Наталья Нечай

Expecting a baby, going through childbirth, becoming a mother — this is one of the most wonderful and overwhelming experiences there is. On the other hand, a new family situation calls for serious changes to the life you had before.

Plenty of people are afraid of change — metathesiophobia, sometimes also called neophobia, the fear of the new. We feel comfortable in familiar surroundings, in our routines and our familiar things; changes to the comfort zone we meet with doubt, suspicion and fear.

Imagine you have a bad cold and a fever. What do you normally do? You go to the doctor and get treatment. If someone asks how you are, you say: "Not great, I’ve caught a cold." Perfectly normal, isn’t it? But what would you do if you had trouble communicating, outbursts of anger or a low emotional state? Would you look for help the way you do with your body? Almost certainly not. And yet our psyche needs our attention and care

Let us look at Chekhov’s story through a counsellor’s eyes and do a little analysis! Chekhov did not invent his stories, he took his ideas from life. With no training in psychology, but with a natural gift for observation and empathy, he understood people’s souls deeply — and you can feel it in his work.