What are your thoughts when you are confronted with your own vulnerability? Are you self critical to the point where you are unable to act? Are you limiting your potential by not taking chances because you fear rejection or failure? Are you afraid of conflict? Are you sometimes sharing information that you normally keep private? Are you trying to please everyone and still feel lonely? Are you frequently experiencing emotions such as quilt, shame, or grief?

It is in everyone’s nature to avoid pain. However, there are no shortcuts for emotional pain. Instead, understanding how your mind works and how your thinking patterns might sabotage your intentions, your entire life even is the pathway to healthier and more sustainable strategies.

Experiencing “expensive” emotions such as fear, anger, grief, guilt, shame is not something to be taken lightly. They can get chronic when experienced for a long time. The body might start responding to that constant emotional pain and develop illnesses.

Self-acceptance followed by self-care might give you a different perspective on life, on own resources and on the quality of your relationships - a fresh start.

Individuals who want to: 

• become more self-aware of thinking patterns that might contribute to their low self-worth or self-esteem 
• become less dependent on meeting external standards 
• gain confidence 
• have a ready-to-go, structured action-plan for putting theory into practice
• apply hands-on tools and exercises for increasing self-acceptance in a science-based and durable way. 

Organisations who want to: 

• create an atmosphere that promotes employee’s well-being  
• maintain a workplace climate that allows everyone to experience more meaning and feel more fulfilled at the end of each day 
• help their leaders and employees’  

                                        -level up by improving self-confidence, which leads to better communication and productivity 

                                        -live in the present moment, being more receptive and efficient 

                                        -feel connected, more authentic, and motivated

This is a guide to develop realistic expectations of self. One-day class, divided in two sessions, covering theory, discussion, and offering practical tools for achieving self-acceptance. Topics include: 

Session one explains how two influential, yet fundamentally different views of the self - the ‘self-as-story’, and the ‘self-as-process' – can be distinguished using the Sailboat Metaphor©. 

Session two invites you to observe how your attention, thoughts, motivation, and actions can have a positive impact on your well-being. It includes: 

• Self-awareness 
• Self-evaluation (internal chatting)  
• Motivation for improvement (necessity) 
• Action for self-care  

Camelia Petrus brings a wealth of tools, experience, and perspective to her work in Industrial Organisational Psychology, Leadership, Workplace Behaviour, Non-Violent Communication and Psychology of Wellbeing. 

Camelia’s interests are in employee wellbeing and engagement, leadership key competences and workplace behaviour. She provides employers with psychometric insights in the areas of Leadership Development, Workplace Behaviour, Recruitment, Sales and Customer Service, Client Relationship, Workplace Emotional Climate, and trains HR professionals in test interpretation.  

She is a member of NZ Positive Psychology Association, member of Change Management Institute NZ and partner with OPRA Psychology Group Wellington and the Regional Business Partners Network.

She leads work with individuals and organisations in NZ.