Interview with Sorina
This article was first published on Coffee Times Substack
Hey everyone, hope your June has been great so far! Interviews are back, and we’re having Sorina Raluca Băbău here with us today! She’s one of the writers I love who writes a lot about psychology and self-development, amongst other topics like Yoga, Spirituality, Mindfulness, and personal experiences.
Hi Sorina! Welcome to Coffee Times. Would you like to say something to our readers on Substack?
First of all, I would like to say a huge thanks to you, Ashley for having me as your interviewee! You are one of my favorite writers here on Medium and I absolutely love reading your inspiring emails, I always feel motivated afterwards! I am grateful to you and to everyone at Coffee Times for this wonderful opportunity! And to the beloved readers on Substack, thank you for having me and for the time to read this interview!
I really love your writing, especially the ones on psychology, a topic I enjoy reading very much! You shared your journey of becoming a psychologist. What are some of the difficult parts of the job?
Aww, thank you so much! I absolutely love being a psychologist and helping and supporting others on their journey. But as much as I love doing that, it also comes with some challenging aspects. For me, personally, one of the biggest challenge is compassion fatigue and that happens every now and then when I have too many clients and too little free time for me to recharge. I am working on that though, I am learning to set better boundaries and find a healthier balance between my work and personal life.
How do you think your journey as a whole thus far shaped you as a writer and/or a psychologist?
I have always loved writing, ever since I was a child. My imagination tends to run pretty wild and I love to pen down my thoughts and insights and having the opportunity to share it with other people is absolutely amazing!
I believe all the experiences I have had so far and my travels have helped me shape my writing style and find my true authentic voice both as a writer and as a psychologist.
I think that everything happens for a reason and every experience is like a stepping stone to pave the way to embody our true selves. Especially when something that we perceive as bad happens, we tend to focus soley on the negative aspects. But after a while, we can see how that experience has brought us closer perhaps to a life change we had to make but were resistant to. I like to believe that sometimes the Universe gives us little nudges to move and to release something that no longer serves us in order to get to the next level of our lives. So, I am truly grateful to all experiences that I have had so far, in my 30 years of life on this Earth, for moulding me into the person I am today.
What do you think about pop psychology, since it’s so different from psychology?
Great question, I’m happy you brought that up. I believe it’s easy to get lost in the overwhelming amount of information coming at us from all sides. Because one of the perks of living in this century is the easy acces to information especially in the online environment, some poeple tend to just disregard the source of an article or idea and take it as a general truth. Same happens to certain beliefs that have been spread through the word of mouth and have been around for quite a while now. I think it is important to be discerning and question what we hear or read because based on this information we form our core beliefs which might have a negative impact on the way we perceive and relate to others or life, in general.
What is it like to write about topics relevant to your field of expertise (psychology)? Does it take much time to research as you write them since it’s still an academic field?
For me, writing about topics which resonate with me or topics that my clients are dealing with is very rewarding because it does not only help me get a better understanding of these issues but also meet the needs of others who are going through something similar.
Whenever I start writing an article like this, I always include a personal example from my journey thus far or a situation I have encountered in my practice. I feel like people can better relate through the power of personal example but also by normalizing a situation or an aspect which makes people feel supported and better understood.
Yes, it does take me quite a few days to write an academic article and doing the scientific research and that’s why I can only publish once or twice a week at most on Medium. It is important for me to make sure I deliver good quality content that others can benefit from.
What are some of your writing inspirations across the different topics you write about?
I am always on the lookout for topics I can write about. Whether it is an idea I get from a professor, colleague, a mentor, a Medium peer or a friend. Or a video I watch or a book I read. I like to think of it as a little light bulb at the back of my mind that turns on whenever someting resonates and keeps nagging me until I go through with it. I actually wrote an article about it, it’s called the Zeigarnik effect, where an idea or an unfinsihed project keeps hauting you until you do something about it.
Do you think that by writing your range of topics, you show the different sides of you as a person and writer?
Yes, definitely. When I first began writing on Medium, which was in August 2021, I started with the intention of soley writing academic articles and so, for quite a few months, many of my readers only got to know my professional side.
But as time went by, I realized I could also write more about my personal life as well, my spiritual journey, my favorite books, my routines. And thus, I was able to meet more like-minded people this way and to form deeper bonds. For me, connection is one of my top values in life and I was really glad I was able to connect with more kindered souls this way.
Of course, embracing and showing my vulnerable side was not an easy thing to do and it still doesn’t feel easy to me, but I realized that taking down the armour was the first step in developing more authentic relationships. As Brené Brown said “Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.” Couldn’t help myself to insert a quote 😊)
I love that you often include a favourite quote to end off your stories, where do you usually read or collect these quotes?
Yes, I do love a good quote! I always do my best to leave my readers on a high note at the end of the article and I feel that a quote does that better than anything. I must confess, I am an avid reader and I keep an entire journal with quotes. I also have many notes on my Kindle as well, always ready to be included in an article!
I see that you often write to inspire and help others on their paths with your various topics. How successfully do you think you’ve done that so far? What are some of the greatest challenges you faced doing so?
My hope is that whenever I write about some techniques that have helped me, I can send that positive energy to everyone reading the article and that it acts as a tool to inspire them to apply whatever resonates with them at that time.
And it also goes the other way around too. When people share with me in the comment section about their own experiences regarding that topic, it inspires and helps me as well! Seeing other’s engagement, perspectives and takes on the topic is very rewarding to me.
My goal is to reach as many people as possible. I think one of the challenges in doing so is that the algorithm favors those who publish more often which at the moment for me is not doable.
How do you personally define success as a writer? Do you think you’re there yet, or are there more that you want to work towards?
For me, success as a writer is to make a positive impact in as many people’s lives as possible. I think I still have a long way to go, I am continuously polishing and refining my writing skills and appreciate all feedback coming my way. Hopefully, one day, I’ll write a book as well, I feel there is at least one within me that would like to see the light of the day. One day 😊)
Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity, Ashley! It’s been a pleasure to answer your questions, and I really appreciate everyone’s time for reading this interview. Very grateful to be part of such a wonderful community such as this one here! Much love!
Sorina’s one of the first few writers who quickly became my favourite when I was first on Medium, so it’s been a huge pleasure to be able to work on this interview with her! I’d like to thank Sorina again, for agreeing to do this interview with Coffee Times!
I hope this interview has let you gain some insights into Sorina and the various topics she writes about!
