What it means to be first-generation: First-generation individuals often straddle two worlds: the culture they were raised in and the one they live in now. You might be the first in your family to attend college, work in a professional setting, or grow up in a different country from your parents.
Emotional pressure:
- Feeling responsible for your family’s success
- Guilt around choosing your own path
- Pressure to translate, provide, or succeed
- Anxiety about being “too much” or “not enough”
Identity confusion and code-switching: You may constantly shift how you present yourself depending on the setting. This can lead to identity fatigue or feeling like you never fully belong in either world.
Therapy as a safe space: Therapy can help you unpack these internal conflicts and learn to hold space for all parts of yourself. You can explore your identity without judgment and break patterns rooted in survival, not self-worth.
Permission to create your life: You are allowed to honor where you come from and still make choices for your well-being. Therapy helps you define success on your terms.
