was funny, vivid, he felt I gave myself entirely to it and I went deeply into it, he thought I filled up the room with my presence and I came across as very strong where I was standing. I have never heard this before about my way of speaking. The teacher of 2d (visual two dimensional subject) was very positive as well. She said it was obvious that I had three years’ experience, it was a nice development, it was work with a lot of potential, very autonomous work. She literally said: ‘how did you think of it’.
. I have never been very good at drawing, sometimes I did manage to draw, but mostly I didn’t. I felt the creativity and inspiration bubble up when I had to make a drawing. I copied a face from a magazine, and that went very easily. This also goes for the other assignments for 2d.
. Before I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate as well, to think up and do creative things when making an assignment in class. I needed time, I wanted to be alone, the others disrupted me, I didn’t have all the materials with me I wanted to use, I had an idea that I couldn’t carry out, I started and I changed a dozen times or I sketched something that didn’t immediately lead to a usable result. Now I had sufficient and various materials with me, I very effortlessly started to put some lines on paper and to work (without beating my brains out). I had an idea within a minute, and I proceeded while drawing. The rest of the time I spent developing and finishing the idea.
. Learning is going well too, I had to learn 700 pictures by heart in two week’s time. I scored a 7. I think my memory has improved. Remembering went very easily. I scored good marks overall.
. My self-confidence has increased even more compared to a number of months ago. For example, I don’t let myself be completely flustered anymore when, for example, there’s a lot I have to do in a short time or when I have a difficult assignment, because I feel confident I will succeed. I’m also more confident due to the positive results from the past few months. I noticed I pulled through almost every challenge in a positive way. I fully trust all my capacities, also compared to other people in my class who are very good or smart. I know I have my own unique strong points and they are good as well. So I don’t let myself get insecure (anymore) by comparing myself to others.
. I still don’t like chaos and too much bustle, but I do feel I can better deal with it. The past few weeks have been chaotic and busy, but I kept positive and motivated throughout. Before, this sometimes made me negative, it demoralized me. I went to a big city for a weekend with a friend, I was exhausted due to lack of sleep when I came home. The next day we had guests for Easter and then I only had one day to make three assignments for school on the last day. My room was a mess and everything was mixed up, but I pegged away at it and I did a good job at a high speed and I remained positive throughout. I would never have been able to do this in the past.
. I don’t do poor work anymore and I complete things, I finish things in one go. When I do something, I do it well, but also at a high speed. It takes me far less long to finish an assignment, I work much faster and much more efficiently, I’m very concentrated and I do a good job of it. I could never do things this quickly before. I don’t do things in all kinds of roundabout ways anymore and I don’t lose time anymore either.
. I can better assess what is feasible, my ideas have lead to feasible final results in the past few months. I often had to start again in another way in the past, because my way of working didn’t work. Hence the increase in my self-confidence. I still do happen to postpone something, but as soon as I’ve started something, I can concentrate really very well and I do a good job of it, at a high speed.
. I think I start doing things that are really important more and more quickly, but it does really have to be something essential in order to get started. When something isn’t really imperative, I still don’t start with it right away.
I almost don’t make any ‘to do’ lists anymore, but I work through the things I have in mind. As I’ve told before, I notice that I sometimes have difficulty starting with something, but once I’ve started, I finish it as quickly and as good as possible.
. My susceptibility has changed from negative (being bad at dealing with criticism, certain people, chaos, bustle) to positive sensitivity. I’m very good at sensing people and situations, and I sense certain situations and events in advance. You could say my intuition has improved. This gives me confidence.
. Working together with others is going well too, something which often used to lead to frustration before, because I wasn’t on the same wavelength as others and I often felt misunderstood. The contacts with classmates are relaxed and pleasant.
. People are more understanding, they trust me, I get assistance from others. In the past, I was often thwarted by teachers, this hasn’t occurred anymore. Teachers would criticize my work for no reason and would sometimes be explicitly negative. I receive positive comments now.
. The contacts with the people from my class and with people outside school are pleasant. I sometimes used to feel the odd man out in groups, this happens very rarely anymore, I usually simply feel good in groups now. I don’t let myself be emotionally left out anymore. I can again allow people to get close to me, I’m actually very open towards people now. I feel well at home at school. I’ve found the place where I can be myself. I feel good in the group at school as well as at home. I’m having a lot of fun.
. The relationship with my mother is also going well, we don’t argue anymore, this used to be quite different. There have been times in the past that we had a great many irritations and arguments, but that’s all over now. My mother still does criticize me once in a while, but I keep my calm and I don’t really take notice of it. In the past this ended in a flaming row.
. Lots of good things cross my path, solutions emerge for things I want to do or have. When I want to have or do something, then suddenly something crosses my path which makes it possible, this happens a lot more than before. I have won something for the first time in my life. Things have been going very smoothly for the last few months, everything used to be so difficult before. This is for the first time in my life.
. I’m nicer to myself when I still happen to postpone things and I feel less guilty and frustrated when I haven’t been able to do something. I can better accept it because I see I’m only making things worse by starting to blame myself for things I can do nothing about or that I can’t change anymore.
. I have never before taken action to claim income tax refund. This time I did, for the first time in my life.
. I still eat healthily, but I’m involved in it less obsessively and in a less forced way. I don’t pay so much attention anymore to everything I eat, I eat as much fruit as possible, I drink as much green tea as possible and that’s it.
. I made an attempt to make contact with men, to go on a date, in which I succeeded, this used to be very difficult before. I’m not looking for a man as frenetically anymore in order to have a relationship. Although it does interest me to get to know several people to gain new experiences from it.
. I think I can better pass criticism somewhat better. I recently gave my opinion to a classmate from my working group who had done a lot less work. It turned out well, I could express my feelings without feeling guilty or doubting myself.
. I stand up for myself very quickly now. I make it clear directly or indirectly when there’s something I don’t like. I couldn’t do this before. I’m hardly ever frustrated anymore by what someone has said or has done as a result.
. I’m hardly every frustrated anymore in contacts with people when I’m not feeling good, both people I don’t know personally and, for example, classmates. I’m less irritable when I’m not feeling good. I used to avoid people when I wasn’t feeling good in the past. This has diminished.
. I no longer feel people are playing power games or are acting superior. I realize I have changed a lot when I think about this, because I can’t think of anything regarding this. Even when it would happen again, I wouldn’t care about it anymore.
. I no longer worry about never being able to stand on my own two feet, because I’m becoming more independent and I have more control over my life.
. When I wanted to buy something in the past, I wanted to have it right away and I didn’t have the patience to wait. I haven’t experienced this anymore. I can better deal with having to wait for an answer, I don’t get frustrated anymore.
. I had more patience when I was studying, I didn’t feel hunted in spite of the lack of time, I could muster up the patience to do everything well, to do a good job of it. I’m more patient because I’m more motivated to finish something well.
. My skin is looking great. I was totally covered with huge, fat spots around this time last year, I sometimes had a dozen spots and some of them were as big as 1,5 cm, and nothing now. My skin has been looking great since last summer.
